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The annoyances of proprietary Firefox extensions[/B]
By Bruce Byfield on December 19, 2008 (7:00:00 PM)
As a regular browser of the Firefox Add-ons site, I'm troubled by the apparent proliferation of proprietary extensions in the last year. Maybe I've simply exhausted the free-licensed extensions that interest me, but recently every interesting-looking extension seems to be a proprietary one -- especially in the recommended list.
Nothing, of course, in the Mozilla privacy or legal notice prohibits proprietary extensions simply because they are proprietary, but I find them not only contrary to the spirit of free and open source software (FOSS), but, often, annoying attempts to entangle me in some impossible startup.
I took a while to notice the proprietary extensions. Because Mozilla is FOSS and the first extensions I added were as well, I got careless about reading the license notices. At first, I only glanced to see that the references were to the GNU General Public License or Lesser General Public License, and so many were that I became careless.
When I first noticed that proprietary extensions had become commonplace, I was peeved, even outraged. I use Firefox, as I do GNU/Linux, out of a wish to have a free system, so how dare the writers of these extensions try to slip proprietary software on me unaware?
Captive audiences
What annoys me about many of the proprietary extensions is that they are not just extra pieces of functionality for me to pick and choose, but efforts to enlist me as a customer for a new startup. Take, for example, Interclue. In theory, Interclue is a useful add-on that allows you to view a link in a popup window before you actually move to it. However, its developers want to monetize it, so the extension includes several features asking for donations. I have rarely seen a clearer case of a good idea being ruined by nagware, and what Interclue will be like if the developers make good their threat to add special offers from their business partners to the functionality, I shudder to imagine. My only comfort is that, while Interclue might temporarily become attractive to businesses as a way around Adblocker, the basic idea seems far too slender to build a lasting business upon.
A still more annoying extension is Sxipper. While described on Firefox Add-ons as a password manager, Sxipper is actually an identity manager that also controls the information given to forms and allows you to create different profiles or collections of personal information that you can give out as you choose.
Read the Full Article here:
Linux.com :: The annoyances of proprietary Firefox extensions
By Bruce Byfield on December 19, 2008 (7:00:00 PM)
As a regular browser of the Firefox Add-ons site, I'm troubled by the apparent proliferation of proprietary extensions in the last year. Maybe I've simply exhausted the free-licensed extensions that interest me, but recently every interesting-looking extension seems to be a proprietary one -- especially in the recommended list.
Nothing, of course, in the Mozilla privacy or legal notice prohibits proprietary extensions simply because they are proprietary, but I find them not only contrary to the spirit of free and open source software (FOSS), but, often, annoying attempts to entangle me in some impossible startup.
I took a while to notice the proprietary extensions. Because Mozilla is FOSS and the first extensions I added were as well, I got careless about reading the license notices. At first, I only glanced to see that the references were to the GNU General Public License or Lesser General Public License, and so many were that I became careless.
When I first noticed that proprietary extensions had become commonplace, I was peeved, even outraged. I use Firefox, as I do GNU/Linux, out of a wish to have a free system, so how dare the writers of these extensions try to slip proprietary software on me unaware?
Captive audiences
What annoys me about many of the proprietary extensions is that they are not just extra pieces of functionality for me to pick and choose, but efforts to enlist me as a customer for a new startup. Take, for example, Interclue. In theory, Interclue is a useful add-on that allows you to view a link in a popup window before you actually move to it. However, its developers want to monetize it, so the extension includes several features asking for donations. I have rarely seen a clearer case of a good idea being ruined by nagware, and what Interclue will be like if the developers make good their threat to add special offers from their business partners to the functionality, I shudder to imagine. My only comfort is that, while Interclue might temporarily become attractive to businesses as a way around Adblocker, the basic idea seems far too slender to build a lasting business upon.
A still more annoying extension is Sxipper. While described on Firefox Add-ons as a password manager, Sxipper is actually an identity manager that also controls the information given to forms and allows you to create different profiles or collections of personal information that you can give out as you choose.
Read the Full Article here:
Linux.com :: The annoyances of proprietary Firefox extensions
! 
hyeah:
! Cut us gamers some slack too 
!