Rewriting Tab Kit 2, support only latest Firefox ESR version

[PikachuEXE]

As the feature list of the extension is quite stable.
I started rewriting the extension which hopefully to make it easier to change and extend this extension.
(Like letting others write another extension on top of this extension)

In the meantime I will only support the latest Firefox ESR version (31.x at the moment)
A slightly old ESR version (24.x) might be supported as well depending on my time.

[worksong]

Understood; thanks for the explanation.
As TabKit2 is more important to me than any other FF extension or feature, that's an easy choice.

[PikachuEXE]

Thanks for loving it!
I won't love Firefox so much more than Chrome if this extension (or the original Tab Kit) does not exists

[gituser]

hey @PikachuEXE
needs more work from you on this, especially memory consumption :)
everyone is advised to donate :)

I'm using ESR with current TabKit works fine mostly :)

[gituser]

any update on this?

do you plan to support tabkit2 for latest firefox mainline version?

[PikachuEXE]

I don't think I have much time to maintaining this addon.
I guess I will only support ESR until there are more people working on this project.
I have made only little progress rewriting the addon, with some basic modules.
If you want to take a look I can push it.

[gituser]

I don't think I have much time to maintaining this addon.

The reason I ask because current ESR version of the Firefox seems to be buggy for me and crashing all the time without an actual reason.

I guess I will only support ESR until there are more people working on this project.

Fair enough

I have made only little progress rewriting the addon, with some basic modules.
If you want to take a look I can push it.

Sure, would love to check.

[PikachuEXE]

If you open Firefox for too long, it crashes anyway.

[gituser]

If you open Firefox for too long, it crashes anyway.

this is exactly what's been happening lately, no idea what mozilla guys have changed or it's related to tabkit2

do you have any idea what could be causing this?

[PikachuEXE]

I think it's always some memory leak issue.
You can try disabling tabkit2 to see if it takes longer to crash.
It could be related, but it's unsolvable anyway (as long as you use some middle weight addon).

[gituser]

I think it's always some memory leak issue.
You can try disabling tabkit2 to see if it takes longer to crash.
It could be related, but it's unsolvable anyway (as long as you use some middle weight addon).

Can't use Firefox without tabkit2 with 30-40+ tabs :) I do not use any other addons except adblock plus and classic theme restorer so most likely it's related to tabkit2.

[PikachuEXE]

I am using many more addon, Firefox 31.2.0, tabkit2 0.12.0
I got at least 100 (or 200?) tabs. I only restart it once per 1~2 days.
No problem for me.

[gituser]

I am using many more addon, Firefox 31.2.0, tabkit2 0.12.0

I'm on the latest Firefox ESR 31.4.0

I got at least 100 (or 200?) tabs. I only restart it once per 1~2 days.
No problem for me.

Well if you restart it ofc it's not a problem.. But it could be quite annoying especially considering you need to reload certain tabs again and re-type master password.

Anyways I would love to check what you've updated or rewritten in the new version.

Thanks.

[PikachuEXE]

Pushed to branch 1.0/dev

[PikachuEXE]

Now I am kind of rewriting the thing into a more "standard" way:

• use more JSM (JavaScript Module?)
• change existing way of method "patching" (to use less eval, security issue)
• refactoring (at least make the code easier to read for me)

[DShillito]

As I mentioned in another issue I was thinking about looking at the code to see if I could work out why "Open Link in New Tab" did not work with the latest version of Firefox (disclaimer - I'm a C++/C# coder so know nothing about Firefox development or web development in general, I was just going to poke around to see if there was anything obvious).

While doing this I noticed Mozilla were talking about moving their add ins to WebExtensions and when I tried entering the TabKit2 identifier on https://compatibility-lookup.services.mozilla.com/ it said

"We think this add-on is using XUL or XPCOM. We recommend that you start looking into the SDK or WebExtensions as soon as possible."

When I followed the link that provided it said...

"The transition to WebExtensions impacts add-ons built on APIs like XUL and XPCOM most of all. We expect to remove support for these technologies in Firefox add-ons by the end of 2017. We hope this will give us enough time to help you migrate and provide WebExtension APIs that are suitable for replacing the features you might lose once we stop supporting these APIs. "

Again, these technologies mean very little to me, but if the compatibility check is correct I was wondering if you had a strategy to deal with this?

Given the fact that I would assume switching to WebExtensions would be a huge undertaking I could totally accept if your strategy were to say, when the API's are no longer supported you will stop developing Tabkit2. I just wondered since I'm now so used to vertical tabs, if Tabkit2 will only be around for another year or so, should I investigate to see if there are any alternatives?

[PikachuEXE]

If they do switch to WebExtensions without any support for XUL
I think I will just discontinue the support (or only support Firefox variants that supports XUL)
I cannot afford the time to rewrite the whole extension

Also the Firefox development team has a history of ignoring addon devleopers' opinion over past few years like "addon signing".

I don't understand why they are now throwing away what works well now and depended by many awesome addons. Do they want Firefox to work like Chrome? I have no idea, but I won't support it if they do.

[DShillito]

I was afraid that might be your, totally understandable, viewpoint.
I too am bemused by the deafness of Mozilla. They really seem to want to erode the success of Firefox.

[worksong]

Understood, & I share Dshillito's disappointment. TabKit continues to be a more useful/essential productivity tool than all my other add-ins/extensions combined, & it's criminal that Mozilla keeps breaking it or making it harder to maintain.

If this continues, I may leave FireFox rather than trust them to maintain an environment in which I can work. Have been experimenting w/Opera...

[clopez]

Maybe brave browser (Built on top of Chromium/electron) ends ending an alternative: brave/browser-laptop#2185

[clopez]

@PikachuEXE commented on 24 Aug 2016

If they do switch to WebExtensions without any support for XUL
I think I will just discontinue the support (or only support Firefox variants that supports XUL)
I cannot afford the time to rewrite the whole extension

A similar extension to this one (vertical-tabs-reloaded) has started the port to WebExtension API.
Maybe you can get some inspiration from there or even think about merging both projects.

See: Croydon/vertical-tabs-reloaded#13

[PikachuEXE]

@clopez
Thanks for the info
I will check it out later

But I guess for this year I will still focus on making TK2 compatible with next ESR

(unless it already use WebExtensions @@)

[PikachuEXE]

@clopez
Looking into vertical-tabs-reloaded right now...
Still trying to find a way to install it from source
(I don't want to build and install on every code change o_0)

Firefox should really give 1-2 years more for XUL support -_-

[worksong]

If you decide to petition Mozilla for extended support, count me in...

[PikachuEXE]

@worksong I want to find an existing petition to join too...

[PikachuEXE]

@worksong
I just created a petition on change.org
Please help share

[PikachuEXE]

People who can't wait for my slow update for FF (sorry guys XD)
can try to use Vivaldi at the same time for some functions like:

• Scroll for switching tabs (but doesn't work if got too many tabs, at least on vertical mode)
• Vertical tab bar
• Tab grouping (but not "stack" style instead of tree style, really strange way for me)
• Tab Hibernate (like BarTab)

[Lootyhoof]

There is an alternative if you need a browser that will continue to support XUL: http://www.palemoon.org/

The front-end code is more-or-less the same as Firefox 24, the backend is more-or-less Firefox 38.

It also has its own add-ons site where you could host further versions: https://addons.palemoon.org/ (see here for how to host on there).

[worksong]

Firefox ESR channel updates are becoming steadily more problematic, & I'm concerned the impending forced jump from 45 to 52 will break everything. [I've tried a "stable" 52 release, & couldn't get TabKit to work.]

As I've said before: without TabKit, I'll have to quit FireFox for good.

Pikachu--can you briefly advise your plan? Thanks.

[PikachuEXE]

I think the new version got some annoying bugs on it
But the tab bar works at least
I just need to fix those annoying bug and release a new version

[worksong]

Very glad to hear you're still working on this.
BTW--I could not get side tab bar to work at all in 52 esr.

[worksong]

I find Slant useful for PC tips in several categories. Was surprised today that they published notice on a new category: “What are the best tab management plugins for firefox?<https://www.slant.co/topics/5771/%7Etab-management-plugins-for-firefox>” I added Tab Kit, with enough “pros” to move it to position 1. I suggest you jump in, recommend it, & add more “pros.” Also spread the word. https://www.slant.co/topics/5771/~tab-management-plugins-for-firefox?utm_source=Slant&utm_campaign=digest&utm_medium=email&utm_content=questions From: PikachuEXE [mailto:notifications@github.com] Sent: Wednesday, May 17, 2017 10:13 PM To: tabkit/tabkit2 Cc: worksong; Mention Subject: Re: [tabkit/tabkit2] Rewriting Tab Kit 2, support only latest Firefox ESR version (#75) I think the new version got some annoying bugs on it But the tab bar works at least I just need to fix those annoying bug and release a new version — You are receiving this because you were mentioned. Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub<#75 (comment)>, or mute the thread<https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/ADtOxQAJXqRInqr2-h7v055CjELY0Hxgks5r66kngaJpZM4CvRFv>.