What add-ons did you lose? 57 does not support legacy add-ons, however, there are many alternatives if an add-on you use is no longer supported.

Extensions should not be permanently deleted by an update. Firefox 57 does hide the list of Legacy extensions: at the top of the Extensions panel of the Add-ons page, there is a link to Show legacy extensions.

But Firefox 52 ESR doesn't hide them; you should see them all.

Could you check whether your Firefox performed a Refresh? The tell-tale sign is a folder named Old Firefox Data on your computer desktop with recently modified files inside. The Refresh feature does remove your extensions -- that folder.

When upgrading, the old version is overwritten (or removed) automatically. When downgrading, this apparently does not happen; running the 52ESR install with 57 already installed left 57 installed :( but I didn't realize that at first. After I removed 57 and re-installed 52ESR I was able to see the blocked addons....but many of them still won't work so I have to go back farther. It would be REALLY, REALLY nice to know before updating which addons won't work so that I can make an informed decision whether to upgrade or not. Trying to find the correct version to downgrade to is a real PITA, especially since the "download" page only has links to the latest version. Still very unhappy about this.

Too many are missing, popular, extensively used ones and the current alternatives just aren't the same, a few close, maybe, but weak on the features of previous addons they're suppose to replace. Firefox should have at least built in those highly popular, heavily used addons that won't work in 57 from the outside. Sad, the customization and addons made FF, now, it's just kind of blah.

Tab Mix Plus - No decent alternative Paste Email (original) - no alternative Roomy Bookmarks Toolbar - no alternative FoxClocks - no alternative like it available ...just to name a few

We're currently watching Brave browser, see if it will make up for what Firefox gave up. In the meantime, 57 has been bumped back to 56, won't go to 57 until it is functional as Firefox was before.

eaglerocktl said

It would be REALLY, REALLY nice to know before updating which addons won't work so that I can make an informed decision whether to upgrade or not. Trying to find the correct version to downgrade to is a real PITA, especially since the "download" page only has links to the latest version. Still very unhappy about this.

I realize it's obscure, but if you ever looked at the Add-ons page, Extensions list while you had Firefox 55 or 56, there was a big yellow LEGACY badge next to extensions that couldn't run in Firefox 57 with a link to more information. Many people never visit that page, apparently, or didn't click the link.

When you visit the Add-ons site now:

• There is a notice below the title of the extension if it's not compatible with Firefox Quantum/57.
• There is a box about 2/3 of the way down the left column with a link to the All Versions page where you can find earlier versions of the extension.

Hi FF_Help_user, thanks for your extension priority list.

For Tab Mix Plus, which specific features are important to you? Firefox currently has no way to force selections you make in the address bar to a new tab. (You have to use Alt+Enter or Ctrl+click the arrow button.) Anything else?

For Paste Email (original), there are other extensions to insert data into form fields. Do you need one that is specialized in email addresses?

For Roomy Bookmarks Toolbar, you usually can accomplish these changes using custom style rules (which you paste into a userChrome.css file).

FoxClocks recently updated to a new version that is more like its Chrome cousin. You can check out the screen shots.

That's nice, but too little too late. I want to know BEFORE I upgrade which extensions/addons won't work after the upgrade. Clearly, the Mozilla knows which versions of which addons/extensions work with the various versions of Firefox AND whether there is a new version of the addon/extension that WILL work with the newer version. The upgrade simply disabled AND HID non-working addons/extensions with NO notification nor was I given the option to upgrade the old addons (auto upgrade of addons was enabled). Upon checking the web pages for my addons, I found that most of them were actually compatible with 56 -- but there was no "update" option on my Firefox addons list, the only choice was "Remove" for the disabled ones.

Tab Mix Plus is one of my must-haves too. Multiple rows of tabs (no stupid scroll arrows), not closing the browser when the last tab is closed, selecting whether to add new tab next to the current tab or at the end, force links to open a new tab and force pop-ups to open a new tab are options I am not willing to give up.

My favorite not-working-on-57 extensions are: Tab Mix Plus Adblock Plus Self-destructing cookies Ghostery

Lacking a time machine, I can only tell you what effort was made to inform people. Obviously it was not enough to reach everyone.

And to be frank, it is not always possible to know which extensions will be broken in a new release. In this case, it is clear that ALL LEGACY EXTENSIONS cannot run in Firefox 57. Period. End of story.

It seems every single release breaks at least a few extensions. Unless the extension is popular enough to be used by testers of pre-release versions of Firefox, the extension's author may not find out and prepare a fix until it's too late. You can often find out from reviews on the extension's page, comments from the author on the extension's main page or versions page, or from posts on this or other sites, which extension versions work in which version of Firefox.

As far as I know, whether a particular third party extension might break in a new release is not something Mozilla has ever tracked and informed users about, until Firefox 57.

I got notified to update and Firefox knows which addons/extensions are installed in my browser. I do not know nor care what a "Legacy Extension" is; I only care whether the ones I use will run. Clearly, Mozilla knows which ones are "Legacy" and should have notified me that they would not work with the upgrade and given me the option to abort it.

How would I have found out that "In this case, it is clear that ALL LEGACY EXTENSIONS cannot run in Firefox 57. Period. End of story. "? I, like most users, don't follow Firefox development; I just update when prompted to do so.

I sure won't do that any more. I'll wait a while to see what doesn't work before I upgrade.

eaglerocktl said

Tab Mix Plus is one of my must-haves too.

• Multiple rows of tabs (no stupid scroll arrows) => you can use a custom style rule to create this effect. For example:
  • https://support.mozilla.org/questions/1186575#answer-1031974
  • https://www.reddit.com/r/FirefoxCSS/comments/7dclp7/multirow_tabs_in_ff57/

• not closing the browser when the last tab is closed => you can switch a built-in preference called browser.tabs.closeWindowWithLastTab from true to false

• selecting whether to add new tab next to the current tab or at the end => maybe https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/open-tabs-next-to-current/

• force links to open a new tab => there probably are other add-ons that do this but I haven't searched for one; the address bar wouldn't be handled by those extensions

• force pop-ups to open a new tab => this is built in, isn't it?

eaglerocktl said

How would I have found out that "In this case, it is clear that ALL LEGACY EXTENSIONS cannot run in Firefox 57. Period. End of story. "? I, like most users, don't follow Firefox development; I just update when prompted to do so.

It was on the Add-ons page, Extensions list, for 12 weeks but I understand that not everyone would have seen that. There may have been other places; I don't follow every detail.

Hi jscher2000,

Thank you very much for your reply.

For TMP:

- control over how links/popups/links from other applications are opened, same tab/force new tab

- undo closed tabs, control over how many to store, being able to clear list completely, individually one by one selectively with right click, reoption to original position option; current ones don't offer these options - control focus/select tabs opened from different locations, as you mentioned (bookmarks, address bar). - tab bar position - mouse click controls TMP is one of the best, most flexible, user controllable addons, surprised it's gone.

For PasteEmail (original) -

- being able to enter what one would like pasted in, to include, but not specific to email addresses only

- what are the current available extensions you mention?

For Roomy Bookmarks Toolbar, you usually can accomplish these changes using custom style rules (which you paste into a userChrome.css file).

- how does one do this? and is one able to add multiple rows as well?

FoxClocks -

- excellent, this is on extension that is a must also

Again, thank you very much!

For TMP:

• control over how links/popups/links from other applications are opened, same tab/force new tab => there is a setting for this (browser.link.open_newwindow.override.external - third setting in this reply)

• undo closed tabs, control over how many to store, being able to clear list completely, individually one by one selectively with right click, reoption to original position option; current ones don't offer these options => you can control how many to store per window (browser.sessionstore.max_tabs_undo), and choose which to restore from the History menu under Recently Closed Tabs, but I'm not aware of a way to delete them

• control focus/select tabs opened from different locations, as you mentioned (bookmarks, address bar) => Firefox 57 added a preference for bookmarks (browser.tabs.loadBookmarksInTabs) but not for the address bar (the developers have not decided how to implement that, which means I wouldn't expect it before mid-Spring or Summer unless it becomes a much higher priority)

• tab bar position => do you mean whether tabs are above the main toolbar or below the main toolbar? This can be modified using a custom style rule in a userChrome.css file (https://www.userchrome.org/what-is-userchrome-css.html#tabbar)

• mouse click controls => not sure what this means

For PasteEmail (original) -

• being able to enter what one would like pasted in, to include, but not specific to email addresses only
• what are the current available extensions you mention? => you could take a look at Clippings: https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/clippings/

For Roomy Bookmarks Toolbar, you usually can accomplish these changes using custom style rules (which you paste into a userChrome.css file).

• how does one do this? and is one able to add multiple rows as well?
  • There's a recent thread here: https://support.mozilla.org/questions/1189699
  • For multi-row bookmarks: https://www.userchrome.org/what-is-userchrome-css.html#multirowbookmarks

I normally never look at the extensions page, why would I? Notification needs to be active, not passive to be effective.

Tab Mix Plus makes it easy and convenient to configure all that I mentioned and more. I've been using it for years and it's been great. Now you all want me to replace this by: 1) installing a couple of separate addons 2) search the web for the names of numerous obscure settings, edit the config file, find those obscure settings and change the associated values 3) configure a style rule That's a big step backwards - no, several big steps backwards - from the one-stop easy to configure Tab Mix Plus.

Oh my, seems like an awful lot to go through, when we were able to just quickly install a perfectly functioning extension before and move on. All this extra, is not for the average user - the users shouldn't have to be the ones figuring out code and all kinds of workarounds every time Mozilla decides to update breaking what worked previously. Think will stick with 56, periodically Edge, until Brave browser comes full on with extensions (supposedly a lot are coming in one of the near updates), or we'll check back with Firefox in about a year or so after they get this mess together.

jscher2000 said

For TMP:

• control over how links/popups/links from other applications are opened, same tab/force new tab => there is a setting for this (browser.link.open_newwindow.override.external - third setting in this reply)

• undo closed tabs, control over how many to store, being able to clear list completely, individually one by one selectively with right click, reoption to original position option; current ones don't offer these options => you can control how many to store per window (browser.sessionstore.max_tabs_undo), and choose which to restore from the History menu under Recently Closed Tabs, but I'm not aware of a way to delete them

• control focus/select tabs opened from different locations, as you mentioned (bookmarks, address bar) => Firefox 57 added a preference for bookmarks (browser.tabs.loadBookmarksInTabs) but not for the address bar (the developers have not decided how to implement that, which means I wouldn't expect it before mid-Spring or Summer unless it becomes a much higher priority)

• tab bar position => do you mean whether tabs are above the main toolbar or below the main toolbar? This can be modified using a custom style rule in a userChrome.css file (https://www.userchrome.org/what-is-userchrome-css.html#tabbar)

• mouse click controls => not sure what this means

For PasteEmail (original) -

• being able to enter what one would like pasted in, to include, but not specific to email addresses only
• what are the current available extensions you mention? => you could take a look at Clippings: https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/clippings/

For Roomy Bookmarks Toolbar, you usually can accomplish these changes using custom style rules (which you paste into a userChrome.css file).

• how does one do this? and is one able to add multiple rows as well?
  • There's a recent thread here: https://support.mozilla.org/questions/1189699
  • For multi-row bookmarks: https://www.userchrome.org/what-is-userchrome-css.html#multirowbookmarks