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I think this is wonderful, but I have two concerns. First, if there isn't a Chrome plugin, it's not going to be of much use to me. I still use Chrome on my lap

I think this is wonderful, but I have two concerns. First, if there isn't a Chrome plugin, it's not going to be of much use to me. I still use Chrome on my laptop (for a multitude of reasons) and if Lockbox doesn't interoperate with it, it's not a useful tool. Second, I worry about the longetivity of the project. Other than Firefox, Mozilla is not known for their long-term support of consumer products. Persona? Firefox OS? Thunderbird? I don't want to switch to a product that's only going to be retired in a year.

piotrkubisa 8y ago
Isn't that what are you looking for https://github.com/mozilla-lockbox/lockbox-addon https://github.com/mozilla-lockbox/lockbox-addon?
saagarjha 8y ago
Firefox makes a desktop browser, though. Why should they provide a Chrome extension?
- jjuel 8y ago
  They make a mobile browser too so why make this app?
- bastawhiz 8y ago
  Because I could just as easily use a competing product that does work with Chrome. An all-or-nothing mentality with (free consumer) software isn't a great way to acquire new users. Switching my primary browser to use a password manager that I like is a ridiculous decision.
  - fgonzag 8y ago
    This is a password manager for people who already have their passwords on Firefox... so I don't really think you're the target market here. It basically allows you to use your FF passwords in your local apps
- chachan 8y ago
  same reason google provides their products for iOS environment, same reason there's a desktop outlook client for macOS, etc
- guiltygods 8y ago
  because many people use multiple browsers for variety of use cases.
- xnyan 8y ago
  For iOS at least, you need an app to have first class password filling privileges. My understanding is android is becoming more restrictive about this and is locking down APIs such that you do or will need a native app for password filling on that too.
- pavon 8y ago
  Turning the question around, Firefox also makes mobile browsers, so why should they have created Lockbox at all? There are many reasons to want to use different browsers: * Your spouse prefers a different browser * Firefox doesn't work as well on MacOS as Windows/Linux * You need to use multiple browsers for testing * You currently use Firefox everywhere, but don't want to be locked into that decision. The only reason I don't use Firefox Sync is because I don't want my password manager tied to single browser. I would have pounced on this in a heartbeat if a chrome plugin to Sync was available a year ago.
callahad 8y ago
Longevity shouldn't be too much of a concern: Lockbox is effectively a client for Firefox Sync, and Sync is a core Firefox product offering. As for Chrome, since Lockbox is an explicit move to extend Firefox Sync's utility beyond just Firefox, I wouldn't at all be surprised to see a browser extension at some point in the future. However, I have no actual knowledge of the Lockbox team's roadmap. Just seems reasonable. :-) Heck, all the APIs (and repos) are open, so someone sufficiently motivated could build that right now.
- johnchristopher 8y ago
  > Longevity shouldn't be too much of a concern: Lockbox is effectively a client for Firefox Sync, and Sync is a core Firefox product offering. Yeah, but Google sunset a mail app last week so... You never know. Now I wonder what does lockbox bring to the table because my passwords I already shared between mobile and desktop through sync ? edit: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19492386 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19492386 Ah, I see. Google chrome gets access to it.
  - callahad 8y ago
    > what does lockbox bring to the table because my passwords I already shared between mobile and desktop through sync ? Lockbox makes those passwords accessible outside of Firefox. It implements Android's autofill API, so you can, for example, use it to log into native apps on Android. You can also use it to access your passwords when you're using other browsers, which is especially important with the rise of in-app browsers.
  - oarsinsync 8y ago
    > > Longevity shouldn't be too much of a concern: Lockbox is effectively a client for Firefox Sync, and Sync is a core Firefox product offering. > Yeah, but Google sunset a mail app last week so... You never know. Yeah, but the mail app Google sunset wasn't a core product offering, so... You never know.
SimeVidas 8y ago
It depends where all your website passwords are. If they’re in Chrome, this app is not for you. The idea behind Lockbox is to make it easier to access (on mobile platforms) the passwords associated with your Firefox account.
6a68 8y ago
Hi, Lockbox desktop dev here. Some thoughts: > if there isn't a Chrome plugin, it's not going to be of much use to me Working on it! We have to get the webextension working in Firefox first, then we'll branch out to other browsers. (Contributors welcome, btw: https://github.com/mozilla-lockbox/lockbox-addon https://github.com/mozilla-lockbox/lockbox-addon) > I still use Chrome on my laptop (for a multitude of reasons) and if Lockbox doesn't interoperate with it, it's not a useful tool. Well, you can import Chrome passwords into Firefox pretty easily, and set up Firefox Sync, and then you've got all your (Chrome) desktop logins on mobile. Not ideal, but works. > I don't want to switch to a product that's only going to be retired in a year Sure, I definitely understand. I've personally worked on Persona, FxOS, Test Pilot, and Screenshots (and now Lockbox). IMO Mozilla has gotten steadily better at shipping new products, and once we get Lockbox integrated into desktop, it'll have really good chances of long-term survival. Besides, any new startup might go away; at least with Mozilla products, you can be sure we aren't going to do anything sketchy with your data. Finally, I'll point out that, if you try Lockbox, it'll give Mozilla's management good signals that they should keep investing in Lockbox :-)
- MasterYoda 8y ago
  Do you or someone else know if the Lockbox app will feature full password management (like add, delete, edit, generate strong random pw, folders etc) in the future or is it only meant to be a "password access" app?
- bastawhiz 8y ago
  Just seeing this now. Thanks for the response! Looking forward to the extensions.
SilasX 8y ago
Don't forget "ability to add keyboard shortcuts and have them apply when your current tab is loading".

piotrkubisa 8y ago

Isn't that what are you looking for https://github.com/mozilla-lockbox/lockbox-addon https://github.com/mozilla-lockbox/lockbox-addon?

saagarjha 8y ago

Firefox makes a desktop browser, though. Why should they provide a Chrome extension?

jjuel 8y ago
They make a mobile browser too so why make this app?
bastawhiz 8y ago
Because I could just as easily use a competing product that does work with Chrome. An all-or-nothing mentality with (free consumer) software isn't a great way to acquire new users. Switching my primary browser to use a password manager that I like is a ridiculous decision.
- fgonzag 8y ago
  This is a password manager for people who already have their passwords on Firefox... so I don't really think you're the target market here. It basically allows you to use your FF passwords in your local apps
chachan 8y ago
same reason google provides their products for iOS environment, same reason there's a desktop outlook client for macOS, etc
guiltygods 8y ago
because many people use multiple browsers for variety of use cases.
xnyan 8y ago
For iOS at least, you need an app to have first class password filling privileges. My understanding is android is becoming more restrictive about this and is locking down APIs such that you do or will need a native app for password filling on that too.
pavon 8y ago
Turning the question around, Firefox also makes mobile browsers, so why should they have created Lockbox at all? There are many reasons to want to use different browsers: * Your spouse prefers a different browser * Firefox doesn't work as well on MacOS as Windows/Linux * You need to use multiple browsers for testing * You currently use Firefox everywhere, but don't want to be locked into that decision. The only reason I don't use Firefox Sync is because I don't want my password manager tied to single browser. I would have pounced on this in a heartbeat if a chrome plugin to Sync was available a year ago.

callahad 8y ago

Longevity shouldn't be too much of a concern: Lockbox is effectively a client for Firefox Sync, and Sync is a core Firefox product offering. As for Chrome, since Lockbox is an explicit move to extend Firefox Sync's utility beyond just Firefox, I wouldn't at all be surprised to see a browser extension at some point in the future. However, I have no actual knowledge of the Lockbox team's roadmap. Just seems reasonable. :-) Heck, all the APIs (and repos) are open, so someone sufficiently motivated could build that right now.

johnchristopher 8y ago
> Longevity shouldn't be too much of a concern: Lockbox is effectively a client for Firefox Sync, and Sync is a core Firefox product offering. Yeah, but Google sunset a mail app last week so... You never know. Now I wonder what does lockbox bring to the table because my passwords I already shared between mobile and desktop through sync ? edit: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19492386 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19492386 Ah, I see. Google chrome gets access to it.
- callahad 8y ago
  > what does lockbox bring to the table because my passwords I already shared between mobile and desktop through sync ? Lockbox makes those passwords accessible outside of Firefox. It implements Android's autofill API, so you can, for example, use it to log into native apps on Android. You can also use it to access your passwords when you're using other browsers, which is especially important with the rise of in-app browsers.
- oarsinsync 8y ago
  > > Longevity shouldn't be too much of a concern: Lockbox is effectively a client for Firefox Sync, and Sync is a core Firefox product offering. > Yeah, but Google sunset a mail app last week so... You never know. Yeah, but the mail app Google sunset wasn't a core product offering, so... You never know.

SimeVidas 8y ago

It depends where all your website passwords are. If they’re in Chrome, this app is not for you. The idea behind Lockbox is to make it easier to access (on mobile platforms) the passwords associated with your Firefox account.

6a68 8y ago

Hi, Lockbox desktop dev here. Some thoughts: > if there isn't a Chrome plugin, it's not going to be of much use to me Working on it! We have to get the webextension working in Firefox first, then we'll branch out to other browsers. (Contributors welcome, btw: https://github.com/mozilla-lockbox/lockbox-addon https://github.com/mozilla-lockbox/lockbox-addon) > I still use Chrome on my laptop (for a multitude of reasons) and if Lockbox doesn't interoperate with it, it's not a useful tool. Well, you can import Chrome passwords into Firefox pretty easily, and set up Firefox Sync, and then you've got all your (Chrome) desktop logins on mobile. Not ideal, but works. > I don't want to switch to a product that's only going to be retired in a year Sure, I definitely understand. I've personally worked on Persona, FxOS, Test Pilot, and Screenshots (and now Lockbox). IMO Mozilla has gotten steadily better at shipping new products, and once we get Lockbox integrated into desktop, it'll have really good chances of long-term survival. Besides, any new startup might go away; at least with Mozilla products, you can be sure we aren't going to do anything sketchy with your data. Finally, I'll point out that, if you try Lockbox, it'll give Mozilla's management good signals that they should keep investing in Lockbox :-)

MasterYoda 8y ago
Do you or someone else know if the Lockbox app will feature full password management (like add, delete, edit, generate strong random pw, folders etc) in the future or is it only meant to be a "password access" app?
bastawhiz 8y ago
Just seeing this now. Thanks for the response! Looking forward to the extensions.

SilasX 8y ago

Don't forget "ability to add keyboard shortcuts and have them apply when your current tab is loading".