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<blockquote style="border: 0px none;"
cite="mid:CAEtBFLAAw8BCGbHPKAG+1anKteGa8jqpj6WWjYoCqHZw5DEVcQ@mail.gmail.com"
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<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:dbialer@mozilla.com"
style="color:#737F92
!important;padding-right:6px;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none
!important;">David Bialer</a></div> <div
style="display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;vertical-align:middle;width:48%;text-align:
right;"> <font color="#9FA2A5"><span style="padding-left:6px">2015
December 17 at 10:21</span></font></div> </div></div>
<div style="color: rgb(136, 136, 136); margin-left: 24px;
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dir="ltr"><div><div>I'd like to understand the implications for existing
apps that are installed. We are getting 400K apps installed per month
on desktop and 25K per month installed on Android. There are about
3.3M total apps installed on Desktop and 900K on Android.<br></div></div></div></div>
</blockquote>
Do you have data on the number of those installs that are actively being
used (or the number of users that are using any apps)? It'd also be
interesting to know the kinds of apps that have been installed,
specifically their use of privileged APIs.<br>
<br>
The data won't necessarily affect my decision about whether or not to
disable the runtime, since no number of users will make the runtime
viable without ongoing investment. But it would still be useful to know
how much usage we'd break.<br>
<br>
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<div>Will these apps stop working? Or will they only stop
working if they use specific APIs (and exactly which ones)?</div>
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</blockquote>
The apps would stop working once the user upgrades Firefox to a version
that no longer includes the runtime. They'd start working again if the
user then downgrades Firefox, and they'd remain working if the user
avoids upgrading Firefox, so there would be a way to work around the
change, although it wouldn't be recommended (and would grow increasingly
problematic over time).<br>
<br>
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<div>Can apps be removed if they are already on a user's
machine?<br>
</div>
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We could make Firefox automatically uninstall the apps, but I wouldn't
recommend it, as it would be an abrupt and unexpected change. It'd also
be complex to implement.<br>
<br>
Rather, I'd change the message that apps display when they can't find a
runtime (f.e. because the user installs an app and then uninstalls
Firefox) to explain the situation and direct the user to more
information about it.<br>
<br>
I might also add a startup warning dialog to the apps in the version of
Firefox *before* the version in which we disable the runtime, explaining
that the runtime will be disabled in the next version, to give users
time to prepare for it.<br>
<br>
<blockquote style="border: 0px none;"
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<div dir="ltr"><div>Marketplace has plans to remove submission and
updates of apps for Desktop and Android in Q1, and disable the ability
to install/open apps from Marketplace. <br></div></div>
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Woot! Do you know when Marketplace is scheduled to disable the ability
to install/open apps? Is that also in Q1, or will it happen later?<br>
<br>
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<div dir="ltr"><div>I put together some options last August for
deprecating WebRT here (though perhaps dated): <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1LG6HFCf0TY0fiweaoM_UDr74W24PhpJQSbwFT6X_9BY/edit#slide=id.p">https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1LG6HFCf0TY0fiweaoM_UDr74W24PhpJQSbwFT6X_9BY/edit#slide=id.p</a><br></div></div>
</div>
</blockquote>
Thanks, this is very useful! And a good reminder that disabling the
runtime would entrain other work, in Marketplace, MDN, etc. I'll work
with you and other folks to coordinate the various dependencies.<br>
<br>
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<div dir="ltr"><div>We decided to 'do nothing' at that point, but
now we will need to put some plans in place so that we don't strand uses
with apps they can't use and developers with supporting apps they don't
wish to.<br></div></div>
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Indeed. Thanks for engaging. If I decide to go ahead with disabling the
runtime, I know it'll create work for you and the Marketplace team. I
appreciate your help with figuring out the best way to make it happen!<br>
<br>
-myk<br>
<br>
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