Mozilla plans change to add-on requirements

"Through its official blog, Mozilla announced that it will be making changes to how Internet browser Firefox will be handling add-ons in the future, with the most important change being Firefox's adoption of the WebExtensions API. ***"

http://www.techtimes.com/articles/78550/20150822/mozilla-says-buh-bye-to...

I hope this results in the superior Firefox iteration being portable to Chrome, Opera and eventually Edge. I wish good luck with the new process to the creator of this fine browser tool.

lethedoom's picture

This seems to be extremely controversial.
http://www.metafilter.com/152352/Crazy-like-a-FireFox

"Crazy like a (Fire)Fox
August 22, 2015 5:30 PM   
While it used to be the leading alternative to Internet Explorer (and others), Firefox has seen its market share erode steadily since the 2008 debut of Google Chrome. The Mozilla Foundation has made several oft-controversial bids at relevancy, including native video chat, Pocket integration, a mobile browser (and OS), a UI overhaul, and a rapid release schedule that's reached version 40 (and counting). But the latest proposal -- part of a reboot of the stalled Electrolysis multiprocessing project -- will prove the most daunting. Although it will modernize the browser's architecture, it also deprecates the longtime XUL framework in favor of more limited and Chrome-like "web extensions" -- requiring Firefox's vast catalog of powerful add-ons to be rewritten from scratch or cease functioning. While developers will have until 2017 to fully adapt, opinion is divided -- NoScript's Giorgio Maone reassures doubters, while the DownThemAll! team says "it feels like I just learned my dear old friend Firefox is going to die."

tobwithu's picture

X-notifier for Firefox should be changed like X-notifier for Chrome.

It means that some functions (Multiple login, sidebar, ...) should be discarded.

lethedoom's picture

Discarding multiple login will hamper users with more than one Hotmail or Yahoo email account. Before I started using x-notifier I used to set up different browsers like Firefox and Internet Explorer with one of each so that I could check into all my inboxes at a given time. If you cannot even list the second mail account for Yahoo or Hotmail so that a manual check-in by clicking the icon is available I probably will use Thunderbird or Outlook exclusively to access e mail since they will not be limited to one of each. I find  the new Chrome x-notifier inferior to the original: I could just bookmark the inboxes to get the same functionality. I have used and valued x-notifier in Firefox for many years. I regret that the functionality will be reduced to the hobbled new Chrome version. Thanks for your generous effort for many years.

Can you explain what you mean by discarding multiple logins please?
i use your brilliant add on for 2 hotmail accounts and several Gmail accounts for different things. It constantly checks these and tells me if there is mail. I'm thus able to right click on the envelope icon and select the chosen Gmail account which then opens a new tab in firefox for each account I choose to open. Are you saying that this function will no longer be available? And then how will it work for my type of usage?

tobwithu's picture

You can use multiple accounts but you cannot open it at the same time.

It's same as current X-notifier for Chrome.

@Tobwithu...

When you say X-notifier for Chrome ...do you mean the 3.5.14(?) version or the Neo version for the Chrome Web Store?

Will you continue to support/update the 'full' (or 'legacy') version for Chrome 3.5.14?
And the eventual new Firefox version will then mirror the full/legacy version for Chrome ...or the 'Neo' version??

(I need to update to 3.5.14, but...)
The full/legacy version 3.5.12 lets me define multiple accounts for a provider... but not open them in multi-session, etc.
I have three gmail accounts and three hotmail accounts defined in 3.5.12... and they are checked just fine ...but only one Facebook (defining more than one Facebook seems to conflict each other).
(I only have one Yahoo right now.)

tobwithu's picture

I mean 'classic version'.

Do we need an 'obvious' easy link for updates to the 'Classic' .crx version? (if it will continue to be updated?)

I know I can click the orange X icon at the X-Notifier comparison post on the 'Home' page (and the 'Cannot find...' post link)... but that's not quite 'obvious' like the green Chrome button for Neo in the store now.

CFBancroft's picture

When that day Firefox update for example version 50.0 will remove, alike Tobwithu said "(Multiple login, sidebar, ...)".

If that happen, I will keep Firefox version 49.n forever and keep with all features, That if Tobwithu willing support user scripts for "classic" Firefox.

lethedoom's picture

Firefox 41 Changes

Mozilla wanted to introduce add-on signing enforcement in Firefox 41 initially but pushed this back so that it is now scheduled to arrive in Firefox 43 instead.