Comments on: Soylent Green Is People! http://starkravingfinkle.org/blog/2008/04/soylent-green-is-people/ Wed, 20 Aug 2008 09:34:20 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: Daniel http://starkravingfinkle.org/blog/2008/04/soylent-green-is-people/#comment-5881 Daniel Mon, 14 Apr 2008 04:08:52 +0000 http://starkravingfinkle.org/blog/2008/04/soylent-green-is-people/#comment-5881 Well, I don't like to make it ignore for all of my extensions, so if I find an incompatible extension, I decide if I *really* need it, then if I do I manually compatibilize it: http://daniel1992.wordpress.com/2008/02/03/how-to-install-incompatible-addons-in-firefox-3/ This makes sure that I don't run too many non-compatible extensions, and I know always which ones are and aren't compatible. Daniel Well, I don’t like to make it ignore for all of my extensions, so if I find an incompatible extension, I decide if I *really* need it, then if I do I manually compatibilize it:

http://daniel1992.wordpress.com/2008/02/03/how-to-install-incompatible-addons-in-firefox-3/

This makes sure that I don’t run too many non-compatible extensions, and I know always which ones are and aren’t compatible.

Daniel

]]> By: Nightly Tester Tools Make Your Extensions Work with the Firefox 3 Beta | arthuran.net http://starkravingfinkle.org/blog/2008/04/soylent-green-is-people/#comment-5843 Nightly Tester Tools Make Your Extensions Work with the Firefox 3 Beta | arthuran.net Thu, 10 Apr 2008 17:57:32 +0000 http://starkravingfinkle.org/blog/2008/04/soylent-green-is-people/#comment-5843 [...] ??????????????? Mark Finkle ???????? Platform Evangelist ??? Mozilla ????????????????????????????????? ?????????? blog ?????????????????????????... [...] […] ??????????????? Mark Finkle ???????? Platform Evangelist ??? Mozilla ????????????????????????????????? ?????????? blog ?????????????????????????… […]

]]> By: Scott Fitchet http://starkravingfinkle.org/blog/2008/04/soylent-green-is-people/#comment-5818 Scott Fitchet Wed, 09 Apr 2008 13:15:53 +0000 http://starkravingfinkle.org/blog/2008/04/soylent-green-is-people/#comment-5818 Good post. I've been using the V3 betas for quite awhile and am still missing a lot of my favorite extensions. :( ( like google toolbar ! ) Good post. I’ve been using the V3 betas for quite awhile and am still missing a lot of my favorite extensions. :(

( like google toolbar ! )

]]> By: Jesse Andrews http://starkravingfinkle.org/blog/2008/04/soylent-green-is-people/#comment-5810 Jesse Andrews Wed, 09 Apr 2008 05:44:11 +0000 http://starkravingfinkle.org/blog/2008/04/soylent-green-is-people/#comment-5810 <rant> As a long time extension developer (and previously a developer on Flock), I understand that versioning is important. That said, I think Mozilla has dropped the ball on coordinating releases and extension support. 1) Extension developers have no time to test/update their extensions before mozilla software updates occur. 2) Because mozilla has code freezes for each release, but they appear to not mean anything (large changes are committed after the freeze, thus extension developers get no head start) 3) After uploading a new release to addons.mozilla.org it can take multiple days to a week for an editors review and users being able to get the update. 4) Users of the addon have no insight into any of this, and blame the extension developers because mozilla's story is "extension developers need to update their extension." There is no acknowledgement that the developer might be keeping up to date, testing, contributing patches and new features to firefox 3, and uploading a new version to addons.mozilla.org as soon as they are allowed - only to have 1 week of waiting in line for some editor to spend a few minutes looking at your extension. </rant> Will extension developers be given a chance to update their extension on addons.mozilla.org to say they are compatible with 3.0 before the world gets the official firefox 3 release? Will addons editors be able to review updates in a timely manner? Or is it business as usually - changes until the last minute, and ship it with a broken extension experience because of the lack of coordination? <rant>

As a long time extension developer (and previously a developer on Flock), I understand that versioning is important.

That said, I think Mozilla has dropped the ball on coordinating releases and extension support.

1) Extension developers have no time to test/update their extensions before mozilla software updates occur.

2) Because mozilla has code freezes for each release, but they appear to not mean anything (large changes are committed after the freeze, thus extension developers get no head start)

3) After uploading a new release to addons.mozilla.org it can take multiple days to a week for an editors review and users being able to get the update.

4) Users of the addon have no insight into any of this, and blame the extension developers because mozilla’s story is “extension developers need to update their extension.”

There is no acknowledgement that the developer might be keeping up to date, testing, contributing patches and new features to firefox 3, and uploading a new version to addons.mozilla.org as soon as they are allowed - only to have 1 week of waiting in line for some editor to spend a few minutes looking at your extension.

</rant>

Will extension developers be given a chance to update their extension on addons.mozilla.org to say they are compatible with 3.0 before the world gets the official firefox 3 release? Will addons editors be able to review updates in a timely manner?

Or is it business as usually - changes until the last minute, and ship it with a broken extension experience because of the lack of coordination?

]]> By: Henrik Nystrom http://starkravingfinkle.org/blog/2008/04/soylent-green-is-people/#comment-5809 Henrik Nystrom Wed, 09 Apr 2008 05:04:27 +0000 http://starkravingfinkle.org/blog/2008/04/soylent-green-is-people/#comment-5809 Totally agree, to often you read that there is an extension that updates other broken extensions to work with new versions of FF. Wouldn't it be a good idea to convince the author of the "Nightly Tester Tools" extension to change the phrasing in the tool from “Make compatible” to "Bypass compatibility check". Even if it still might be a bad idea to do that (bypass check that is), it might make less people believe that it does some kind of magic voodoo on incompatible extensions. Totally agree, to often you read that there is an extension that updates other broken extensions to work with new versions of FF.

Wouldn’t it be a good idea to convince the author of the “Nightly Tester Tools” extension to change the phrasing in the tool from “Make compatible” to “Bypass compatibility check”.

Even if it still might be a bad idea to do that (bypass check that is), it might make less people believe that it does some kind of magic voodoo on incompatible extensions.

]]> By: Asa Dotzler http://starkravingfinkle.org/blog/2008/04/soylent-green-is-people/#comment-5808 Asa Dotzler Wed, 09 Apr 2008 04:11:38 +0000 http://starkravingfinkle.org/blog/2008/04/soylent-green-is-people/#comment-5808 Kenguru, a very many of the most popular extensions (perhaps even a majority by usage) do have binary components and they are pretty much guaranteed to crash Firefox if they're allowed to load against the wishes of the compatibility checks. - A Kenguru, a very many of the most popular extensions (perhaps even a majority by usage) do have binary components and they are pretty much guaranteed to crash Firefox if they’re allowed to load against the wishes of the compatibility checks.

- A

]]> By: Craig Overend http://starkravingfinkle.org/blog/2008/04/soylent-green-is-people/#comment-5805 Craig Overend Tue, 08 Apr 2008 20:24:30 +0000 http://starkravingfinkle.org/blog/2008/04/soylent-green-is-people/#comment-5805 I rely on UI and productivity changing extensions that I hate doing without... and are reluctantly not upgrading until they're supported. Do you know if there's an extension that can check which extensions I have installed in FF2 are compatible with FF3? If so, why isn't such a tool included with FF? :) I rely on UI and productivity changing extensions that I hate doing without… and are reluctantly not upgrading until they’re supported. Do you know if there’s an extension that can check which extensions I have installed in FF2 are compatible with FF3? If so, why isn’t such a tool included with FF? :)

]]> By: Kenguru http://starkravingfinkle.org/blog/2008/04/soylent-green-is-people/#comment-5804 Kenguru Tue, 08 Apr 2008 19:30:18 +0000 http://starkravingfinkle.org/blog/2008/04/soylent-green-is-people/#comment-5804 I thought that it shouldn't be possible for add-ons to crash the browser (unless the add-on has binary components). Isn't this true ... ? (Of course you are right that incompatible add-ons should not be installed blindly. I am just curious ... ) I thought that it shouldn’t be possible for add-ons to crash the browser (unless the add-on has binary components). Isn’t this true … ?

(Of course you are right that incompatible add-ons should not be installed blindly. I am just curious … )

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