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Our Chrome Extension Is Safe

blog.pushbullet.com

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Re: Our Chrome Extension Is Safe

#31

Post by dividuum »

schoolornot wrote: post #9

Can someone from Google use a throwaway to explain why the hell their support is garbage. From the Chrome store, to G-Suite, to Pixel Support. It's just awful.

Maybe that's a glimpse into the shitty future we're building for outselves: Judged by unexplainable results from machine learning decisions. No one except some machine is to blame and maybe their support could not even provide a useful explanation even if they cared. Maybe the pushbullet extension just used if-statements in a way that was a bit too close to how scammy extensions organize their code.

Re: Our Chrome Extension Is Safe

#33

Post by gnicholas »

_fat_santa wrote: post #25

You know this wouldn't be so much of an issue if Chrome didn't disable the ability to install extensions outside of the web store. As an extension developer its absolutely infuriating to realize that: 1. There is no way to install extensions outside the web store 2. Google won't approve anything to the web store. 3. The vast majority of people use Chrome vs other browsers. ------ I get it, Chrome is Google's browser…

At least it’s possible to side load extensions in Chrome. I’ve been more disappointed in Firefox, which doesn’t allow this at all, even in the developer release. The only thing similar to side loading that is allowed is a temporary debug process, which loads an addon but only until the browser is restarted.

Re: Our Chrome Extension Is Safe

#34

Post by wpietri »

RHSeeger wrote: post #7

> All of that attention resulted in our issue being resolved. This is good for us. It is not yet clear if the attention will help other developers that are struggling with similar vague rejections. I think it's been made abundantly clear that Google will not, in fact, improve anything from experiences like this. They happen over and over and every single time it's the same; if it gets publicity, someone helps resolve…

It seems like there are two ways to handle an exceptional condition. One is to say, "Gosh, this is bad! We'll fix it and move on!" And the other is to say, "This is bad, and it's telling us something about the system we've built. So let's fix it for this person, then find the systemic flaw and fix it so we stop doing this in the future."

Sadly, a lot of companies will look at a PR problem and do just enough to make their pain go away, without ever saying, "Wait, are their people we should care about besides ourselves?" It's disappointing.

Re: Our Chrome Extension Is Safe

#35

Post by rapind »

RHSeeger wrote: post #7

> All of that attention resulted in our issue being resolved. This is good for us. It is not yet clear if the attention will help other developers that are struggling with similar vague rejections. I think it's been made abundantly clear that Google will not, in fact, improve anything from experiences like this. They happen over and over and every single time it's the same; if it gets publicity, someone helps resolve…

The end result being a far less permissive extension. The permissions they required were insane but our entire focus is on Google's customer service.

Now that we all agree that Google's process sucks, can we talk about how insane it is to even have this level or permissions available for request in the first place?

Re: Our Chrome Extension Is Safe

#36

Post by criddell »

RHSeeger wrote: post #7

> All of that attention resulted in our issue being resolved. This is good for us. It is not yet clear if the attention will help other developers that are struggling with similar vague rejections. I think it's been made abundantly clear that Google will not, in fact, improve anything from experiences like this. They happen over and over and every single time it's the same; if it gets publicity, someone helps resolve…

App and extension developers should organize into a trade group and collectively bargain with the companies running app stores.

Re: Our Chrome Extension Is Safe

#37

Post by imglorp »

Someone1234 wrote: post #5

It is good that this was resolved, but not so good that they had to shame Google on HN/Twitter to get it looked at. I understand that the Chrome extension store is free, but if you're going to point a bunch of bots at it and have them de-list extensions based on unknown metrics, the least you could do is communicate the "gotcha" rules the extension supposedly violated.

Or hand out the de-list bot to let developers test-run against it locally before they push to the store.

Unless there are secret rules.

Re: Our Chrome Extension Is Safe

#38

Post by wpietri »

benatkin wrote: post #14

I don't think this is proper use of Chrome extensions, and it hearkens back to the days of search toolbars, like the Ask and Yahoo toolbars being installed by Java. https://www.pcworld.com/article/2940688/java-installer-ditch... As a user I want my browser's extension support to be more like Visual Studio Code's than like Atom's. Visual Studio Code has fine grained permissions, and prevents extensions from going thro…

As a Pushbullet user, I think the two cases are nothing alike. Pushbullet is doing things for me. The toolbar plague was about getting access to do things to you. Should Pushbullet be using the minimum set of permissions for that? Sure. Could there be better permission models, ones that make sure Pushbullet doesn't do anything naughty? Possibly! But neither of those justifies a blanket ban.

Re: Our Chrome Extension Is Safe

#39

Post by hodgesrm »

benatkin wrote: post #14

I don't think this is proper use of Chrome extensions, and it hearkens back to the days of search toolbars, like the Ask and Yahoo toolbars being installed by Java. https://www.pcworld.com/article/2940688/java-installer-ditch... As a user I want my browser's extension support to be more like Visual Studio Code's than like Atom's. Visual Studio Code has fine grained permissions, and prevents extensions from going thro…

> They have funding from reputable VCs but they require way too much permission and store way too much user data for what seems to be occasionally useful utilities...

Having funding from VCs does not have much connection with security posture in products. If anything the correlation might be negative. Large funds seek market domination, not implementation of specific features.

Re: Our Chrome Extension Is Safe

#40

Post by smexy »

Uw7yTcf36gTc wrote: post #19
schoolornot wrote: post #9

Can someone from Google use a throwaway to explain why the hell their support is garbage. From the Chrome store, to G-Suite, to Pixel Support. It's just awful.

Is it really hard to understand? The answer is always money.

I'd add, an undue faith in The Algorithms.
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