- Apr 25, 2013
- 5,357
Mozilla outlines Firefox 25 compatibility changes
With Firefox 21 having just been released as a final version, and new builds now running in beta, aurora and nightly, Mozilla is now looking ahead to what is next. Version 25 of the web browser is on the horizon, and the organization has already begun to look forward and talk about what customers can expect.
What exactly to expect, according to Mozilla, is better compatibility. "There are two major add-on compatibility changes to look forward to, and I’m giving you this heads up just so that you’re aware and plan ahead" says Mozilla's Jorge Villalobos.
The first change is a major theme revamp. Australis, which has been talked about for some time, is set to simplify the user interface and bring major changes to how toolbars work. Mozilla also tells us it is considering completely removing the add-on bar, though no final decision on this has yet been made. The main toolbar will also have a dedicated area for add-on buttons and widgets, and it looks possible that user-created custom toolbars will also be gone, the organization says.
Planned changes:
Add-on bar may still be removed.
User created toolbars will be removed
Main toolbar will have space for add-on buttons and widgets
Second, session-restore will also be overhauled. There are many add-ons that are reliant on private variables (beginning with __SS) that will no longer exist. For developers with add-ons that may be affected by this change, Mozilla has published a list and recommends that you check it.
Some of the popular extensions that are included on this are Twitter, Bing for Firefox, IE Tab, Tab Mix Plus, and more. If these are not updated, then they will all be gone in version 25 of the web browser.
Additional information about the second change are available on Bugzilla where it is listed.
Conclusion
Mozilla promises that as Firefox 25 approaches (release is scheduled for October) it will have more information and better documentation. At the moment, this is just a heads up on what is coming, but the news is exciting, except perhaps for developers who must change add-ons or have them rendered useless.
Source
With Firefox 21 having just been released as a final version, and new builds now running in beta, aurora and nightly, Mozilla is now looking ahead to what is next. Version 25 of the web browser is on the horizon, and the organization has already begun to look forward and talk about what customers can expect.
What exactly to expect, according to Mozilla, is better compatibility. "There are two major add-on compatibility changes to look forward to, and I’m giving you this heads up just so that you’re aware and plan ahead" says Mozilla's Jorge Villalobos.
The first change is a major theme revamp. Australis, which has been talked about for some time, is set to simplify the user interface and bring major changes to how toolbars work. Mozilla also tells us it is considering completely removing the add-on bar, though no final decision on this has yet been made. The main toolbar will also have a dedicated area for add-on buttons and widgets, and it looks possible that user-created custom toolbars will also be gone, the organization says.
Planned changes:
Add-on bar may still be removed.
User created toolbars will be removed
Main toolbar will have space for add-on buttons and widgets
Second, session-restore will also be overhauled. There are many add-ons that are reliant on private variables (beginning with __SS) that will no longer exist. For developers with add-ons that may be affected by this change, Mozilla has published a list and recommends that you check it.
Some of the popular extensions that are included on this are Twitter, Bing for Firefox, IE Tab, Tab Mix Plus, and more. If these are not updated, then they will all be gone in version 25 of the web browser.
Additional information about the second change are available on Bugzilla where it is listed.
Conclusion
Mozilla promises that as Firefox 25 approaches (release is scheduled for October) it will have more information and better documentation. At the moment, this is just a heads up on what is coming, but the news is exciting, except perhaps for developers who must change add-ons or have them rendered useless.
Source
