What we're talking about is the gecko/xul platform behind Firefox. By definition it's a platform and should stay neutral about what is allowed and what is not.

What we're talking about is the gecko/xul platform behind Firefox. By definition it's a platform and should stay neutral about what is allowed and what is not. While the Mozilla platform is indeed more integrated and monolithic than, for example, an operating system, it's still an application platform. All platforms have applications. Could you imagine GNU or Gnome setting policies for how different programs shouldn't mess and compete with each other? In an open market for applications, the bad applications just get weeded out for good. There's no need for Mozilla to intervene; the power of Mozilla platform is that extensions can do powerful stuff, upto and including battling each other. You can't go rule out just those things. * * * (Or are we in for a lengthy philosophical debate of whether it's possible to write a platform that only allows "good" things to happen? I don't think so. Those who disagree can go and drool Apple's iPhone application SDK and review process :-))