Firefox3.5/AddonsCompatibility
From MozillaWiki
Contents
Goals
- Document and quantify changes that affect extensions
- Increase awareness about addons API changes in Firefox 3.1
- Automate compatibility statistics for future Firefox versions
- Assist developers with the update process
Tasks & Schedule
Milestone 1 - Oct 24
-
Get addons developer blog up and running - rey - Gather contacts at relevant blogs/sites to send status updates to - rey
- Out reach to press or on-line awareness like http://lifehacker.com/393559/firefox-3-add+on-compatibility-report - rey
- Find a point person from platform/client to help us with technical docs (who is this?)- blizzard
-
Get docs lined up to help addon developers make the transition- sheppy, blizzard, TBD - Revive the addons compatibility dashboard bug 460309 - fligtar, webdev
- Something like http://people.mozilla.com/~polvi/threedom/status-bars.html to track full list of addons sorted by usage popularity and identify current compat version. get it to update every night.
Milestone 2 - Dec 11
- Send out emails to developers and editors - rey, morgamic, paul
- Pre-emptive message that outlines the plan
- First outreach message
- Follow up status messages that outline progress and updates to the plan and schedule
- amo updated to have an opt-out flag -- link to fligtar's bug
- as soon as that flag is in AMO, do mass email to all authors
- rey to make draft email to send out to authors
- do short updates each week at places like https://wiki.mozilla.org/Firefox3.1/StatusMeetings/ and https://wiki.mozilla.org/WeeklyUpdates
- https://developer.mozilla.org/En/Updating_extensions_for_Firefox_3.1
- Post to blog and mail list detailed information about what is changing and how to update - rey, morgamic
- Develop communication around how and when to flip version compability number. e.g like http://developer.mozilla.org/devnews/index.php/2008/03/24/firefox-add-on-compatibility-plan-for-addonsmozillaorg/ - ?
- Get a list of changes and bug numbers that will affect addons that are coming down the pike to provide guidance to addon developers about the roadmap for the next few months. - blizzard + sheppy
- Addons developers not affected by these changes can get started on compatability now
- Addons developers affected by the changes can steer clear or get involved with early testing on the changes as they appear.
- Try and get a few addon developers involved early to give feedback on coverage and quality of the documentation. Target Web Developer Addons since these kind of addons also help to increase use of the beta releases if they are available at beta release time. - rey, paul
Milestone 3 - Dec 16
- Set up tracking bugs for the top 50-60 addons to track progress on contacting, updating, and feedback about how things are going with getting compatible. ala https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/showdependencytree.cgi?id=364745&hide_resolved=0 - chofmann, rey (also, we should make sure we have to do this) -- yes we need to do this. see tracking below about effectiveness of outreach so far..
- tracking bug for 3.1 is set up at https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=466186
- Add-ons to track
- https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/compatibility/report/
- Fashion Your Firefox add-ons
- Recommended list stuff
- Send reminder that to stay recommended or in FYF you need to be compatible
Tracking
Snapshots of progress from the dashboard https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/compatibility
| Date | Latest | Older 3.1 betas | 3.1 alphas | Not Compat | Other |
| 11/13/08 | 28 | 24 | 54 | 4 | |
| 11/18/08 | 29 | 15 | 54 | 2 | |
| 12/05/08 | 30 | 20 | 50 | 0 | |
| 12/12/08 | 27 | 7 | 15 | 52 | 0 |
| 12/19/08 | 37 | 7 | 13 | 43 | 0 |
Follow up contact
There are a few highly popular/highly used addons not distributed on amo, or not widely distributed, that we need outreach and contact on to make sure they are working for 3.1. List is started below
- google toolbar
- skype toolbar
- https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/8236 Oberon Game Host - most distribtion from their site
