Firefox 55 is out today.
It has a big yellow LEGACY warning splashed all over many extensions (Add-ons).
It turns out to be a warning of doom because in version 57, those will be force-blocked unless they are rewritten.
Many of them have zero chance of being rewritten because original authors have lost interest/moved on/died/whatever.
This happened before, but we were able to recode most Add-ons to bypass restrictions.
This will not be possible in version 57.
To quote a Firefox forums moderator:
RobertJ said:
Un-verified but likely any userChrome.css tweaks will likely die at some point.
If userChrome.css tweaks die... there will be no reason, IMO, to stick with FF. [13 of my 14 FF extensions look to die]
I have been looking at the alternatives and most suck.
So since they all do suck currently [I respect your opinion if you like other browsers, but from the perspective of modifications and extension libraries, alternatives to Firefox suck], it looks like the only way forward is to stay on future Firefox 56, then rely on good Antivirus/Firewall/AntiMalware to protect us from any future browser security problems.
Yes there was even talked of Google/Microsoft and Mozilla having a unifying approach to this topic.
I solve *all* problems you mention in Firefox by nuking my profile and copy/pasting the backup version of my Profile folder if things slow down, just like re-imaging Windows.
I don't want the browser to give me clean/any user interface - I'd like it to be fully customizable, clean for those who like it, filled with menus and buttons for others.
There is no right/wrong UI, just like there is no right/wrong color for everyone.
We are in End-Of-Life territory now, in September 2018 there will be a first new security patch which will not be available for versions of Firefox on which old Extensions work.
If you so much as check for updates after September, your Add-ons and Extensions will be permanently gone.
To prevent that from happening, in addition to Backing up your profile of course, here's what you can do:
• You can prevent Firefox ESR 52.9 from being updated, since it is the last Firefox version with June 2018 security updates on which old extensions and Add-ons work. When users click on 'Check for updates' button, they will get a "Firefox is up to date" message even if there are updates available.
Use Notepad to open
C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox\defaults\pref\channel-prefs.js
then simply change line
pref("app.update.channel", "esr");
to:
pref("app.update.channel", "esrDISABLED");
• To remove the 'Check for updates' button altogether from an existing profile, use a text editor like Notepad to create a userChrome.css text file inside a CHROME folder created where your default profile is. userChrome.css file can be used for customizations. Contents of the file would include:
are there no replacements of the ancient addons?
what are they and what do they do perhaps someone can help you find something that has a similar function.
i dont have a favorite browser, but what are the qualifications with the extension browsers?
"alternatives suck" sounds alot like someone who's just too stubborn to try anything new, kind of like the guys who still only use arctic silver 5 because everything else sucks. lol.
Without even going into customizing the way browser looks and functions, and talking just about extensions.... You have to find all of them - not 5/10 or 9/10 of them, since some are definitely also available on Chrome for example.
classic_theme_restorer_1.6.8.1 https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/classicthemerestorer/
Restore squared tabs, appmenu, add-ons bar, and more on Australis UI (Firefox 29+).
Options:
Main TAB > CHECK: Hide urlbars stop & reload buttons
Show icons and text
Special TAB > CHECK: Hide add-on bars close button
--------------
clonewindow_0.2.9.xpi
(CTRL+N opens a new window with same content. Also an option for New TAB to open with same content.) http://www.pikey.me.uk/mozilla/?extension=cw
--------------
ie_view_1.5.6.1.xpi
(Open current page or a selected link in Internet Explorer. Set %ProgramFiles%\Internet Explorer\IEXPLORE.EXE as default location in options so that the Add-on can be use by multi-boot systems.) https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/35?id=35&application=firefox
--------------
imagezoom_0.6.3.1.xpi
(Zoom in & out of any picture. Also an option to have Image Fit in the right click menu by CHECKing that option in the Zoom Context Menu TAB.) http://imagezoom.yellowgorilla.net/
--------------
RightToClick_2.9.6
Stops annoyances such as forbidden right click, forbidden text selection or cascading dialog boxes.
Advanced options > Fetch images gets RightToClick menu button to list only pictures from the displayed page. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/righttoclick/
--------------
Firefox has a couple addons that will let you install Chrome extensions, are there equivalents for the ones you're going to lose ? To be fair I stopped using Firefox almost a year ago because of how slow/sluggish it became, friends tell me it hasn't changed so far
Other browsers cannot import Firefox extensions, which is the point here.
Their extensions libraries cannot approach Firefox's.
They cannot be customized like Firefox can, by a long mile.
In Firefox, you create a Profile folder, you set things up like you like them to be. You backup that folder. Then, just like reimaging Windows, when, not if, when something goes wrong, you nuke your Profile folder and copy/paste your backup and bam, in a fraction of a second, you are back in business. Things are just like you like them to be, once again.
From what I read you want to keep Firefox and said extensions which will become impossible next revision correct ? You only have a few choices here, either you change browser (what's wrong with Chrome), or you re-write a lot of code (why on earth would uBlock Origin be called legacy, It's updated nearly every day) or use Chrome's extensions - which apparently are not as good but a lot more updated - in Firefox which was what I suggested, Google says there's several ways to do that. Or did I get the intent wrong ?
Also the newest versions of Chrome also allow you to do the same by saving all your settings (addons, bookmarks, passwords, logins, etc) to a cloud as long as you have a gmail account.
I have a thread going on Firefox forums and have learned a lot since starting it and this thread.
So the plan is to wait for Firefox 57, which is when they will exterminate old extensions and lose a huge percentage of their user base, myself included and I've been with them since I switched away from Internet Exploder to Firefox 0.x Beta.
So then I will figure out how to clone my Firefox look into SeaMonkey browser, which may not implement Firefox 57 restrictions. But if they do, only then head over to the PaleMoon project. Both SeaMonkey and PaleMoon will take old Firefox extensions.
Chrome neither has equivalents nor will it take Firefox extensions.
As for Google, may I say something?
All the threads we have on here crapping on Windows 10, some legitimately so... All that is NOTHING when compared to what Google does and have always done.
Comparing Microsoft to Google when it comes to privacy concerns is like comparing a child to a master used car salesmen. Google are professionals when it comes to harvesting everything you do... People don't complain, blissfully unaware... But Google does what Windows 10 does only on an exponentially larger scale.
But that's another story. You can't modify Chrome. They don't have many extensions that are on my list above so it's a non-starter from the get go.
I hung onto FF for a long time due to a single plugin: Adblock Pro. It is available on Chrome also, but it works in a totally different way. To my understanding, the extra protection features in Chrome makes it impossible to implement it in the same way as Firefox. Offsetting that, it seemed with every release FF changed UI features in a way I don't like and don't want, eventually reaching a pain point that Chrome became the least worst option for me.
On google harvesting data... I see that as a two way street. Goggle provides other services I value and use regularly, the majority of which I do not pay for directly. I see their extraction of data as a fair exchange for that. MS OTOH, does not provide any benefit to me thus I'll resist it in any way practical. All I want from my desktop OS is an OS, not a failed Google service imitation.
With Chrome is not that people are unaware, is that they state what they do straight away unlike M$ (you have several options 1st time you use it besides the usual control panel settings) and then we gloss over it. You can just go to https://myaccount.google.com and turn off 95% of all telemetry and info gathering. The fact that it's the fastest and one of the most stable in the market ofc brings customers in. All browsers have telemetry nowadays, Firefox is no stranger to this and Opera is also becoming another Google candidate since it was bought off by a Chinese company (which IMHO is a pity because it's a damned good browser).
One massive reason for me to move to Chrome was the adblock called Fair Stands, best one i have had in any browser by a mile, which also allows me to simply hide/not load portions of the pages i usually go to (works in every page so far).
SeaMonkey and PaleMoon really your only alternatives JUST because of those addons and/or privacy ?
I am curious as well. What is different about Palemoon and SeaMonkey, that is not in IceDragon (Comodo), Waterfox (not certain of the vendor), or IceWeasel (Linux clone).
Also worth mentioning/wondering : even if Palemoon etc support legacy plug-ins for longer than other FF clones, they will eventually drop that support unless they decide to create their own proprietary fork of the FF source code (I am not really sure I said that right so please let me know if that needs clarification)
... it seemed with every release FF changed UI features in a way I don't like and don't want, eventually reaching a pain point that Chrome became the least worst option for me.
I also would not be able to use Firefox at default settings! But it's precisely the 100% modifiable UI that is one of the main advantages of Firefox over Chrome and everyone else. The argument is opposite, UI modification is *the* reason Firefox should be considered.
I mean, most people wouldn't use the UI from my screen shot below, but I don't have to justify it because I set it up for myself, just like how I like it to be, and you can set it up for yourself like you like yours to be:
Do you see this ↑
For example:
• The seven menu items are the only the ones I want. I can get rid of the others. They include custom items like a Favorites menu item, exact same one from Internet Explorer, all my browsers on my multi boot use exact same single Favorites folder for bookmarks. So there is no synchronizing. I have a multi boot Windows 8/10/XP and all instances of Internet Explorer and all Firefox installations on all OS on my system use that single folder for bookmarks and it shows up under Firefox because Firefox is customizable.
• All the buttons are there because I put them there. I especially like the Minimum Font Size which toggles the font from the way I like it (much larger than ordinary) to regular, because web site designers sometimes fail to account for people who increase web page font sizes.
• I like little things like making the active TAB color purple.
• I like to make that address bar size and font larger, which it is.
• I like the Back and Forward buttons to be large and useful and most importantly, to be exactly where they are on the screenshot.
• I like those Reload and Stop buttons to be there and be exactly where they are.
• I like how the lower left corner custom Find button opens up a number of useful Find features so I can find what I am looking for on a web page in a fraction of a second.
• I like the lower right screen capture integration of an excellent third party party screen capture program.
• I like to custom size the scroll bar.
and that's without even going into the extensions, without even mentioning the useful add-ons which Chrome does not have, which I cannot give up.
Opera is also becoming another Google candidate since it was bought off by a Chinese company (which IMHO is a pity because it's a damned good browser).
One massive reason for me to move to Chrome was the adblock called Fair Stands, best one i have had in any browser by a mile, which also allows me to simply hide/not load portions of the pages i usually go to (works in every page so far).
SeaMonkey and PaleMoon really your only alternatives JUST because of those addons and/or privacy ?
Didn't know that about Opera, thanks.
This Adblock you mentioned, I am not sure I understand the concept.
The one people on Firefox use is this one https://addons.mozilla.org/nl/firef...ction_id=6791672f-3882-43b4-bdbe-aea9bf6c0dbd
Massive database with multiple options to make your head spin.
It just hides the ads, you right click on anything else and you can hide that too, maybe that's what you mean by "hide/not load portions of pages"?
To answer your questions: ANY browser that has the equivalents of my add-ons and which can be modified to be a clone of that screenshot above visually is a candidate for me. Sonce starting this thread I have been warned to stay away from PaleMoon if possible from some really knowledgable people by the way. So I'll first go to Firefox ESR until June 2018, then SeaMonkey, then re-asses PaleMoon warnings.
But I am concerned that not all extensions will port over, so I will find out the hard way when Firefox 57 is released and kills off a chunk of Firefox user base, myself included.
I am curious as well. What is different about Palemoon and SeaMonkey, that is not in IceDragon (Comodo), Waterfox (not certain of the vendor), or IceWeasel (Linux clone).
Also worth mentioning/wondering : even if Palemoon etc support legacy plug-ins for longer than other FF clones, they will eventually drop that support unless they decide to create their own proprietary fork of the FF source code (I am not really sure I said that right so please let me know if that needs clarification)
I will find out the hard way about all of this.
I thought they were all basically just mods of Firefox. I just found that is not exactly true.
SeaMonkey is the one to go to. It has an extension converter.
PaleMoon has brunched off and I am told is run by one person, with all that comes with having a single person in charge. It takes some but not all Firefox extensions.
Other browsers are other browsers, the criteria (for me) is:
1. Do they take Firefox extensions?
2. Is their User Interface FULLY customizable, do they have a library of Add-ons and extensions to match or come close to the richest library base that is Firefox's.
Didn't know that about Opera, thanks.
This Adblock you mentioned, I am not sure I understand the concept.
The one people on Firefox use is this one https://addons.mozilla.org/nl/firef...ction_id=6791672f-3882-43b4-bdbe-aea9bf6c0dbd
Massive database with multiple options to make your head spin.
It just hides the ads, you right click on anything else and you can hide that too, maybe that's what you mean by "hide/not load portions of pages"?
I have used uBlock Origin in the past, and it's very good but if you set too many trackers it bogs down the browser just like any other. The one i'm speaking of it's the one in the links below, stops all adverts like any other adblock but has the added capability of you being able to stop the loading permanently of specific portions of a webpage on a right click (for example ads or scripts that pass the blocker). They are never loaded again as long as you don't delete it.
I would think that it's one misguided and possibly wrong way to show that Chrome (or others) can be flexible and can be seen as a good choice
But this is all a big IF anyway, the creators of your addons might re-write most if not all of them, or you might find better addons along the way, no ? there's still time ?
Well I thought I would give you a chance to tell me if Firefox cannot do what you did on Chrome before starting a thread over there to find out if it can, because I am genuinely curious.
They will not rewrite, and this is why, in November of 2017 Firefox 57 will become as bad as "your" Chrome, here's a developer spelling things out:
Some time ago, Mozilla announced WebExtensions as the future of Firefox add-ons. At the time, it was not fully clear to me what this would mean for my add-ons, I was optimistic in that they would at least keep working in some way, but over this past year it became clear that this is not the case.
WebExtensions are great for adding functionality to the browser, and without a doubt are versatile and easy to use. However, manipulation of the browser window's interface and functionality will be extremely limited by definition, and even if it wasn't, the implementation of such abilities is nearly impossible to achieve in WebExtensions.
(...)
I have fought for keeping the current system working together with WebExtensions, not only to keep all of my add-ons alive, but also because I believe a can-do-whatever-you-want extension system like exists today is the best quality Firefox has over other browsers. Unfortunately I've failed to convince them of this, as have they failed to convince me of the benefits they expect to achieve with a WebExtensions-only system.
(...)
So let's sum up. My only available path forward is to spend the better part of a year, probably more, on the tedious and stressful task of rewriting one of my add-ons and part of another, both of which will result in only already existing functionality that brings me no gain and in which I have no personal interest, to retain maybe a third of my current user-base, in favor of a system that will exist for reasons with which I don't agree, with further development of novel features being subject to a bottleneck on Mozilla's side rather than on myself.
Adding to that, Firefox and my add-ons are not my life, by themselves they don't and will never support me by far, nor am I a Mozilla paid employee who can spend his (full-)time working on his add-ons and on Firefox itself to add the ability to support them...
Oh, by the way, I already did all that. It took me a year and a half of extensive rewritting to make my add-ons e10s/multiprocess compatible, something that is being rolled out only now, all with the prospect of a long-lasting life for them. And the WebExtensions announcement was made not two months after. "Demotivating" doesn't quite cover it...
I used Waterfox for a few years and loved it. I moved to Opera when they dropped support for an add on I really like, and the memory leaks were annoying. It may have been improved since then. I don't know how closely they follow FF's development, though. Now that I know Opera is owned by my second least favorite country I'll be checking my settings and looking for a replacement. Browsers are so complicated anymore it's a wonder I even bother with Winders. LOL
Your list of extensions mentions RightToClick. That one is dead anyway because the author removed the original. That ignores the fact that it doesn't even work anymore on many sites that use methods it doesn't work around. uBlock has a whole section of a page on their wiki dedicated to say "STOP SUBMITTING ISSUES THE WEBEXT VERSION IS IN DEV CHANNEL ALREADY!". Still looking at others, but your expressed hate for other browsers doesn't match up to at least two of your addons that exist purely for using other browsers.
Alternative: Just use Pale Moon and continue to use your old extensions.
I have a single very specific and *very* important (to me) site where RightToClick 100% works. It not working on all web sites is a valid, but separate point.
As far as many of posted extensions above, if they have been updated recently (like uBlock) - yes they absolutely will get support for Firefox 57 once it is released in November. They are not a problem. It was an idiotic marketing-blind move by Mozilla to label every extension with the yellow mark of death when they are in development to be compatible by November.
Yes, I sometimes need to open certain web pages for testing purposes and other reasons, in other browsers. The equivalent of that Extension in Chrome and others would be an "Open in Firefox" Add-on
I am told by virtually all Firefox experienced posters to go to SeaMonkey first and to try to avoid PaleMoon. I will not heed that warning and will use *any* browser whose User Interface can be modified like Firefox can prior to future Firefox version 57 which will no longer be modifiable. I will use *any* browser which can run the extensions listed. PaleMoon included.
pettyg359, once there is no browser whose UI can be modified like Firefox can be today, I will 100% absolutely switch to another browser based on options it offers - there is no emotional attachment to Firefox here - it is the only browser that can be fully modified today, the only browser with can-do-whatever-you-want extension system and that is the only reason for my attachment to it. Once that is gone, the reason for using Firefox disappears.
Well I thought I would give you a chance to tell me if Firefox cannot do what you did on Chrome before starting a thread over there to find out if it can, because I am genuinely curious.
was never my intention to say "this can and this can't", simply that i moved from Firefox to Opera and then to Chrome also for specific reasons and to show like i said that other browsers can be flexible too, it's simply a matter of finding the right addons. Chrome was always meant to be as simplistic and fast as possible and it achieves that but it also accepts tons of adds. Firefox was meant to be "moddable" and it achieves that but it also can be simplistic and fast. Chrome and Opera don't allow you to change the UI like Firefox but that doesn't mean that there isn't some addon that will still do roughly what you want.
Personally i really like the IOS browser called Dolphin and would love to see a desktop version available
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