Mouse gestures lets you browse the Internet faster by allowing you to execute commands by simply drawing simple symbols with your mouse pointer.
By using mouse gestures, you can execute common commands (like opening new tab, go back/forward, reload tab, etc) quickly without the need to reach for the toolbar/menu or even the keyboard. In this post I will show you how you can use mouse gestures in Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Opera.
Google Chrome
In Chrome, install an extension called Smooth Gestures.
Smooth Gestures comes with a list of predefined gestures ready to be used. After installing, go to the extensions options page to view all the gestures.
Tip: You can get there by holding down the right mouse button and drawing an ‘O’.
At the options page, you can edit gestures and also create your own custom gestures. Smooth Gestures also has an export feature using which your settings can be moved to another Chrome installation.
Smooth Gestures works on almost all http:// and https:// pages. However, you cannot perform mouse gestures on new tab page, Chrome extension page, or other chrome*:// pages due to restrictions placed by Chrome.
Update: This extension was deleted by the developer from Chrome Web Store. Though, you can still get it from Softpedia if you want.
Install: Smooth Gestures
Mozilla Firefox
Firefox has many mouse gestures add-ons but my favorite is All-in-One Gestures. This add-on is highly customizable, which makes it probably the best application for mouse gestures available. You can add gestures for basically any action you want and customize the gestures themselves in detail.
To view all the different options and to customize All-in-One Gestures, go to the options (Tools -> Add-ons -> Extensions -> All-in-One Gestures -> Options).
Install: All-in-One Gestures
Opera
Opera has built-in support for mouse gestures. To enable it, go to Tools -> Preferences -> Advanced -> Shortcuts, and check the “Enable mouse gestures” option. You can learn more about it here.