5 ms·

What's the current excuse for not supporting extensions on iOS? Orion on iOS does and it's the reason I dropped FF ages ago.

TheDong 2mo ago
Apple themselves do not allow using anything other than WebKit unless you move to the EU or Japan: https://developer.apple.com/support/alternative-browser-engines/ https://developer.apple.com/support/alternative-browser-engi... Firefox addons target gecko, not webkit. What Orion's doing is horribly hacky and prone to cause issues with a multitude of addons, and of course Mozilla shouldn't bow to Apple's incredibly anti-competitive behavior. You pay apple for a phone that can act more-or-less as a general purpose computer with apps. Apple should let you install the apps you want, and that they don't do so is insulting. The fact that the EU and Japan ruled it illegal, and Apple responded by only changing it in those two countries instead of all countries is doubly insulting.
- wbl 2mo ago
  Not all markets or manufacturers will have the same degree of vertical integration and that's ok.
  - Grombobulous 2mo ago
    It’s okay if you’re in a healthy market with many competitive choices. It’s not okay if you’re a duopoly where over 95% of people buy your product as a prerequisite to functioning in modern society.
    - dd8601fn 2mo ago
      Their approach yielded arguably the least exploitable general purpose computing devices that people ever actually wanted, without making people feel they were crippled, in a market where there are thousands of alternatives. It's been wildly successful and, like nearly everyone, I'm fine it.
      - Barbing 2mo ago
        :( where’s the hacker ethos here? I suppose you have a nice Linux machine or something you customize as you see fit, and you can make calls and listen to podcasts on your phone and that’s good enough for on the go…? I want grandma to have a locked-down iPhone but I want to be able to go through a process to be able to own my own iPhone. Doesn’t feel fine to have something crippled unless maybe it’s rented or something. Or my phone’s in an HOA.
        callc 2mo ago
        It’s a combination of Stockholm syndrome, having an expensive phone as a status symbol, and corporate worshiping. It also makes me “:(“ when I think of an alternate reality of where phones were as customizable and open as a plain old desktop. Open boot loader, manu supported open drivers (no blobs). Makes me seriously consider Ubuntu touch / graphene or something else and a $200 low end / 2nd hand locked-down phone for everything else.
        rustcleaner 2mo ago
        >It’s a combination of Stockholm syndrome, having an expensive phone as a status symbol, and corporate worshiping. Can any amount of pain cure stupid? I am still so baffled that AAPL is as market successful as they are, that I am forced to hate-long their stock while never buying their products (and telling others to not buy them either, which is going about as you would expect).
        callc 2mo ago
        The warden is making the prison just nice enough to not cause riots, to put it vividly. Most people won’t care or understand about this openness. Their needs are satisfied with the limitations. Similar to other freedoms we have (at least in the US), like speech, assembly. I think it will take very brazen acts on Apple’s part (or other gatekeepers) to get the everyday Joe/Jane to care about things enough to learn more or look for alternatives. Things like blocking certain websites, removing super popular apps for not following monopolistic rules
  - grepex 2mo ago
    Read: not all markets and manufacturers will have the same respect for their customers.
- yoavm 2mo ago
  > Firefox addons target gecko, not webkit. Are they? I've built a few Firefox extension and I cannot recall any part of the API that is Gecko-specific. While parts of the API aren't entirely browser-agnostic, they definitely seem to be engine-agnostic.
  - enos_feedler 2mo ago
    It’s not the part you see, its what they see to implement the features you see.
    - yoavm 2mo ago
      True, but I don't see how that answers the original question of "why does Firefox not support extensions on iOS?". Clearly extensions can run on WebKit. I assume it has much more to do with Apple restrictions rather than with the fact addons are built for Gecko.
      - enos_feedler 2mo ago
        Its not as simple as extensions running on webkit. Webkit is just a component. Extensions are basically apps. Apple goes through a lot of trouble to make it so you cant build an app platform inside your own app. Not saying impossible. But non trivial. Its not as simple as “webkit runs extensions”
- deleted 2mo ago
  [deleted]
- Tryk 2mo ago
  *EU is not one country
  - benoau 2mo ago
    The law that requires allowing alternative browsers, the DMA, applies to the entire EU. But I believe there are still zero third party browsers, to publish their browser in the EU Mozilla need an EU development team because developers outside the EU are unable to install it, and Mozilla cannot publish it as their existing app. Enforcement is taking years.
    - yoavm 2mo ago
      I'm pretty sure the OP knows about the law being EU-wide, but they were referring to "the EU and Japan ... those two countries".
- prinny_ 2mo ago
  Can you please expand on why what Orion does is hacky and may cause issues with other add ons?
- Nextgrid 2mo ago
  > unless you move to the EU or Japan Not only that, but the "entitlement" (Apple lingo for code-signature flag that grants capabilities) needed to publish a browser effectively requires to be an established company, ensuring hobbyists can't really get there with an open-source project even though the sources of Firefox are available and could technically be ported.
  - Gareth321 2mo ago
    It goes well beyond requiring an established company. It's so onerous that no company has yet successfully navigated all the gates required - even Google. Apple is maliciously complying with the EU's Digital Rights Act, and many years later, the EU has not concluded its investigations. I am incredibly disappointed.
    - criddell 2mo ago
      Apple is the only thing holding back Chromium / Blink from becoming the only browser technology that matters. I hope they keep fighting that fight.
      - wolvoleo 2mo ago
        They don't fight it for that reason though. They don't care about an open web either.
        criddell 2mo ago
        I don’t care why they do it. It’s just nice that their interests and my interests are aligned on this. I care about the open web and see setting Google up for a monopoly on web browsers to be just about the worst thing that could happen. A duopoly isn’t much better, but it is better.
        wolvoleo 2mo ago
        It's not a great alternative though. After all, Apple doesn't even provide a version of Safari for non-Apple platforms. They used to, but they stopped with the windows version years ago. That means Safari will be locked in at most at the Apple marketshare which is only about 8% on desktop: https://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share/desktop/worldwide/ https://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share/desktop/worldwide... . Not really a monopoly-breaker. And not everyone on Mac uses Safari of course, I didn't use it much when I still was on Apple because Firefox could sync my bookmarks with all my other computers. On mobile it's a different story of course (they are at 31% there, and nobody is allowed to run a different engine) but a browser isn't so important there because most services have en app.
- rustcleaner 2mo ago
  We need laws that make Apple's business model illegal. No more walled gardens, including game consoles. If you sell a Universal Machine (or product containing a Universal Machine), then the owner/purchaser/leasee must have full control of the Universal Machine. Just like the laws against bad cars are called "Lemon Laws," call these new laws against bad Universal Machines "Apple Laws." Forever memorialize AAPL in this negative light to warn its future successors what happens when you act in anti-customer ways even when technically not illegal to do so. By the same logic, we could also use "Anthropic Laws" to curb the nanny-moralism of model guardrails too!
  - socalgal2 2mo ago
    Personally I'm happy to carve out an exception for game consoles. Other than play games I don't do anything essential to my life on my game consoles. On my phone though I bank, shop, book hotels, flights, make doctors appointments, etc... I'm sure there is some definition we could use that exempts game consoles and not smartphones. For example, I'm sure the game consoles would be happy to live under the restriction of never allowing banking apps, non-media shopping apps, hotel apps, flight apps, medical services apps.
close04 2mo ago
Until recently Apple only allowed Webkit on iOS. In the EU and Japan now they allow proprietary engines. But this means Mozilla needs to put in all the extra effort to maintain yet another branch for iOS with all the features, for an even more limited user base in those regions alone.
- deleted 2mo ago
  [deleted]
- user43928 2mo ago
  While technically allowed, Apple's terms are extensive: https://developer.apple.com/support/alternative-browser-engines/ https://developer.apple.com/support/alternative-browser-engi...
- inigyou 2mo ago
  No browser vendor has been able to meet Apple's terms to gain access to this program, which is intentional by Apple.
VCFundedGenYer 2mo ago
As always, it's Apple neutering their own platform. They don't allow a lot of things on iOS. Non-WebKit browsers is one of them (Which is asinine). The EU forced them to allow other browser engines in their regions, but it's not global, and therefore fragmented.
tcfhgj 2mo ago
what's the current excuse for buying a device which doesn't allow you to control what software you use on it?
- whstl 2mo ago
  1. Not wanting to. 2. Caring about other aspects of the device. I don't personally agree with Apple's decisions, but you "vote with wallet" people need to have at least some modicum of empathy before you start demanding that people have a lot for you and join your cause.
  - tcfhgj 2mo ago
    you are reading a lot into almost nothing > 1. Not wanting to. obviously you DO want to if you want to use extensions but cannot use them because you actually cannot control the software on your device
    - whstl 2mo ago
      I am not talking about myself. That's where the empathy part comes.
      - tcfhgj 2mo ago
        > I am not talking about myself. well then, you should stick to the context
        whstl 2mo ago
        No. Just because I gave you an answer that doesn't satisfy you, doesn't give you the right. People don't care about the same things you do, so they want to keep the current phone, they just want added functionality. You're gonna have to do better than to just being an asshole about it and calling it "excuses".
        2mo ago
ghostly_s 2mo ago
I too switched to Orion for the extensions, then when I noticed they had gone about two years with regular updates but not one that addressed the performance of extensions, (their one killer feature) I switched back. I would love to have my extensions on mobile, but Orion's implementation just silently kills your extension threads when the memory manager wants the space then never restarts them.
zer0zzz 2mo ago
You're never going to have an app with plugin ability on iOS because that goes against the ios terms of service. It can be seen as shipping a competing appstore.

TheDong 2mo ago

Apple themselves do not allow using anything other than WebKit unless you move to the EU or Japan: https://developer.apple.com/support/alternative-browser-engines/ https://developer.apple.com/support/alternative-browser-engi... Firefox addons target gecko, not webkit. What Orion's doing is horribly hacky and prone to cause issues with a multitude of addons, and of course Mozilla shouldn't bow to Apple's incredibly anti-competitive behavior. You pay apple for a phone that can act more-or-less as a general purpose computer with apps. Apple should let you install the apps you want, and that they don't do so is insulting. The fact that the EU and Japan ruled it illegal, and Apple responded by only changing it in those two countries instead of all countries is doubly insulting.

wbl 2mo ago
Not all markets or manufacturers will have the same degree of vertical integration and that's ok.
- Grombobulous 2mo ago
  It’s okay if you’re in a healthy market with many competitive choices. It’s not okay if you’re a duopoly where over 95% of people buy your product as a prerequisite to functioning in modern society.
  - dd8601fn 2mo ago
    Their approach yielded arguably the least exploitable general purpose computing devices that people ever actually wanted, without making people feel they were crippled, in a market where there are thousands of alternatives. It's been wildly successful and, like nearly everyone, I'm fine it.
    - Barbing 2mo ago
      :( where’s the hacker ethos here? I suppose you have a nice Linux machine or something you customize as you see fit, and you can make calls and listen to podcasts on your phone and that’s good enough for on the go…? I want grandma to have a locked-down iPhone but I want to be able to go through a process to be able to own my own iPhone. Doesn’t feel fine to have something crippled unless maybe it’s rented or something. Or my phone’s in an HOA.
      - callc 2mo ago
        It’s a combination of Stockholm syndrome, having an expensive phone as a status symbol, and corporate worshiping. It also makes me “:(“ when I think of an alternate reality of where phones were as customizable and open as a plain old desktop. Open boot loader, manu supported open drivers (no blobs). Makes me seriously consider Ubuntu touch / graphene or something else and a $200 low end / 2nd hand locked-down phone for everything else.
        rustcleaner 2mo ago
        >It’s a combination of Stockholm syndrome, having an expensive phone as a status symbol, and corporate worshiping. Can any amount of pain cure stupid? I am still so baffled that AAPL is as market successful as they are, that I am forced to hate-long their stock while never buying their products (and telling others to not buy them either, which is going about as you would expect).
        callc 2mo ago
        The warden is making the prison just nice enough to not cause riots, to put it vividly. Most people won’t care or understand about this openness. Their needs are satisfied with the limitations. Similar to other freedoms we have (at least in the US), like speech, assembly. I think it will take very brazen acts on Apple’s part (or other gatekeepers) to get the everyday Joe/Jane to care about things enough to learn more or look for alternatives. Things like blocking certain websites, removing super popular apps for not following monopolistic rules
- grepex 2mo ago
  Read: not all markets and manufacturers will have the same respect for their customers.
yoavm 2mo ago
> Firefox addons target gecko, not webkit. Are they? I've built a few Firefox extension and I cannot recall any part of the API that is Gecko-specific. While parts of the API aren't entirely browser-agnostic, they definitely seem to be engine-agnostic.
- enos_feedler 2mo ago
  It’s not the part you see, its what they see to implement the features you see.
  - yoavm 2mo ago
    True, but I don't see how that answers the original question of "why does Firefox not support extensions on iOS?". Clearly extensions can run on WebKit. I assume it has much more to do with Apple restrictions rather than with the fact addons are built for Gecko.
    - enos_feedler 2mo ago
      Its not as simple as extensions running on webkit. Webkit is just a component. Extensions are basically apps. Apple goes through a lot of trouble to make it so you cant build an app platform inside your own app. Not saying impossible. But non trivial. Its not as simple as “webkit runs extensions”
deleted 2mo ago
[deleted]
Tryk 2mo ago
*EU is not one country
- benoau 2mo ago
  The law that requires allowing alternative browsers, the DMA, applies to the entire EU. But I believe there are still zero third party browsers, to publish their browser in the EU Mozilla need an EU development team because developers outside the EU are unable to install it, and Mozilla cannot publish it as their existing app. Enforcement is taking years.
  - yoavm 2mo ago
    I'm pretty sure the OP knows about the law being EU-wide, but they were referring to "the EU and Japan ... those two countries".
prinny_ 2mo ago
Can you please expand on why what Orion does is hacky and may cause issues with other add ons?
Nextgrid 2mo ago
> unless you move to the EU or Japan Not only that, but the "entitlement" (Apple lingo for code-signature flag that grants capabilities) needed to publish a browser effectively requires to be an established company, ensuring hobbyists can't really get there with an open-source project even though the sources of Firefox are available and could technically be ported.
- Gareth321 2mo ago
  It goes well beyond requiring an established company. It's so onerous that no company has yet successfully navigated all the gates required - even Google. Apple is maliciously complying with the EU's Digital Rights Act, and many years later, the EU has not concluded its investigations. I am incredibly disappointed.
  - criddell 2mo ago
    Apple is the only thing holding back Chromium / Blink from becoming the only browser technology that matters. I hope they keep fighting that fight.
    - wolvoleo 2mo ago
      They don't fight it for that reason though. They don't care about an open web either.
      - criddell 2mo ago
        I don’t care why they do it. It’s just nice that their interests and my interests are aligned on this. I care about the open web and see setting Google up for a monopoly on web browsers to be just about the worst thing that could happen. A duopoly isn’t much better, but it is better.
        wolvoleo 2mo ago
        It's not a great alternative though. After all, Apple doesn't even provide a version of Safari for non-Apple platforms. They used to, but they stopped with the windows version years ago. That means Safari will be locked in at most at the Apple marketshare which is only about 8% on desktop: https://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share/desktop/worldwide/ https://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share/desktop/worldwide... . Not really a monopoly-breaker. And not everyone on Mac uses Safari of course, I didn't use it much when I still was on Apple because Firefox could sync my bookmarks with all my other computers. On mobile it's a different story of course (they are at 31% there, and nobody is allowed to run a different engine) but a browser isn't so important there because most services have en app.
rustcleaner 2mo ago
We need laws that make Apple's business model illegal. No more walled gardens, including game consoles. If you sell a Universal Machine (or product containing a Universal Machine), then the owner/purchaser/leasee must have full control of the Universal Machine. Just like the laws against bad cars are called "Lemon Laws," call these new laws against bad Universal Machines "Apple Laws." Forever memorialize AAPL in this negative light to warn its future successors what happens when you act in anti-customer ways even when technically not illegal to do so. By the same logic, we could also use "Anthropic Laws" to curb the nanny-moralism of model guardrails too!
- socalgal2 2mo ago
  Personally I'm happy to carve out an exception for game consoles. Other than play games I don't do anything essential to my life on my game consoles. On my phone though I bank, shop, book hotels, flights, make doctors appointments, etc... I'm sure there is some definition we could use that exempts game consoles and not smartphones. For example, I'm sure the game consoles would be happy to live under the restriction of never allowing banking apps, non-media shopping apps, hotel apps, flight apps, medical services apps.

close04 2mo ago

Until recently Apple only allowed Webkit on iOS. In the EU and Japan now they allow proprietary engines. But this means Mozilla needs to put in all the extra effort to maintain yet another branch for iOS with all the features, for an even more limited user base in those regions alone.

deleted 2mo ago
[deleted]
user43928 2mo ago
While technically allowed, Apple's terms are extensive: https://developer.apple.com/support/alternative-browser-engines/ https://developer.apple.com/support/alternative-browser-engi...
inigyou 2mo ago
No browser vendor has been able to meet Apple's terms to gain access to this program, which is intentional by Apple.

VCFundedGenYer 2mo ago

As always, it's Apple neutering their own platform. They don't allow a lot of things on iOS. Non-WebKit browsers is one of them (Which is asinine). The EU forced them to allow other browser engines in their regions, but it's not global, and therefore fragmented.

tcfhgj 2mo ago

what's the current excuse for buying a device which doesn't allow you to control what software you use on it?

whstl 2mo ago
1. Not wanting to. 2. Caring about other aspects of the device. I don't personally agree with Apple's decisions, but you "vote with wallet" people need to have at least some modicum of empathy before you start demanding that people have a lot for you and join your cause.
- tcfhgj 2mo ago
  you are reading a lot into almost nothing > 1. Not wanting to. obviously you DO want to if you want to use extensions but cannot use them because you actually cannot control the software on your device
  - whstl 2mo ago
    I am not talking about myself. That's where the empathy part comes.
    - tcfhgj 2mo ago
      > I am not talking about myself. well then, you should stick to the context
      - whstl 2mo ago
        No. Just because I gave you an answer that doesn't satisfy you, doesn't give you the right. People don't care about the same things you do, so they want to keep the current phone, they just want added functionality. You're gonna have to do better than to just being an asshole about it and calling it "excuses".
        2mo ago

ghostly_s 2mo ago

I too switched to Orion for the extensions, then when I noticed they had gone about two years with regular updates but not one that addressed the performance of extensions, (their one killer feature) I switched back. I would love to have my extensions on mobile, but Orion's implementation just silently kills your extension threads when the memory manager wants the space then never restarts them.

zer0zzz 2mo ago

You're never going to have an app with plugin ability on iOS because that goes against the ios terms of service. It can be seen as shipping a competing appstore.