First Reaction to Firefox 3.0
While many of the enhancements in Firefox 3.0 are good ideas and much welcomed, this release suffers from the same phenomenon as many new releases of platform-type software. That is, lack of 3rd party support. With supposedly over a thousand add-ons available out there, Firefox has, after all, become essentially a platform. This is by design, as extensibility is one of the basic value props Mozilla promotes for the open source browser. I’m highly acclimated to (and now dependent on!) the ten extensions that I use with Firefox 2.x (not counting the DOM Inspector and Talkback). So when I activated a Firefox 3.0 layer and cranked it up, I was dismayed that only two of my extensions worked (or had an update available). One of the broken ones (the Unified Back-/Forward Button) has been incorporated as a feature of Firefox 3.0, but w/o 70% of my add-on functionality, my browser was effectively broken by this user’s reckoning.
Ten extensions is pretty lightweight for a technical user. I’ve read of Firefox users with dozens. So I’m sure my reaction has been pretty common this past 24 hrs. or so. Unfortunately, while Firefox 3.0 is indeed a good idea (and I did download it yesterday to do my part toward the world record), much like a new release of Windows I will be unable to use it regularly for several weeks or months, until the 3rd party support comes along.
When 2.0 released, I remember being very impressed by how many extensions already had 2.x support on Day One. What’s different this time? Was 3.x that much of an architectural change that adding support is more difficult? Or are the add-on developers simply less than excited by Firefox 3.0 because 2.x is good enough?
Don’t get me wrong, I love Firefox and have been an avid supporter and user since the alpha days (when it was called Phoenix). But the 3.0 “final release” feels like just another beta. It’s supposed to be an industry event, but I can’t use the software. Thanks to SVS, I can keep it and 2.x both readily available and keep checking on the progress of 3rd party support with 3.x. Inevitably I will switch at some point. But for now, Firefox 2.0.0.14 is still my browser of choice.
June 20th, 2008 at 9:17 am
Hmm, can you say which ones you use and aren’t working?
I have between 10 and 20 extensions on the computers I use (one at work two at home) of the 13 I use at work only 1 didn’t work, Auto Copy. I was bummed about that one, but the author has been lax in updating the extension so I can’t say that it surprises me. Heck when I updated to FF2 that one didn’t work…
Anywho I have the follow on my work computer:
Adblock Plus – Must have
Add Bookmark Here2 – Must have
Customize Google
DownThemAll
Firebug
Forecastbar Enhanced
Image Zoom – Must have
PDF Download – Must have
ScrapBook – Must have
Session Manager – Must have
Tab Mix Plus
Web Developer
Normally I have Foxmarks as well but not on my work computer.
June 24th, 2008 at 10:18 am
My list:
Box.net Bookmarks Synchronizer
Download Statusbar
Fasterfox
Firefox Showcase
IE Tab (update for 3.0 available)
NewTabURL
Quick Locale Switcher
Restarter
Tab to Window
Unified Back-/Forward Button
March 19th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
Btw… At some point last fall, around 3.0.2 or 3.0.3, all the major bugs and add-on compatibility issues were worked out and I switched to Firefox 3. Works great. No great advantages over 2.x that come to mind, just the latest drop of my usual fast, stable, extensible browser that I love. Fully endorsed and recommended.