Followup: modularity, WebExtensions, and going faster

[Brendan Barnwell]

On 2016-10-06 16:41, Robert Helmer wrote:
> 1) WebExtensions currently don't (and Chrome likely never will) allow
> modification of the UI beyond a few very limited things like adding
> toolbar buttons, maybe things like menu entries in the not-too-distant future.

	This is critical, and for me it touches on one of the most fundamental 
issues: the functionality of the product is more important than the ease 
of development, and WAY more important than the speed of the release 
cycle.  The starting point needs to be functionality, and then dev 
process and speed need to accommodate to that.  (Another comment on this 
thread re the necessity of consistent ordering between things like the 
URL and the selected tab points in a similar direction.)

	As far as functionality, I am apprehensive.  To my mind, the move to 
WebExtensions has already cost Firefox a massive amount of credibility 
because it is essentially breaking all existing extensions.  If 
"doubling down" on this means more blocking off the ability to provide 
useful functionality (and breaking existing functionality) in order to 
make it easier to provide a severely limited range of functionality, I 
don't see that as a benefit.  It's like running a sandwich shop and 
deciding you're going to make sandwiches faster by just giving everyone 
two slices of bread instead of a sandwich.

	As far as speed, I'm also apprehensive, because I think the drive to 
"go faster" is fundamentally misguided.  I would rather have a browser 
that releases one coherent, well-designed version a year than a browser 
that releases a gazillion tiny upgrades, some of which may break the 
workflow I've developed with my existing extensions.

	So, basically, I just think the starting point needs to be "what do we 
want the browser (and extensions) to be able to do".  If everything that 
needs to be done can be done with WebExtensions, great.  If not, it's 
better to back off on WebExtensions than to deliver a crippled product.

-- 
Brendan Barnwell
"Do not follow where the path may lead.  Go, instead, where there is no 
path, and leave a trail."
    --author unknown