1. I don't really know what plug-ins and such I might need.
2. My avatar doesn't freeze for me as far as I can tell.
1. And we've got -0- idea of your computing habits/needs; I suggest that you shelf the question until you've got more OS X experience and, perhaps, an idea of what you don't see that you'd like to see and, conversely, what you do see that you'd prefer to not see.
2. Your avatar is frozen in my Safari at the moment.