Firefox 50.0 stable release

[MilesAhead]

Firefox 43.0 stable on Softpedia.  I can;'t find release notes that aren't about the 43.x beta though.

Supposedly this is the last FF that will let you opt out of signed AddOn enforcement by using the about:config setting xpinstall.signatures.required

[TaoPhoenix]

Firefox 43.0 stable on Softpedia.  I can;'t find release notes that aren't about the 43.x beta though.

Supposedly this is the last FF that will let you opt out of signed AddOn enforcement by using the about:config setting xpinstall.signatures.required

Watch out for this one though, if I recall, this is the one it stops being a warning and "auto -blocks" unsigned add-ons so I dunno what that means for various people. I certainly haven't examined my addons in detail ...

[MilesAhead]

Firefox 43.0 stable on Softpedia.  I can;'t find release notes that aren't about the 43.x beta though.

Supposedly this is the last FF that will let you opt out of signed AddOn enforcement by using the about:config setting xpinstall.signatures.required

Watch out for this one though, if I recall, this is the one it stops being a warning and "auto -blocks" unsigned add-ons so I dunno what that means for various people. I certainly haven't examined my addons in detail ...

Firefox is undergoing chrome-itization.  Just like Opera.  In the list of releases upcoming for FF it says that AddOns will be using a new Webapi similar to chrome and Opera.  And Opera is similar to chrome, so they may as well just call them all chrome variants.

[xtabber]

As of Firefox 43, add-ons need to be signed by Mozilla to be installed.

As per Mozilla:
Starting with Firefox 43, there are some restrictions in place for add-on distribution. Extensions and multipackage installers that support Firefox need to be signed by Mozilla in order for them to be installable in release and beta versions of Firefox. Note that this only applies to add-on types 2 and 32; other add-on types like themes and language packs don't require signing. Add-ons that only support other applications like Thunderbird and SeaMonkey are also excluded. Unsigned add-ons can still be installed in Developer Edition, Nightly, and ESR versions of Firefox, after toggling the xpinstall.signatures.required preference in about:config.

Toggling xpinstall.signatures.required to false works in the Firefox 43 general release, but beginning with Firefox 44 will only work in the developer releases listed above.

Note that there is nothing the user can do to get around this. Developers are responsible for getting each add-on signed by Mozilla, failing which the add-on will no longer work with Firefox.

A few of the add-ons I depend on that are affected by this were Ultra Recall, Toodle Do and Linkman Pro.  I expect these to have signed versions available very soon (update: Linkman Pro already has, and Ultra Recall is expecting approval) but I'm afraid many others will effectively disappear forever.

[MilesAhead]

I'm afraid many others will effectively disappear forever.

I think many of the AddOn authors got fed up when Firefox went into hyperversioning mode.  It's insane to break all that code just to have a higher version number in the About Box.  So now I wait to see what will be the new antithesis to chrome based browsers. 

[TaoPhoenix]

I'll deal with it later, but the takeaway to stick in my head is "I don't have time to screw with all this, so I'll use DevEdition" and trade off slightly less stable but it Does Stuff, for some actions, and PaleMoon for others, and just try to train my muscle memory which is which.

[CWuestefeld]

the takeaway to stick in my head is "I don't have time to screw with all this, so I'll use DevEdition" and trade off slightly less stable but it Does Stuff

That seems the logical conclusion to me. So, as often turns out to be the case, when you try to act as a nanny, the reaction winds up making us even less secure. Thanks for nothing, Firefox.

[MilesAhead]

Just one item in 43.0.1 notes.  To do with MS signing blah blah

(Edit: although some may prefer yadda yadda)

https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/43.0.1/releasenotes/

[MilesAhead]

Release Notes

Download

Softpedia Download

[Curt]

43.0.2 has not yet been localized, so around "here", 43.0.1 is still the newest

[MilesAhead]

43.0.2 has not yet been localized, so around "here", 43.0.1 is still the newest

From what I could see they only changed the signing certificate thing in the last 2 updates. I think it's a developer only concern for MS signing protocol or something.  I don't think there are even any bug fixes.  Probably why it is only a .0.x update.  Firefox is becoming chrome anyway.  It will be like Opera and Thunderbird for me.  Keep using the good old 12 versions for as long as possible for them and pre-44 for FF.  I don't have an ISP anymore so I don't use TB now.  But if I get an ISP I'll probably use TB 12.x.

[jadinolf]

NOW 43.0.3 is available.

[Curt]

Supposedly this is the last FF that will let you opt out of signed AddOn enforcement by using the about:config setting xpinstall.signatures.required

Watch out for this one though, if I recall, this is the one it stops being a warning and "auto -blocks" unsigned add-ons so I dunno what that means for various people. I certainly haven't examined my addons in detail ...

NOW 43.0.3 is available.

it went well; all my addons are still working (because of xpinstall.signatures.required=false) in 43.0.3

[dr_andus]

it went well; all my addons are still working (because of xpinstall.signatures.required=false) in 43.0.3

Anyone knows how long will that trick work? What are we talking about? Weeks or months?

I really hope there continues to be a workaround, as it can cripple some of my software that depend on FF add-ons for good.

I'm already annoyed that my favourite calculator add-on has been abandoned... 

[xtabber]

it went well; all my addons are still working (because of xpinstall.signatures.required=false) in 43.0.3

Anyone knows how long will that trick work? What are we talking about? Weeks or months?

According to Mozilla, beginning with Firefox 44, there will be NO workaround to allow unsigned extensions in the Release versions.  Developer and Nightlies will continue to allow overrides to allow devs to test their work without having to wait for approval each time.

This applies only to Firefox itself.  Other Gecko based browsers (SeaMonkey, Palemoon, etc...) are free to make their own choices, but not all FF extensions work with those browsers.

[MilesAhead]

Yet another tiny update:
https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/43.0.4/releasenotes/

[MilesAhead]

Firefox 50.0 Release Notes

The download can be had here

I don't know what they did but I tried the Nightly and it acted much better than anything newer than v. 42.0.  When the stable showed with the same version as the nightly I figured they must have dubbed the nightly stable and removed the Nightly labels and logos.

This is my second day using it.  It still loads lethargically but nowhere nearly as slow as versions 43 to 49.

I don't use it as my default browser anymore.  But there are times when I just have to use Firefox.  At least for now.