uBlock Origin Maintainer on Chrome vs. Firefox WebExtensions

Post by badsectoracula » Thu, Aug 10, 2017, 12:46 PM UTC

NewEntryHN wrote: post #28

AdmiralAsshat wrote: post #6

> It baffles me that some people thinks Firefox is becoming a “Chrome clone”, it’s just not the case, it’s just plain silly to make such statement. That's probably the single most reassuring statement about Firefox that I've heard in some time, coming from a serious dev who makes a popular cross-platform addon for both Firefox and Chrome.

I think as an extension developer he is particularly sensitive to the tech behind Firefox, which makes him understand some of Mozilla's decisions. For example, the move from legacy add-ons to WebExtensions is surely one less maintenance burden for Mozilla. As a user who doesn't think about such issues, it terribly looks like it's becoming a Chrome clone. I think it's Mozilla's responsibility to have a clearer communi…

Post by ronjouch » Thu, Aug 10, 2017, 12:57 PM UTC

StevePerkins wrote: post #246

bovine3dom wrote: post #226

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is probably a good place to plug the fact that Vimperator is going to die with FF57 [1]. If anyone wants to help with making an alternative, look through that thread. I'm particularly invested in Tridactyl [2] but other people are working on others. [1] https://github.com/vimperator/vimperator-labs/issues/705 [2] https://github.com/cmcaine/tridactyl

I've been using VimFX all along, which is actively maintained and already compatible with multiprocess. It's a web browser, not an actual text editor. 99% of the time, you're just wanting familiar keyboard commands for navigation. It feels like Vimperator does so many impractical things almost tongue-in-cheek, just to show how cool it is that they're theoretically possible.

    - You can use the current VimFx for the rest of 2017.
    - Then, Vimium is your best bet: philc/vimium#2425
    - VimFx is free software, so if somebody feels like converting it to a WebExtension they're totally free to do so! (But you're probably going to spend your time more wisely on Vimium.)
    - I hope to create a new add-on with the best parts from VimFx some day.
    - Firefox will become a better browser! It’s sad but worth the sacrifice.

Post by snakeanus » Thu, Aug 10, 2017, 1:02 PM UTC

agrahul wrote: post #181

kasabali wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know that, thanks. I posted it as a real life example of where webextensions are still not as powerful as the so called legacy extensions and wonder if that specific case still applies, is it fixed, planning to be fixed, or are there other specific examples where webextensions fall short.

Yeah, that specific case wasn't fixed; it appears that Mozilla doesn't intend to let addons run on `about:`. However, they did make `about:` respect DNT by disabling GA. WebExtensions currently fall short when it comes to any addon that modifies the UI significantly (tree-style tabs etc), though it's been mentioned in some other comments here that they're talking to addon devs to extend the API where possible.

Post by f4rker » Thu, Aug 10, 2017, 1:05 PM UTC

Post by snakeanus » Thu, Aug 10, 2017, 1:10 PM UTC

baby wrote: post #209

pawadu wrote: post #189

I still think Chrome has some advantages. For example you can disable a lot of things like location services in the settings. In Firefox you can decline access to location once a site asks for it but I would rather disable it once and for all if I am setting up a machine for a less tech-savvy person. Also, firefox comes with tons of built in features you cannot disable. In past they have caused security issues (e.g.…

> the pdf.js exploit Overall having pdf.js is a benefit to internet browsing. Should we not innovate and try to improve our tools just to preserve security?