Multi-process Firefox and AMO

Andy McKay

8 responses

In Firefox 48, which reaches the release channel on August 1, 2016, multi-process support (code name “Electrolysis”, or “e10s”) will begin rolling out to Firefox users without any add-ons installed.

In preparation for the wider roll-out to users with add-ons installed, we have implemented compatibility checks on all add-ons uploaded to addons.mozilla.org (AMO).

There are currently three possible states:

  1. The add-on is a WebExtension and hence compatible.
  2. The add-on has marked itself in the install.rdf as multi-process compatible.
  3. The add-on has not marked itself compatible, so the state is currently unknown.

If a new add-on or a new version of an old add-on is not multi-process compatible, a warning will be shown in the validation step. Here is an example:

image01

In future releases, this warning might become more severe as the feature nears full deployment.

For add-ons that fall into the third category, we might implement a more detailed check in a future release, to provide developers with more insight into the “unknown” state.

After an add-on is uploaded, the state is shown in the Developer Hub. Here is an example:

image00

Once you verify that your add-on is compatible, be sure to mark it as such and upload a new version to AMO. There is documentation on MDN on how to test and mark your add-on.

If your add-on is not compatible, please head to our resource center where you will find information on how to update it and where to get help. We’re here to support you!

8 responses

  1. Brian T. Nakamoto wrote on :

    “In Firefox 48, which reaches the release channel on August 1, 2016, mullti-process support (code name ‘Electrolysis’, or ‘e10s’) will begin rolling out to Firefox users without any add-ons installed.”

    Hi Andy, does this mean that Firefox 48 will feature a setting to disable multi-process support, and that multi-process support will be “off” by default for users who have an add-on?

    Thanks!

    1. Wes wrote on :

      Multiprocess will be off by default for users with addons enabled.

  2. Kristopher Ives wrote on :

    Thanks for making Firefox awesome, keep up the great work.

  3. Wes wrote on :

    There’s also a fourth state, where an addon is explicitly marked as not multiprocess compatible in install.rdf.

    1. Andy McKay wrote on :

      Good point, we’ve added that: https://github.com/mozilla/addons-server/issues/2972

      Thanks

  4. Martin wrote on :

    Do you plan to highlight compatibility on the frontend as well? I imagine this could be quite a frustrating experience for users otherwise.

  5. Denny wrote on :

    Will it be possible for the end user to manually enable multi-process support despite unsupported add-ons?

    1. Jorge Villalobos wrote on :

      I think the only option there would be to completely disable compatibility checks, which I would strongly advise against, since it could lead to crashes or even data loss.