v27: flaky extension e10s flags
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joe04
v27: flaky extension e10s flags
Using 27.1.0b1 and observe that some multiprocessCompatible fields of extensions.bootstrappedAddons switch between true/false arbitrarily across broswer sessions. I think I saw it in extensions.xpiState too. I presume this is a don't-care for us -- is that the case?
Re: v27: flaky extension e10s flags
Since e10s will never be implemented in PM, having some extensions expect something that isn't there, while not ideal is unlikely to create havoc (usually nothing happens). In general, it's a non-issue until you notice something is broken.
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joe04
Re: v27: flaky extension e10s flags
I figured out what's going on with all of these flags, and the good news is it appears to be the correct behavior in every respect.
multiprocessCompatible is a field within install.rdf of some extensions, probably the ones that have made the changes to be e10s compatible. (3 of my bootstrap extensions have it set true: uBlock Origin, Cookie Keeper, and Flagfox.) What happens is that upon installing or upgrading v27, PM checks each extension and if this field is present and set to true marks it as such within the extensions.bootstrappedAddons pref, otherwise marks it as false (which is the default for other bootstraps I have without the field in install.rdf). But after closing PM and starting a new session, PM will of course not run in e10s mode, thus it marks multiprocessCompatible as false for all of extensions.bootstrappedAddons. And it'll stay that way until the next upgrade, when this process will repeat.
extensions.xpiState changes appear to simply be reordering the list in alphabetical order; no actual data changes.
I observed all of the above when I did the upgrade to 27.1.0b2 today and have used several broswer sessions with it. The flags are now stable after this initial churn.
So, in conclusion, this specific item does indeed appear to be harmless. But, like @HaleSun stated, hopefully the ghost of e10s doesn't haunt us in other respects.
multiprocessCompatible is a field within install.rdf of some extensions, probably the ones that have made the changes to be e10s compatible. (3 of my bootstrap extensions have it set true: uBlock Origin, Cookie Keeper, and Flagfox.) What happens is that upon installing or upgrading v27, PM checks each extension and if this field is present and set to true marks it as such within the extensions.bootstrappedAddons pref, otherwise marks it as false (which is the default for other bootstraps I have without the field in install.rdf). But after closing PM and starting a new session, PM will of course not run in e10s mode, thus it marks multiprocessCompatible as false for all of extensions.bootstrappedAddons. And it'll stay that way until the next upgrade, when this process will repeat.
extensions.xpiState changes appear to simply be reordering the list in alphabetical order; no actual data changes.
I observed all of the above when I did the upgrade to 27.1.0b2 today and have used several broswer sessions with it. The flags are now stable after this initial churn.
So, in conclusion, this specific item does indeed appear to be harmless. But, like @HaleSun stated, hopefully the ghost of e10s doesn't haunt us in other respects.