what program would you use to open .manifest , .sh , .js , .xul , .dtd and .properties ? an answer to any one of these would be helpful.

Well, .js stands for javascrit, so any text editor will work for that. Actaully you could try opening any of them in a text editor.

Also, this is a great resource: http://filext.com/

Happy Newyear,
David

thanks and happy new year to you too!