4 ms·

I was under the impression all chrome extensions had to go through the chrome web store now. I don't think you can manually install them anymore (outside of ins

I was under the impression all chrome extensions had to go through the chrome web store now. I don't think you can manually install them anymore (outside of installing in developer mode). I could be wrong though.

nkozyra 10y ago
This is true. They've actually made it difficult to do even with Developer Mode active, which is probably a net win.
- bad_user 10y ago
  Obviously there's no net win, given that TFA is talking about extensions distributed on Chrome's Web Store, infecting over 130000 users before it was banned. That kind of proves the walled garden is pretty ineffective, the only accomplishment being the lock-in of users to Google's Web Store as the sole distribution mechanism, thus keeping Chrome a proprietary platform, in spite of the open-source nature of its code. The only real advantage of the web store is the ability to uninstall banned extensions. But that could have been accomplished just as well by digital signing of the distributed packages.
  - martinald 10y ago
    Yes, and Web Store only has problems if you want to keep stuff internal ('enterprise' distribution). This does seem like a total mess.
- noinsight 10y ago
  It's so annoying - on Windows, you can't even prevent Chrome from complaining every time you start it up when you have Developer Mode (and unpacked extensions) active. On Linux it doesn't, fortunately. I just want to use my own extension and it's not something that others would benefit from. I even tried to put my extension up on the Web Store just because of this but I gave up once my (obviously valid) credit card got rejected. Now I just live with it.
ocdtrekkie 10y ago
They do, but Google's policing of the web store is an absolute joke. Tell it at parties, people will laugh. I've reported malicious extensions and a year later they're still there racking up installs.

nkozyra 10y ago

This is true. They've actually made it difficult to do even with Developer Mode active, which is probably a net win.

bad_user 10y ago
Obviously there's no net win, given that TFA is talking about extensions distributed on Chrome's Web Store, infecting over 130000 users before it was banned. That kind of proves the walled garden is pretty ineffective, the only accomplishment being the lock-in of users to Google's Web Store as the sole distribution mechanism, thus keeping Chrome a proprietary platform, in spite of the open-source nature of its code. The only real advantage of the web store is the ability to uninstall banned extensions. But that could have been accomplished just as well by digital signing of the distributed packages.
- martinald 10y ago
  Yes, and Web Store only has problems if you want to keep stuff internal ('enterprise' distribution). This does seem like a total mess.
noinsight 10y ago
It's so annoying - on Windows, you can't even prevent Chrome from complaining every time you start it up when you have Developer Mode (and unpacked extensions) active. On Linux it doesn't, fortunately. I just want to use my own extension and it's not something that others would benefit from. I even tried to put my extension up on the Web Store just because of this but I gave up once my (obviously valid) credit card got rejected. Now I just live with it.

ocdtrekkie 10y ago

They do, but Google's policing of the web store is an absolute joke. Tell it at parties, people will laugh. I've reported malicious extensions and a year later they're still there racking up installs.