Firefox XUL-Based Add-On Compatibility Will be Dropped After Some Time

[Shemhamforash]

http://www.userlogos.org/files/logos/hanns/mozilla2.png




"Mozilla developers have announced that in Firefox 45, a new implementation of the API for browser extensions will be added. It is called WebExtensions and uses native HTML technology. WebExtensions will make it possible to create extensions compatible with Google Chrome and vice versa."

"Support for these new type of addons is already implemented in the addons.mozilla.org repository. It will be rolled out to the public along with Firefox 44. By Firefox 47, the implementation of WebExtensions is expected to be in the beta stage. Finally, in Firefox 48, WebExtensions will reach a usable stage.

After that, support for classic (XUL-based) add-ons will be dropped after some time! It is not clear for how long the support for classic add-ons will remain available in Firefox."

"While WebExtensions add-ons can be used in other browsers like Opera or Chrome, the potential loss of many useful Firefox extensions is so disappointing that many users are likely to stop using Firefox. These changes, along with the signature enforcement for extensions, which cannot be turned off starting with Firefox 44 can significantly reduce the flexibility and the power of Firefox. It is quite possible that many things possible today through add-ons in Firefox will not be available using the new WebExtensions APIs. For example, I am skeptical on whether my favorite Tab Mix Plux XUL-based add-on can be possible with the new extensions model. Once XUL-based add-on support is dropped, it may not be possible to create such an add-on."

Source: http://winaero.com/blog/firefox-will-get-a-new-extensions-api-without-backward-compatibility/

This article was posted on December 28, 2015 by Sergey Tkachenko.

[Agelyk]

The logo of the new Firefox is very funny.
About compatibility with Chrome extensions, this has been said some time ago and were just rumors, I hope this becomes a reality and not remain this in just "rumors" :sad:

[Shemhamforash]

The logo of the new Firefox is very funny.
About compatibility with Chrome extensions, this has been said some time ago and were just rumors, I hope this becomes a reality and not remain this in just "rumors" :sad:

Do you mean the T-Rex? That's actually an older Mozilla Foundation logo, I'm actually quite fond of it :Smile:.
That's good you're looking forward to it, I'm sure compatibility with Chrome add-ons will happen, much like it already works with Vivaldi.
Personally, I don't really need Chrome add-ons as Firefox has all my favorites: SmoothWheel, S3.Google Translater, Thumbnail Zoom Plus, Tab Mix Plus.
I use Pale Moon, and I make a backup of all my extensions from a hidden folder in /home so I think I'm good if they decide to do something drastic with extensions that are working as of 2015.

[2635599]

in regards to addonons not porting themselves to extensions i'm pretty sure if they are already working on them or they will be.

[Shemhamforash]

in regards to addonons not porting themselves to extensions i'm pretty sure if they are already working on them they will be.

I hope so, but as the article says it might not be possible to rebuild some extensions using this toolkit.

[2635599]

I hope so, but as the article says it might not be possible to rebuild some extensions using this toolkit.


i buy maybe not having the same look and feel of the old addon, but there is no reason not to have the same functionality of the old addon. igone the edited by. i clicked on edit by mistake.

[Shemhamforash]

i buy maybe not having the same look and feel of the old addon, but there is no reason not to have the same functionality of the old addon. igone the edited by. i clicked on edit by mistake.

Maybe they will, I don't quite know what you mean you say look and feel and I don't know about development of Firefox extensions, I'm just basing what I say about it being possibly not portable from this quote in the article:


It is quite possible that many things possible today through add-ons in Firefox will not be available using the new WebExtensions APIs. For example, I am skeptical on whether my favorite Tab Mix Plux XUL-based add-on can be possible with the new extensions model. Once XUL-based add-on support is dropped, it may not be possible to create such an add-on.

From this I glean that it could possibly be the end of functionality for some Firefox extensions.

[2635599]

From this I glean that it could possibly be the end of functionality for some Firefox extensions.

what i'm talking about on look and feel is that addons for firefox and extensions for chrome like adblock plus do the same thing in both browsers but their gui is completely different. i imagine that say tabmixplus ported or rewritten to be an extension will have all the same features of the tmp addon but the gui will mot likely be completely different. now as for some addons not being able to be recreated as extensions i only see that happening if mozilla removes code that addon makers used to create their addon. switching from addons to extensions the underlining code for either is still going to be there.

[2635599]

8pecxstudios (http://virtualcustoms.net/member.php/208186-8pecxstudios) would like your thoughts since you are the creator of cyberfox.