565930 - include add-on compatibility reporter functionality in new add-ons manager

Status: RESOLVED INACTIVE

(Toolkit :: Add-ons Manager, enhancement)

Description

[Mike Beltzner [:beltzner, not reading bugmail]]

The Add-On Compatibility Reporter was a GREAT SUCCESS for Firefox 3.6. I think we should look at including it with all versions of Firefox (perhaps as the default UI treatment when a user indicates they wish to disable compatibility checking? or via some other switch/preference?) since it really helps add-on authors, and since it strongly indicates to users the risks of installing a potentially incompatible add-on.

Comment 1

[Brian King [:kinger]]

See bug 564870.

Comment 2

[Brian King [:kinger]]

The way the add-on works right now, the Compatibility button appears by default for *all* add-ons, even compatible one.

Given that this is probably something <1% of users will use, that seems a bit intrusive to me.

If integrated, some ideas to be less intrusive:

- the button should appear only for incompatible add-ons
- it should be a context menu item

Comment 3

[Henrik Skupin [:whimboo][⌚️UTC+1]]

(In reply to comment #2)
> - the button should appear only for incompatible add-ons
> - it should be a context menu item

Those items were the result of the talk Brian and myself had yesterday.

As a general information for me how I have to schedule my time for testing, I would be interested for which milestone we plan the integration, or if it will happen at all.

Comment 4

[Dave Townsend [:mossop]]

This is not on the cards for Firefox 4.

Comment 6

[Pim Schellart]

I'm not sure if bug 639464 or rather the feature request is covered by this bug.
The Add-on compatibility reporter is mainly used (as I understand it) to find bugs related to interoperability between (new) firefox versions and add-ons.
What I would like to have is a button next to each add-on entry on the Add-ons manager "Extensions" tab with installed add-ons that allows the user to give feedback (positive or negative) directly to the developer.
This would be feedback not related to compatibility but to the add-on itself, e.g. does it do what (it claims / what the user expects), suggestions for improvement, praise, bugs, etc...
This could perhaps include a rating too and possibly the user could be asked for feedback (non intrusive please :)) when uninstalling an add-on via this mechanism as well.

Comment 8

[Gingerbread Man]

Would this functionality also allow reporting abandoned or abusive add-ons to Mozilla, or is it just to notify authors? As I said in the previously duped bug 1154880,
* The average user doesn't know about this site, which is where you're supposed to report add-ons. That's how you end up with extensions that break essential functionality for 5 Firefox versions before the problem is addressed [1].
* Add-ons that simply don't do what they're supposed to (anymore) [2] don't have their compatibility range altered. I was told this isn't a concern [3]. It hardly seems appropriate to have review after review complain that the add-on doesn't work, yet still have that green “Add to Firefox button” that says, “Someone at Mozilla reviewed this; go ahead and install it with confidence”.

―――――――――――――――――
[1] Bug 1138986.
[2] https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/user-agent-rg/
[3] https://support.mozilla.org/forums/contributors/710243?page=3#post-59567

Comment 9

[BMO Automation]

Per policy at https://wiki.mozilla.org/Bug_Triage/Projects/Bug_Handling/Bug_Husbandry#Inactive_Bugs. If this bug is not an enhancement request or a bug not present in a supported release of Firefox, then it may be reopened.