On why Iceweasel-UXP doesn't include WebExtensions.

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Latitude

On why Iceweasel-UXP doesn't include WebExtensions.

Unread post by Latitude » 2018-07-18, 14:18

It is because of privacy reasons.

I really don't understand what the relation between WebExtensions addons with privacy problems is.

Could somebody explains to me what it is?

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Re: On why Iceweasel-UXP doesn't include WebExtensions.

Unread post by Nigaikaze » 2018-07-18, 14:38

Latitude wrote:Could somebody explains to me what it is?
According to this ...

https://issues.hyperbola.info/index.php ... 1042&dev=4

... they say it is due to this "known critical privacy bug in Firefox":

https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1372288
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Latitude

Re: On why Iceweasel-UXP doesn't include WebExtensions.

Unread post by Latitude » 2018-07-18, 14:59

Nigaikaze wrote:
Latitude wrote:Could somebody explains to me what it is?
According to this ...

https://issues.hyperbola.info/index.php ... 1042&dev=4

... they say it is due to this "known critical privacy bug in Firefox":

https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1372288
Has it been fixed in Basilisk?
Last edited by Latitude on 2018-07-18, 14:59, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: On why Iceweasel-UXP doesn't include WebExtensions.

Unread post by therube » 2018-07-18, 15:16

Regardless of "privacy", PM (& UXP [these names always get me confused]) won't be supporting webextensions at all, in any case. Isn't that right?

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Re: On why Iceweasel-UXP doesn't include WebExtensions.

Unread post by Isengrim » 2018-07-18, 15:26

therube wrote:Regardless of "privacy", PM (& UXP [these names always get me confused]) won't be supporting webextensions at all, in any case. Isn't that right?
The UXP platform support for WebExtensions is experimental at best. Individual applications built upon the platform may (Basilisk) or may not (Pale Moon, Iceweasel-UXP) choose to include that support.
Last edited by Isengrim on 2018-07-18, 15:27, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: On why Iceweasel-UXP doesn't include WebExtensions.

Unread post by therube » 2018-07-18, 15:27

I guess I should ask, is Iceweasel-UXP "Basilisk", in which case, I suppose webextensions are possible though frowned upon & not necessarily expected to work or be supported (viewtopic.php?p=144956#p144956).

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Re: On why Iceweasel-UXP doesn't include WebExtensions.

Unread post by Nigaikaze » 2018-07-18, 15:34

therube wrote:I guess I should ask, is Iceweasel-UXP "Basilisk" ....
You'll probably get a better/faster answer if you ask the Hyperbola folks.
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Re: On why Iceweasel-UXP doesn't include WebExtensions.

Unread post by Nigaikaze » 2018-07-18, 15:37

therube wrote:PM (& UXP [these names always get me confused]) won't be supporting webextensions at all, in any case. Isn't that right?
UXP = kind of supports WebExtensions (as Isengrim says, experimental support at best).
PM = does not and will not support WebExtensions.
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Re: On why Iceweasel-UXP doesn't include WebExtensions.

Unread post by Isengrim » 2018-07-18, 15:43

According to this, it is a rebranded and modified Basilisk.
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Re: On why Iceweasel-UXP doesn't include WebExtensions.

Unread post by Moonchild » 2018-07-18, 16:21

It exposes one of the multiple hacks Mozilla has used to make WE work in the first place, and maybe even a fundamental flaw in how WebExtensions work, overall (I haven't had time to fully analyze the problem yet). Since it's at the very root of the implementation of WEs and how they interact with web content, I also don't see a straightforward way around that problem.

The issue is that in an effort to hide the fact that a certain extension is installed by randomizing access URLs, that randomized nature creates a unique fingerprint for content to read. So you're in effect going from "this user has extension X installed, it could be user Y or anyone else we've seen with this extension" to "this is user Y". As you can understand, that's a problem ;) -- since the WE needs to know its own random ID so it can access its resources from page content, that ID can't change once it's been established.

Aside from this privacy issue, our continued experimental support in Basilisk depends on how much of a problem our limited implementation (restricting WEs to only content-related functions and not exposing many browser-specific APIs, because that is what we have our other extension types for) poses. Time will tell.
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