Mozilla Add-ons Community Blog
Categories: compatibility developers

Firefox 3.0.1 and add-on compatibility

4 responses

We’ve seen reports from the field and blogosphere that Firefox 3.0.1 has somehow broken compatibility for many add-ons. This is indeed not the case. When add-on authors publish their add-on they declare the compatibility range for an add-on. It typically looks like “2.0 to 3.0.*” – meaning that at minimum, this add-on requires Firefox 2.0 and works with any maintaince release of Firefox 3.0. (End of the compatibility range is also called the maxVersion).

Some add-on authors have erroneously used “3.0” as their maxVersion so when users with these add-ons upgrade from Firefox 3.0 to Firefox 3.0.1, the add-on gets disabled. We encourage these add-on authors to use “3.0.*” as their maxVersion.

We have verified that the majority of add-ons hosted on AMO with Firefox 3 support have “3.0.*” in their compatibility range but there are many sites from where add-ons can be acquired.

4 comments on “Firefox 3.0.1 and add-on compatibility”

  1. Mike wrote on

    The problem with add-ons in 3.0.1 is not the 3.0.* issue.

    The problem is the add-on feature is completely broken on the mac.

    I installed the 3.0.1 on a PC running XP and the add-on feature works just fine.

    On the mac version, ANY add-on extension or theme will not even begin to download. It just sits there never even starting to download. The install dialog never comes up. 3.0 was working fine before the upgrade to 3.0.1

    I’m have tried reinstalling Firefox 3.0 and 3.0.1 with no success. Even with the old profile folder discarded and preference file deleted the new install now doesn’t work (add-on feature) on 3.0 or 3.0.1

    I am going to rebuild the launch services database and re-install again.

  2. No One Important wrote on

    To Mike:
    I speak for everyone when I say this:
    Shut the Hell Up
    Some addons are for Windows only, deal with it! Its not our fault that your a ignorent person who thinks your MAC can’t receive a Virus (A Mac is less safe than a Windows Vista PC with the Built-in Firewall Disabled these days – Apple don’t patch as they think they are all mighty, they are still doing the “Mac’s dont receive viruses Adverts” even though their are many Unix Viruses and even a iPhone Virus now!)

    If a addon doesn’t work in Mac OS *Cough* Unix *Cough* it wont work in Linux either… Please take your ignorence else where…… (The addon you tried to install isn’t compatable with *nix, simply deal with it instead of spreading nonsense! It will explictly say that the addon isn’t supported on a OS other than Windows when you go to install it!!!)

    In the impossible case that what you say is fact then I’d love to hear your explination on how the exact same version (Which has just been compilled for a different OS, baring in mind the coders are Multi-OS expert coders) acts completly differently with addons to its Windows Version. (I have run the Windows and Linux version of 3.0.1, all addins work great with both OS’s, and again please remember Linux = Mac OS but Free instead of Commercial Unix)

  3. bhashem wrote on

    @Mike: I would check with the support.mozilla.com folks to see if they can help you debug the issue – we are not seeing a widespread, general problem with add-ons and 3.0.1

  4. bhashem wrote on

    @No one important: I think you are being a bit rough here. And you certainly don’t speak for “everyone”. Not brave enough to post a real email…hmmm…who will stand by your words.