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I am not familiar with Web Extensions, but I am familiar with the fairly common event in which application vendors severely change functionality, with significa

I am not familiar with Web Extensions, but I am familiar with the fairly common event in which application vendors severely change functionality, with significant downstream effects. Such behavior seems more common amongst open-source products. Consider Python 3. Asterisk's scripting language. Perl 6. Incompatible version changes drive away users and developers. The uncertainty that comes along with a planned update in which compatibility is not guaranteed makes us all shy away from developing in that application at all, not just on the old version. Microsoft always seemed to do a good job at maintaining compatibility over its versions. Most applications that used to run on Windows still do, although there are a lot of exceptions. Python's change to the print statement broke everything, though the fix was easy; most of the time the fix is not easy - and even when it is, nothing works until someone gets around to the fix. I appreciate the need to move forward, and sometimes you have to break stuff to make it better, but these incompatible changes just destroy momentum. It's a shame to see it happen.

williamscales 10y ago
It's not merely an incompatible change, it's an incompatible change that removes significant functionality. People seem to be coming around to Python 3 eventually, as it does offer a much improved experience. I can't see that happening with subsequent versions of Firefox unfortunately.
syshum 10y ago
>>I am not familiar with Web Extensions, Chrome.... Mozilla is turning Firefox into just another Chrome Browser... Firefox 57 will like see me stop using FireFox it will be no different than chrome so I might as well just use chrome >>and sometimes you have to break stuff to make it better It is yet to be seen if it will be better, so far everything they are doing in firefox to make it more like chrome I am 1000000% opposed to.
- a3n 10y ago
  > Firefox 57 will like see me stop using FireFox it will be no different than chrome so I might as well just use chrome Firefox probably won't phone google.
  - syshum 10y ago
    Yea that is not a concern for me... I am logged in to Google services all the time anyway and I have a Android Phone sitting 3 ins from my computer. I use Firefox for a few Productivity Extensions that will likely stop working in 57, as such there is no reason for me to continue to use FireFox.
    - marcosdumay 10y ago
      Just today I was unable to access a modem configuration site (at http://192.168.1.1 http://192.168.1.1) with Chrome, because without internet it couldn't phone Google to decide wether to use it as an address or a search term.
      - fiddlerwoaroof 10y ago
        I have never had this problem with chrome.
    - a3n 10y ago
      And I'm logged out of Google services all the time, except for in, use and out. Because it's Google. Man. :)
  - gukov 10y ago
    1. Moz://a is paid millions by Google so that they're the default search engine in Firefox 2. Firefox just became a little bit more like Chrome, at least as far as some of its users here are concerned Google has been slowly consuming Firefox, so don't be surprised if any phoning home is happening.
    - syshum 10y ago
      >>Moz://a is paid millions by Google so that they're the default search engine in Firefox That has not been the case for a few years(2012? or 2013 I believe), Yahoo is currently the Default Search and pays the bulk of Mozilla budget, With the Verizon Deal Mozilla is likely worried that will change when the contract is up for renewal
a3n 10y ago
I don't think Perl 6 is (yet) considered "the way forward," to the extent that Python 3 is.
- _delirium 10y ago
  I believe that, early on, Perl 6 was intended to be the next version of Perl in a more traditional sense, with an upgrade path and compatibility mode and so on, but with the time lag before the 1.0 release and increasingly radical design changes, at this point Perl6 and Perl5 are different languages, which share a name for historical reasons.

williamscales 10y ago

It's not merely an incompatible change, it's an incompatible change that removes significant functionality. People seem to be coming around to Python 3 eventually, as it does offer a much improved experience. I can't see that happening with subsequent versions of Firefox unfortunately.

syshum 10y ago

>>I am not familiar with Web Extensions, Chrome.... Mozilla is turning Firefox into just another Chrome Browser... Firefox 57 will like see me stop using FireFox it will be no different than chrome so I might as well just use chrome >>and sometimes you have to break stuff to make it better It is yet to be seen if it will be better, so far everything they are doing in firefox to make it more like chrome I am 1000000% opposed to.

a3n 10y ago
> Firefox 57 will like see me stop using FireFox it will be no different than chrome so I might as well just use chrome Firefox probably won't phone google.
- syshum 10y ago
  Yea that is not a concern for me... I am logged in to Google services all the time anyway and I have a Android Phone sitting 3 ins from my computer. I use Firefox for a few Productivity Extensions that will likely stop working in 57, as such there is no reason for me to continue to use FireFox.
  - marcosdumay 10y ago
    Just today I was unable to access a modem configuration site (at http://192.168.1.1 http://192.168.1.1) with Chrome, because without internet it couldn't phone Google to decide wether to use it as an address or a search term.
    - fiddlerwoaroof 10y ago
      I have never had this problem with chrome.
  - a3n 10y ago
    And I'm logged out of Google services all the time, except for in, use and out. Because it's Google. Man. :)
- gukov 10y ago
  1. Moz://a is paid millions by Google so that they're the default search engine in Firefox 2. Firefox just became a little bit more like Chrome, at least as far as some of its users here are concerned Google has been slowly consuming Firefox, so don't be surprised if any phoning home is happening.
  - syshum 10y ago
    >>Moz://a is paid millions by Google so that they're the default search engine in Firefox That has not been the case for a few years(2012? or 2013 I believe), Yahoo is currently the Default Search and pays the bulk of Mozilla budget, With the Verizon Deal Mozilla is likely worried that will change when the contract is up for renewal

a3n 10y ago

I don't think Perl 6 is (yet) considered "the way forward," to the extent that Python 3 is.

_delirium 10y ago
I believe that, early on, Perl 6 was intended to be the next version of Perl in a more traditional sense, with an upgrade path and compatibility mode and so on, but with the time lag before the 1.0 release and increasingly radical design changes, at this point Perl6 and Perl5 are different languages, which share a name for historical reasons.