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For your next side project, make a browser extension

geoffreylitt.com

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Re: For your next side project, make a browser extension

#71
post #63
post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Huh? To the best of my knowledge, to get a development extension working in FF: 1. Ctrl-shift-a to open add-ons page 2. Click the cog, and select "debug add-ons" 3. Click "load temporary add-on" 4. Select a file in your extension. 5. Done. This worked for me earlier this week.

Key word from the grandparent post: "permanently" Key word from the parent post: "temporary"

Ah I reckon what you meant was "Oh this approach only temporarily installed the add-on, your parent post was asking about a way to permanently install an add-on." Took me a while to figure out what you meant.

Ah missed that; yep, the add-on will remain installed until the browser is restarted. That is a little annoying!

Re: For your next side project, make a browser extension

#74
post #23

Any suggestions for a good stack to develop extensions? I'm coming from nodejs/react, and would like to stay close to that. Is there an up-to-date stack I can clone, copy, and deploy with something like 'yarn run build' and start hacking?

Shameless plug, but we built the Plasmo Framework to make that (and a lot more) super easy: https://github.com/plasmohq/plasmo

I am a user of plasmo and it is amazing, super easy to get started and it just works

Re: For your next side project, make a browser extension

#75
post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interesting, based on browser share I'd have expected 90% to be on Chrome instead. What's the extension (or rather, why are most on Firefox)?

Because Firefox users install more extensions than Chrome users do. Or at least they used to. I don't really care; it's an old project I keep going for existing users.

what is it?

Re: For your next side project, make a browser extension

#76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is great they require 2FA, it increases everyone security in case a developer account is compromised.

I'd prefer to choose how much risk I want to take when installing extensions. Just give me a warning and let me do what I want.

Signed extensions can be loaded into release versions of FF. A compromised dev account can create signed malicious extensions. TFA protects everyone.

Re: For your next side project, make a browser extension

#78

PSA: If you're making a browser extension, please support Firefox as well, not just Chrome. Firefox makes it easy since they support the `chrome` namespace for functions [0]. You can also use React/Next.js or another frontend library too if you prefer. I had created an extension a while ago out of pure HTML, CSS, and TypeScript but I found that was quite annoying to add more complex features with lots of state. I swi…

firefox/mozilla doesn't really make it easy (compared to chrome) mozilla now requires "add-on signing" [0]; extensions now have to be "signed" (By mozilla) before you can permanently side-load your own private extension onto regular firefox. they also require you to use 2FA [1] when setting up a firefox.com account (which is required in order for you to upload extensions so they can be signed). at least with chrome y…

I can understand why the first example is burdensome and don't have any quarrel with it but I can't help but lack sympathy for the second example. If your barrier as a developer is setting up 2FA I can't help but doubt you ever cared much about supporting Firefox anyway. This is like a taxi driver complaining about needing to have proof of insurance and a driver's license.
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