We are implementing a new extension API, called WebExtensions-largely compatible with the model used by Chrome and Opera-to make it easier to develop extensions across multiple browsers.

The effect of these changes are that existing add-ons will have to be re-engineered and some may not make it through the approvals process which will not please users who rely on rejected add-ons.

As Mozilla has previously indicated, it will soon require a security check for all third-party Firefox extensions.

The decision makers at the parent company of popular web browser Firefox have decided to update their add-on and extension infrastructure, bringing more capabilities to the browser but also deprecating the framework behind its current extension system. The changes are broadly created to make Firefox more secure and stable, but they also have the downside of making it less customizable and potentially more of a resource hog. It has made sure that it wont leave behind the developers programming “unsupported add-ons” and will lend its full cooperation to aid their “transition to newer APIs”.

“Without a fundamental shift to the way Firefox add-ons work, we will be unable to use new technologies like Electrolysis, Servo or browser.html as part of Firefox”, also noted Mr. Needham. Currently, “add-ons have complete access to Firefox’s internal implementation” of core technologies, Mozilla writes. Some developers say that moving from XPCOM and XUL toward their new API platform is a death sentence for the company because they’re trying to emulate Google with their extension system.

Overall, this marks a major change in how Firefox will treat add-ons. For example, “It’s not uncommon for Firefox development to be delayed because of broken add-ons”.

It’ll be interesting to see how this move will impact the Firefox add-on ecosystem. That will cause trouble for, as Needham explained, “A major challenge we face is that many Firefox add-ons can not possibly be built using either WebExtensions or the SDK as they now exist”. From there, unmodified extensions will continue to function for six months, after which the company will remove compatibility support for them. Developers who already support Chrome extensions will benefit since they will have one codebase to support instead of two. When Firefox 42 is released around 6 weeks later, there won’t be an option to run unsigned extensions… but you can get around this by installing nightly or developer edition versions of Firefox.

The new “team” will work closely with the developers to better improve the WebExtensions API and mould it into a definite shape. As one poster wrote, this will make “Migrating away from Firefox will be as painless as possible”.

On Reddit, one commenter stated, “That plugin dev community is about the only thing still keeping Firefox standing”. Sandboxing processes will allow for a safer environment for users at the same time as it allows the browser to move faster.