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>I know you had to "turn on" pocket. That doesn't counter my argument. Kinda does, especially since Google never used pocket? > they didn't do before Chrome

>I know you had to "turn on" pocket. That doesn't counter my argument. Kinda does, especially since Google never used pocket? > they didn't do before Chrome started doing it. Chrome uses GA for general telemetry IIRC, a feature which Firefox has basically always had. Firefox's telemetry is much more privacy conscious (it collects very basic numbers and nothing personally identifiable). I'm not sure why about:addons decided to use GA instead of Firefox, but this isn't "copying something Google did first". These are decisions which you may not agree with, but you're reaching when you describe them as "copying Chrome". > toggle-able options were way back when FF used to have different settings in the options page where you could make changes to the UI, functionality, etc. Almost all of those are gone now for a "simplified" set of options. about:config still exists. Most options are still there under advanced in settings. The UI is even more configurable, because themes exist and you can drag-drop UI elements to other parts of the browser.

GrayShade 9y ago
>> I know you had to "turn on" pocket. That doesn't counter my argument. > Kinda does, especially since Google never used pocket? Pocket also gave way to a new type of add-on that's impossible to remove and installs silently. They do show up in about:support, at least, but only as names [1]. I feel like that whole episode was treated very poorly by Mozilla, with a lot of misinformation [2] and reasonable documentation requests being ignored [3]. [1] what's even "presentation@mozilla.org"? [2] https://groups.google.com/d/msg/mozilla.governance/2PYq2w8tejs/xBaHm8f1CgAJ https://groups.google.com/d/msg/mozilla.governance/2PYq2w8te... [3] e.g. https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1179699 https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1179699
- Manishearth 9y ago
  IIRC that kind of addon always existed. Some kinds of browser functionality was implemented that way. It doesn't exactly "install silently", it's there by default. Just like the code for the bookmarks toolbar is there by default. It uses the addons API, is all. The Presentation addon IIRC handles some prompts for https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Presentation_API https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Presentatio... I'm not sure why it's structured as an addon, but it's basically browser functionality.
  - GrayShade 9y ago
    I'm not sure how to read the Go Faster docs [1]. I undestand that they can get updated silently, but it doesn't say anything about pushing new ones. I assume that's also possible, as it totally makes sense, but I don't have any proof. The Go Faster initiative seems to have started around June 2015 [2] with Pocket being one of the first users [3] [4]. > The Presentation addon IIRC handles some prompts Thanks for the information. [1] https://wiki.mozilla.org/Firefox/Go_Faster/When_To_Use_System_Add-ons https://wiki.mozilla.org/Firefox/Go_Faster/When_To_Use_Syste... [2] https://wiki.mozilla.org/Firefox/Go_Faster/Meetings https://wiki.mozilla.org/Firefox/Go_Faster/Meetings [3] https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1215694 https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1215694 [4] This first comment in #1215694 has a nice Orwellian tinge: "We're moving pocket to a built-in addon. This will facilitate user choice [...]". We all know how that went.
    - Manishearth 9y ago
      > but it doesn't say anything about pushing new ones. I assume that's also possible, as it totally makes sense, but I don't have any proof. I don't think they can be > with Pocket being one of the first users [3] [4]. So were Hello/Loop. I think you've got the cause-effect backwards here. It seems to have started off as a way to add experimental features that needed a different update cycle (before Test Pilot existed). Now that Test Pilot exists all of these addons are basically for core browser functionality (e.g. the dev tools may move to this model at some point). So right now it's just a way of shipping code with a different release cycle, and being used for things that would otherwise be baked into the browser itself. Anyway, this is super off topic.

GrayShade 9y ago

>> I know you had to "turn on" pocket. That doesn't counter my argument. > Kinda does, especially since Google never used pocket? Pocket also gave way to a new type of add-on that's impossible to remove and installs silently. They do show up in about:support, at least, but only as names [1]. I feel like that whole episode was treated very poorly by Mozilla, with a lot of misinformation [2] and reasonable documentation requests being ignored [3]. [1] what's even "presentation@mozilla.org"? [2] https://groups.google.com/d/msg/mozilla.governance/2PYq2w8tejs/xBaHm8f1CgAJ https://groups.google.com/d/msg/mozilla.governance/2PYq2w8te... [3] e.g. https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1179699 https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1179699

Manishearth 9y ago
IIRC that kind of addon always existed. Some kinds of browser functionality was implemented that way. It doesn't exactly "install silently", it's there by default. Just like the code for the bookmarks toolbar is there by default. It uses the addons API, is all. The Presentation addon IIRC handles some prompts for https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Presentation_API https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Presentatio... I'm not sure why it's structured as an addon, but it's basically browser functionality.
- GrayShade 9y ago
  I'm not sure how to read the Go Faster docs [1]. I undestand that they can get updated silently, but it doesn't say anything about pushing new ones. I assume that's also possible, as it totally makes sense, but I don't have any proof. The Go Faster initiative seems to have started around June 2015 [2] with Pocket being one of the first users [3] [4]. > The Presentation addon IIRC handles some prompts Thanks for the information. [1] https://wiki.mozilla.org/Firefox/Go_Faster/When_To_Use_System_Add-ons https://wiki.mozilla.org/Firefox/Go_Faster/When_To_Use_Syste... [2] https://wiki.mozilla.org/Firefox/Go_Faster/Meetings https://wiki.mozilla.org/Firefox/Go_Faster/Meetings [3] https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1215694 https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1215694 [4] This first comment in #1215694 has a nice Orwellian tinge: "We're moving pocket to a built-in addon. This will facilitate user choice [...]". We all know how that went.
  - Manishearth 9y ago
    > but it doesn't say anything about pushing new ones. I assume that's also possible, as it totally makes sense, but I don't have any proof. I don't think they can be > with Pocket being one of the first users [3] [4]. So were Hello/Loop. I think you've got the cause-effect backwards here. It seems to have started off as a way to add experimental features that needed a different update cycle (before Test Pilot existed). Now that Test Pilot exists all of these addons are basically for core browser functionality (e.g. the dev tools may move to this model at some point). So right now it's just a way of shipping code with a different release cycle, and being used for things that would otherwise be baked into the browser itself. Anyway, this is super off topic.