{"id":7772,"date":"2016-06-02T12:37:09","date_gmt":"2016-06-02T19:37:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/addons\/?p=7772"},"modified":"2016-06-02T12:37:09","modified_gmt":"2016-06-02T19:37:09","slug":"developer-profile-luis-miguel-aka-quicksaver","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/addons\/2016\/06\/02\/developer-profile-luis-miguel-aka-quicksaver\/","title":{"rendered":"Developer profile: Lu\u00eds Miguel (aka Quicksaver)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Lu\u00eds

“I bleed add-on code,” says Lu\u00eds Miguel.<\/p><\/div>\n

Always a heavy user of bookmarks and feeds, Lu\u00eds Miguel<\/a> one day decided to customize his Firefox sidebar to better accommodate his personal tastes (he didn\u2019t like how the ever-present sidebar pushed web content aside). But Lu\u00eds soon discovered he could only go so far solving this problem with minor CSS tweaks.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s when he resolved himself to develop a full-blown add-on. He created OmniSidebar<\/a>, an elegant extension that allows you to slide your sidebar into view with a simple gesture, among other rich interface features.<\/p>\n

Another of Lu\u00eds’ add-ons\u2014FindBar Tweak<\/a>\u2014has a similar origin story; Lu\u00eds identified a personal desire first, then built an add-on to address it. In this case he wanted a quick way to scan code for just the parts applicable to his work.<\/p>\n

“Earlier today I was working with pinned tabs, and I had to research how they happen,” explains Lu\u00eds. “Looking for the word ‘pinned’ in Firefox\u2019s code using FindBar Tweak, I was able to easily read through only the relevant bits in a few seconds, because it not only takes me directly to what I\u2019m looking for, but also helps me visually make sense of what is actually relevant.”<\/p>\n

Lu\u00eds has created four other add-ons<\/a>, including the popular Tab Groups<\/a>. Lu\u00eds spoke with me briefly about his unique interest in add-ons\u2026<\/p>\n

It sounds like you basically create all of your add-ons based on personal browsing needs. Is that an accurate characterization? <\/strong>
\nLu\u00eds Miguel: Yeah, that\u2019s a fair way to put it. Everything has been about making my Firefox behave and interact with me the way I prefer it to, from quickly finding what I’m looking for in a page, to having my feeds and bookmarks readily accessible without screwing up the rest of the page layout, properly organizing all my buttons in the browser, keeping a clean window but always ready to interact in whatever way I need it to. The “anything goes” approach of Firefox add-ons make them a very fun playground for me in that respect.<\/em><\/p>\n

As a procrastination enthusiast, I\u2019ve found that when the process\u2014towards whatever goal\u2014is optimal, fast, and effective, I am the most motivated to do it. So I look for every way to enhance productivity in every task I do, not just for developing, even just casual browsing really.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Puzzle

Puzzle Bars conveniently pulls up your customized toolbar with a simple swing of the mouse.<\/p><\/div>\n

Although, that’s not entirely the case anymore. There’s a lot in my add-ons that come from user suggestions and requests, many [features] I don’t really use myself. But if it’s to improve the add-on and I have the availability to do it, how can I say no to the most awesome and supportive users a developer could ask for?<\/em><\/p>\n

Beyond add-ons you’ve created, do you do other types of development?<\/strong>
\nLM: I’ve contributed a few patches for Firefox itself through Bugzilla, but that’s about it. When I set out to do something, I focus on it, so right now I bleed add-on code. <\/em><\/p>\n

Are you working on any new add-ons you want to tell us about?\u00a0 <\/strong>
\nLM: I do have a couple of ideas for new add-ons, but those probably won’t happen for a while, mostly because I have to focus on my current ones a lot, as they will need to be ported to WebExtensions<\/a> eventually. Since my add-ons are mostly UI-modifications at their base, that will be\u2026 challenging.<\/em><\/p>\n

I have been working on Tab Groups 2 though, which is a major rewrite of almost everything, to hopefully make it more stable and perform better. It’s turning out really awesome.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

What other add-ons\u2014ones you haven’t created\u2014are your favorites and why? <\/strong>
\nLM: I have around 30 add-ons enabled in my main profile at any one time. A few favorites come to mind\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

AdBlock Plus<\/a> is always at the top of my list. I dislike waiting a long time for pages to fully load because of several blinking boxes, or misleading ads.<\/em><\/p>\n

Download Panel Tweaker<\/a> for a sleek, direct, and fully functional downloads panel.<\/em><\/p>\n

Tab Mix Plus<\/a> for optimized opening, closing, moving, and loading tab behavior. There\u2019s just so much it can do!<\/em><\/p>\n

Stylish<\/a> for a few nits here and there, and the custom glass style I made for myself, which I\u2019ve found no other theme or add-on out there can even come close to this.<\/em><\/p>\n

I especially like Turn Off the Lights<\/a>. It helps me focus on whatever video I\u2019m watching. I tend to get distracted easily. If there’s something in the corner of my eye that stands out for some reason, I will look at it. So that functionality is simple and yet very effective.<\/em><\/p>\n

Thanks for chatting with us, Lu\u00eds! I can think of no better way to close this conversation than by sharing a recent installment of your web series\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n