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Firefox 57, which is slated for release on November 14, will "only run WebExtensions", according to Mozilla.
This is expected to break compatibility with many existing Firefox extensions, and in many cases there aren't WebExtensions-compatible alternatives available for these extensions.
During some recent discussion at Slashdot, it became clear that some users have nearly all of their extensions classified as "legacy", and susceptible to breakage.
Members of the SoylentNews community, if you use Firefox, how many of your extensions are set to no longer work with Firefox in the near future?
If Firefox 57 breaks compatibility with your existing extensions, will this finally be enough for you to discard Firefox and find an alternative browser to use?
Will this extension breakage, and subsequent loss of users, effectively end the viability of Firefox as a modern web browser?
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Marand on Monday August 14 2017, @06:13AM (1 child)
I'm in same boat, but with different extensions. I'm currently on 52 ESR to give things time, but whether I stay on Firefox or not long-term depends on what happens with the addons I rely on most:
The Tab Groups developer already abandoned ship over the change, so unless someone else picks it up that one's dead. OneTab might still work, I don't think it does anything that's outside of what's allowed, so that will be okay. I know uBlock Origin's already been ported, and I use it on Chromium as well, so that one should be fine.
Tree Style Tab is probably dead. It relies on XUL to replace the existing tab bar so there isn't muc hope unless Mozilla adds functionality specifically to keep it working. I know there are attempts to do the same thing on Chrome within the constraints of this New World Order of addon design, but they're all shit because of its restrictions. If it can't 1) remove the default tab bar and 2) add a new vertical one that 3) can group the tabs, it's shit. None of the Chrome ones can do all three, most can't even do two, and the ones that can are either embedding a fake tab bar into page HTML, or require you to use a second window, in the multi-window-interface style of Gimp. And we all know how much everyone loves that feature in Gimp.
Ubiquity is likely dead too. It's an old Mozilla project that they abandoned and the community kept alive, but so far nothing's happened with converting it, and it might never happen.
It's All Text could go either way. There's nothing comparable in Chrome due to Chrome limitations, but it probably has a better chance at survival than Ubiquity and TreeStyle Tab.
If I lose these, especially TST, Tab Groups, and Ubiquity, I have no reason to use Firefox any longer. They're the only reason I still use it now, and when they go, I go with them. Where, I don't know; Pale Moon possibly, if I can get those three working in it. If not I may as well just start using an emacs browser. :P
(Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Monday August 14 2017, @04:05PM
TST currently works on Pale Moon. They have workaround versions for a lot of stuff, too.
https://addons.palemoon.org/incompatible/ [palemoon.org]
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