I have a Thunderbird extension for which I released a version in mid-April which has a major (though not obvious) defect which renders the extension effectively worthless. The result of using the extension is a .zip file; in the version in question, all files in the resultant archive are corrupt, but this only comes to light if one attempts to extract the files – simply opening the archive, say in Windows File Explorer, does not indicate that there is any problem.
Once I realized the issue, I removed that version from Thunderbird Add-Ons repository so that it reverted to the prior functioning version. Unfortunately, the majority of users of the extension appear to still be using the defective version two weeks later – perhaps they have auto-updates turned off, or automatic downgrades are not supported by the Add-On system.
Furthermore, there is really no way for me to communicate to these users that they are using a defective version of the extension. About all I can do is add some text to the listing, and inform anyone who happens to upgrade to the forthcoming version (currently pending review) of the issue – release notes are now display upon upgrade, and include a message about the faulty version. Neither of these guarantee any of the users are informed.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to communicate with users of the defective version that they need to stop using it immediately?
Ultimately, it would be nice if there were some feature integrated into the Add-On system which would facilitate such emergency situations, although I understand that would be a rather serious undertaking.
Thanks in advance for any input.