Updating addons?

Add-ons Add-on Support
#1

Hello mozilla commuity,

I just joined this forum because I am concerned with the way things are going for my favourite browser. Since I use over 40 addons & have about 20 userstyles, and can’t stand using Chrome, I plan on sticking with FF 54.0.1 for the foreseeable future. However, I’m worried about whether my addons will keep working in the future, so I have a general question to all addon developers. Should I keep letting my addons update, or turn off automatic updating, & leave them on the current version that I know works? Thanks for any advice you can give.

Loyal user

#2

Hello Loyal User,

Thanks for writing. Indeed, a lot of addons will stop working with Firefox 57 if they haven’t been upgraded to WebExtensions.

Should I keep letting my addons update, or turn off automatic updating, & leave them on the current version that I know works?

Turning off addons updates but keeping Firefox updates will only exacerbate the problem. You want the latest versions of addons in case the authors have updated them for Firefox 57. We definitely do not recommend turning off Firefox updates because you then won’t get security fixes that keep you protected against the latest web-based malware attacks.

I hope that helps.
Eric Jung

#3

Well, no, I am NOT updating Firefox to version 57. I’ve already turned Firefox updates off since finding out that if you update to v55, you cannot even go back to use ESR v52, due to a change in your profile. If I let FF update to v57, I will lose all (most?) of my current addons. That is not acceptable.
I do not care about the new WebExtensions, at this point in time anyway. If at some point in the future there are WebExtensions that will take the place of all of my current addons, then I would probably update at that time.
So, the question I’m asking is, will the current versions of my addons cease to work on my current version of Firefox, if I don’t let anything update?

Thanks

#4

So, the question I’m asking is, will the current versions of my addons cease to work on my current version of Firefox, if I don’t let anything update?

They will continue working if block all updates, both browser and addon-related. But you are opening yourself up to security risk. This is why people don’t use IE 6 anymore or Firefox 1.0 anymore. We highly recommend your reconsider. There is another thread on these forums that discusses alternatives to addons that aren’t updating to Firefox 57.

#5

Yes, I’m aware of the security risk of not updating, and am hoping that all of my security programs/settings/addons keep me safe until I find a better solution. I will check out the other threads in the forum. Also considering switching to Waterfox, if my addons work in that browser. Thanks for the info.