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Add-on support in new Firefox for Android (2021)

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Re: Add-on support in new Firefox for Android (2021)

#41

Post by freemint »

dblohm7 wrote: post #29

(Former Mozilla developer here, who worked on GeckoView[1], the modern way to embed Gecko into Android apps, including all currently shipped Mozilla browsers on Android) From an engineering perspective, the sad thing about this is that the work to finish extensions in GeckoView was essentially completed in the months after the initial Fenix release. When GeckoView was still being rolled out into release, we understan…

Can you elaborate how engineering on an open source product is prevented from doing the right thing™ by management?

Re: Add-on support in new Firefox for Android (2021)

#42

Post by moonshinefe »

I like using Firefox on Android because uBlock origin makes mobile browsing at least tolerable and it lets me use the "desktop mode" view on certain sites so e.g. I can listen to youtube playlists even if the phone is locked without paying for a premium service (for what I consider basic functionality).

Surprised to hear literally the sole reason I use it on mobile is also neglected. Do they think they're going to out compete Chrome on Google's own platform for casual users or something? I don't get it.

Re: Add-on support in new Firefox for Android (2021)

#43

Post by pessimizer »

CorrectHorseBat wrote: post #36
pessimizer wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you compare the marketshare of firefox a decade ago to the marketshare of firefox now, you can determine pretty precisely how extreme a minority you are in that.

As if that has anything to do with it, Chrome is even worse in that regard and it's market share has only grown.

Even worse in what regard? Did you reply to the right comment?

Chrome imitates Chrome far better than Firefox does. I just don't think they can catch up at this point.

edit: maybe you meant addons? Chrome has more addons, with more users, updated more often. Chrome fails at ublock because it wants to, but as long as you're not messing with Google's core business, Chrome is (of course) going to be better off than the product of the endangered company that solely survives from Google's donations.

Re: Add-on support in new Firefox for Android (2021)

#44

Post by dblohm7 »

jonkoops wrote: post #34
dblohm7 wrote: post #29

(Former Mozilla developer here, who worked on GeckoView[1], the modern way to embed Gecko into Android apps, including all currently shipped Mozilla browsers on Android) From an engineering perspective, the sad thing about this is that the work to finish extensions in GeckoView was essentially completed in the months after the initial Fenix release. When GeckoView was still being rolled out into release, we understan…

This pretty much feels to me what is happening to Mozilla as an organization from an outsider perspective. Engineering is no longer as important as the evangelism and management is making strange decisions that lack focus on what the target audience really is.

My 2 cents: One of the reasons why I left is that there was no longer any symbiotic relationship between product management and engineering. Product makes unilateral decisions, throws them over the wall, and engineering is expected to quit whining and just do what they're told.

Re: Add-on support in new Firefox for Android (2021)

#45

Post by Pakdef »

Most the addons that I use work with collections, but collections are cumbersome to use. Why don't they just have an option to unblock all addons and give you a warning that some might not work?

The day they do that on Desktop, I don't know which browser I'll switch to...

Re: Add-on support in new Firefox for Android (2021)

#46

Post by nick__m »

contravariant wrote: post #38
therealmarv wrote: post #7

That's not true. It's more that Mozilla white lists only very few of the addons for the mobile browser. The fork Iceraven whitelists/allow all (?) of the addons (not all work fully, so the whitelist has a purpose): https://github.com/fork-maintainers/iceraven-browser

There is in fact a way to plug in your own whitelist if you use Firefox Nightly [1]. It's a bit of a hassle though, and it's so obscure that I'm fairly sure almost nobody is aware of it. [1]: https://blog.mozilla.org/addons/2020/09/29/expanded-extensio...

I use this !

When this was released I switch back from IceRaven to Firefox as I prefer a browser that receives timely updates.

Re: Add-on support in new Firefox for Android (2021)

#47

Post by 5e92cb50239222b »

jonkoops wrote: post #34
dblohm7 wrote: post #29

(Former Mozilla developer here, who worked on GeckoView[1], the modern way to embed Gecko into Android apps, including all currently shipped Mozilla browsers on Android) From an engineering perspective, the sad thing about this is that the work to finish extensions in GeckoView was essentially completed in the months after the initial Fenix release. When GeckoView was still being rolled out into release, we understan…

This pretty much feels to me what is happening to Mozilla as an organization from an outsider perspective. Engineering is no longer as important as the evangelism and management is making strange decisions that lack focus on what the target audience really is.

Most of that evangelism doesn't even make any sense to me as a non-USian. I understand the US has its own share of internal problems, but feeding that to the whole world when I just want to download the damn browser seems weird. I won't post any links here to avoid offending anyone, but they should be pretty obvious.

Re: Add-on support in new Firefox for Android (2021)

#48

Post by mmmrk »

pessimizer wrote: post #30
mmmrk wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm a decade-long user and am perfectly fine with modern Firefox (plus uBlock), both on the desktop and on Android. In fact, I don't want to go back to the before-times. Speak for yourself.

If you compare the marketshare of firefox a decade ago to the marketshare of firefox now, you can determine pretty precisely how extreme a minority you are in that.

Am I the minority? To establish that, you'd need to survey a sizable part of the previously FF-using population and determine why they stopped using it. Going from "lost most marketshare" to "it's because techies were forsaken" does not seem logical to me.

And you know, even if I was indeed the minority, so what? I stand by liking FF and I will continue to use it until it's defunct. Because I can :)

Re: Add-on support in new Firefox for Android (2021)

#49

Post by sbernecchia »

nick__m wrote: post #46
contravariant wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is in fact a way to plug in your own whitelist if you use Firefox Nightly [1]. It's a bit of a hassle though, and it's so obscure that I'm fairly sure almost nobody is aware of it. [1]: https://blog.mozilla.org/addons/2020/09/29/expanded-extensio...

I use this ! When this was released I switch back from IceRaven to Firefox as I prefer a browser that receives timely updates.

then you could try fennec from f-droid, which enables custom extensions and about:config, but unlike iceraven is compiled from firefox stable release, so it is updated shortly after a new firefox stable release.

Re: Add-on support in new Firefox for Android (2021)

#50

Post by kashyapc »

For a year now, I began using DuckDuckGo's (DDG) "Privacy Browser" on Android. By default it removes ads and third-party trackers; no need for add-ons. So far DDG's browser works roughly on par with my older setup of stock Android Firefox plus a couple of usual extensions. I wonder why DDG's Android browser isn't more well-known.
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