Tile Tabs version warning Topic is solved

[Scotts Folly]

I use the Tile Tabs extension, in order to view and compare multiple sites simultaneously. Recently, a popup window has appeared on browser startup, warning that the current version of Tile Tabs is not technically compatible with changes in a forthcoming version of Firefox and will need to be replaced.
Normally I would assume that these changes, being downstream of where Firefox and Pale Moon parted company, can safely be ignored. But this sounds like a significant change, potentially to an underlying service or standard, that may affect the shared underpinnings of the two browsers to the extent that extensions are no longer intercompatible. In an unlikely worst-case scenario, it may lead to the current catalogue of Firefox-based extensions being updated (either en bloc or piecemeal) to a form no longer compatible with Pale Moon, and support for the compatible 'legacy' versions being discontinued.

Any advice would be useful. I'm in an awkward state of knowledge: enough to realise that something might be an issue, but not enough to know whether it actually is or not!

Text of popup:

Tile Tabs - Important Notice
Tile Tabs will not work with Firefox 57 or later
Tile Tabs was developed using technologies that are no longer available in Firefox 57.
Firefox 57 will be released on 14 November 2017.
Tile Tabs WE is the replacement for Tile Tabs
Tile Tabs WE has been developed using the new Web Extensions API's.
Tile Tabs WE is available for both Firefox (48 or later) and Chrome (35 or later).
You can download Tile Tabs WE for Firefox from:
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/tile-tabs-we/
(tickbox) Do not show again

[gracious1]

You are right that there is a major change happening with Firefox in terms of the technology it is using. Essentially it is dropping full add-ons (complete themes and extensions which use XUL technology) and replacing with WebExtensions, which are not full extensions but rather very limited. It also has pretty much gotten rid of NPAPI plug-ins.


You can get some background information in this thread: Firefox to deprecate XUL, and also this one, Mozilla deprecates NPAPI / Pale Moon will keep NPAPI Thread. I also highly recommend this post written by the creator of Pale Moon: Will Pale Moon Support WebExtensions? (quick answer is no.)

You will also find more information here: Mozilla described the plan to destroy Firefox in detail and Firefox getting closer to Chrome - What about Palemoon?.

So the short answer is: no, you do not have worry about that pop-up, and you can keep using the extension you are using now.

[Scotts Folly]

Thanks for the reassurance, Gracious. I thought that was likely to be the case, just wanted to make sure! Next time it appears, I'll click that checkbox.

From your linked threads (as far as I can tell), the future of add-on development and availability is still To Be Determined once the shape and fallout from the Firefox changes settles; is that correct?
As I read it, it looks as though Firefox will keep at least some legacy library for at least some time, but new Pale Moon add-ons and fixes to the old will have to run on a case-by-case basis. To what degree we need to establish an independent library of Pale Moon add-ons will depend on take-up from users and developers, take-down from Firefox, and will be decided based on events. My own set-up is fairly stable, but new users will still need access.

[gracious1]

To what degree we need to establish an independent library of Pale Moon add-ons will depend on take-up from users and developers, take-down from Firefox, and will be decided based on events. My own set-up is fairly stable, but new users will still need access.

Developer JustOff is taking care of that with his extension:
Classic Add-ons Archive
It downloads a comprehensive catalog of "legacy" extensions (but not themes). Right now, when you select one to install, it is coming from AMO, but eventually it will be from a separate cloud site.