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Mozilla should really try taking their extension ecosystem seriously, and deliver features like the AI chatbot integration as first-party extensions that come p

by wtallis 8mo ago

Mozilla should really try taking their extension ecosystem seriously, and deliver features like the AI chatbot integration as first-party extensions that come pre-installed but can be easily managed by users with a much better UI than about:config.

mikkupikku 8mo ago
Apparently they've recently added a first party side bar for LLM integration, but I haven't tried it out yet.
- wtallis 8mo ago
  Yes, that's one of the things that really should have been an extension. Tree Style Tab works alright as an extension-provided sidebar. Putting the chat or sidebar in the core of the browser sounds very much like something done by a developer who wasn't around for Mozilla prior to Firefox, and isn't aware of the original goal of being the antithesis of the browser that included everything and the kitchen sink.
ziml77 8mo ago
And then people would complain about Firefox being bloated with all these built-in extensions. And then if you don't pre-install them people will complain about needing to add all of these extra extensions.
- bluebarbet 8mo ago
  Indeed, and this argument ("it will be too bloated") is often used by developers themselves to avoid (or hide) advanced features. I never quite understood it. Just put all the mysterious flags behind an "Advanced" menu, which normie users will know not to touch.
- wtallis 8mo ago
  There would still be decidedly fewer complaints, because extensions are vastly easier to manage and disable or remove than this long list of about:config settings. The fact that you cannot satisfy everybody simultaneously cannot be an excuse for failing to ship with sensible defaults and easy, discoverable customization.
- terminalshort 8mo ago
  They right clicked on an image which is also a clickable link which adds the additional options for both links and images, a total of 11, to the defaults.
- Groxx 8mo ago
  Kinda, but if something can be built as an extension, it probably should be. It proves what you can do with the APIs, proves it can be replaced / forked by other people, and ensures a consistent level of isolation by default. And if it can't... often it's worth asking if it should be possible.

by wtallis 8mo ago

mikkupikku 8mo ago

Apparently they've recently added a first party side bar for LLM integration, but I haven't tried it out yet.

wtallis 8mo ago
Yes, that's one of the things that really should have been an extension. Tree Style Tab works alright as an extension-provided sidebar. Putting the chat or sidebar in the core of the browser sounds very much like something done by a developer who wasn't around for Mozilla prior to Firefox, and isn't aware of the original goal of being the antithesis of the browser that included everything and the kitchen sink.

ziml77 8mo ago

And then people would complain about Firefox being bloated with all these built-in extensions. And then if you don't pre-install them people will complain about needing to add all of these extra extensions.

bluebarbet 8mo ago
Indeed, and this argument ("it will be too bloated") is often used by developers themselves to avoid (or hide) advanced features. I never quite understood it. Just put all the mysterious flags behind an "Advanced" menu, which normie users will know not to touch.
wtallis 8mo ago
There would still be decidedly fewer complaints, because extensions are vastly easier to manage and disable or remove than this long list of about:config settings. The fact that you cannot satisfy everybody simultaneously cannot be an excuse for failing to ship with sensible defaults and easy, discoverable customization.
terminalshort 8mo ago
They right clicked on an image which is also a clickable link which adds the additional options for both links and images, a total of 11, to the defaults.
Groxx 8mo ago
Kinda, but if something can be built as an extension, it probably should be. It proves what you can do with the APIs, proves it can be replaced / forked by other people, and ensures a consistent level of isolation by default. And if it can't... often it's worth asking if it should be possible.