This is an old bug, if I remember correctly. Over half of my extensions in FFP 8.0.1 show up as being incompatible with Firefox 8.0.1 until I manually update all the extensions.
This occurred in 3.x, got fixed, and now I'm seeing it again here.
Edit:
Here is the last time this bug was around:
https://portableapps.com/node/27310
It was acknowledged to be a bug, and was *fixed*. Somewhere along the way, the bug came back.
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This is an issue with Firefox, and more specifically, the extension authors not marking their extensions as compatible with anything higher than 8.0, not with Firefox Portable specifically.
Incorrect, because they are fine on the machine I originally set up the portable install on. It's once I run it on a different machine that the compatibility is broken.
Exact same problem as here:
https://portableapps.com/node/27310
after you've tried them. If they work and enough people notify firefox, I think they said they get automatically listed properly.
At least that was my interpretation of the compatability report add-on.
Don't be an uberPr∅. They are stinky.
Did you move the folder to other place, means did the path change (appart from drive ltter) ?
If so , then this is normal , you have to run general update of extensions and all is done. Many extension, but not all, react negative to path change.
Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland
It's actually not normal. This was acknowledged to be a bug and was fixed previously. But now the bug is back.
See here:
https://portableapps.com/node/27310
as from what I read of that thread you posted, firefox portable it's buggy in that instance because the original extension wasn't properly reported to mozilla as being still viable.
Maybe John can say what he had done to fix it from the previous thread, if it is something that can be started on the users end.
Don't be an uberPr∅. They are stinky.
All the extentions in question are listed on the mozilla page as being valid for FF 8.0.1. They're simply losing that knowledge when the portable app is moved.
It is an issue with the number of extensions, the database for them etc.
There is number of extension, you simply can not move the intall to other path. This has not much to do with the FF itself, but with the extensions concerned.
As from version 1.x to todays 8.x , I have never met a situation where all extension would survive change of path. The launcher does correct for changes in drive letter, not more. Change of path will for man extensions need to be updated. From there on, if drive letter changes, it is corrected by the launcher and extensions remain valid.
I have not so many extensions as other people have, but those 10 to 15, I assume about 80% will fail to remain valid after change of path. One click on update and all is repaired.
It has nothing to do with the fact that the extensions are ok for that version. It is the fact that the path has changed and so information in the data base.
Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland
With 3.6.x, all extensions survive a change of location (path as well as drive letter) without any problems whatsoever.
And it is not acceptable to have to have to update the extensions in order for them to no longer be broken. I've run into numerous situations where mozilla's addon server was down or running over capacity, and that locked the portable installation into being crippled until the server was back up.
This problem was fixable for 3.6.x, which means it should be fixable for 8.x as well.
but I have never met situation where for example dictionaries for spellchack did survive path change. I copy whole drive to backup partition every 10 days abt and never met situation where all extensions would survive that move.
Have just found old copy of 3.6.2, negative, dictionaries did not survive a copy paste move there either, while some things like oldbar did.
Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland
I've never worked with dictionaries, admittedly. However, I have about 16-20 extensions, and they all survive moves without any problems whatsoever.
I just found firefox portable version 5.0 in my backup store.
Updated all in the position it was located, then moved whole folder to other drive, other path.
following did survive the move:
Dictionary Switcher 1.3.1
FireFTP 2.0
TabMixPlus 0.3.8.7
UltrasurfFirefoxTool
following did not survive the move:
CookieCuller
Oldbar
PdfIt
USengl Dictionary
German Dictionary
Czech Dictionary
After running the update all are again operational.
It depends very much on the extension itself.
Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland
No, actually, it doesn't. Because the exact same list of extensions move just fine on FF 3.6.x portable, but do not on FF 8.0.1 portable.
Therefore, it's not the extensions, it's FF 8.0.1 portable.
but I have tested with 3.6.2 and 5.0 now and on both only some extensions survive and some not.
I depends on how the extension works with the database. There are extensions which will work any time, others simply because the entry the in the database is not updated properly.
Managed to test just now with version 4.0
move survived:
FireFTP
Tabmixplus
UltrasurfFirefox tool
Move did not survive:
Cookieculler
Dictionaryswitcher
Czech Dictionary
Germandictioanry
pdfit
USengl dictionary
olbar
Discovered version 3.6.13
move survived
pdfit
Cookieculler
USengDictinary
Fireftp
Dictionary switcher
german dictionary
czech dictionary
move did not survive
oldbar
tabmixplus
The change with the database function is afaik from 4.0 upwards, therefore some extensions will start behave there differently
Some extensions like FiteFTP work ok also under 8.0 for example, others do not.
If you have list of extension which all do survive in 3.6.x then you may just be lucky that there is no one in it with problems.
It also may be a difference in behaviour as some extensions will be different version for 3.6.x and different version for 6.0.x or 8.0.x.
Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland
Your list only shows that the bug existed with 4.x. You haven't indicated that they break with v3.6x, only with 4.x.
And although I understand your point that some extensions may be different for different FF versions, I do not believe that to be the case here. Some of these are simple extensions that have been version stable for quite some time, and the only change that has been made is simply to indicate that they will also work for FF 8.x.
Perhaps at this point, we need John to chime in here and give a more conclusive answer as to what is going on.
as you can see that also on 3.6.13 not all extensions survive a change in path.
Extensions have many versions, are maintained (or not maintained) by their authors and are in fact not published by mozilla. There might be number of versions for one version of FF and vice versa.
What I only wanted to demonstrate to you is the fact that it is not a special property of FF 8.0.1, but has always been a problem, thus the general rule: drive letter change ok, path change no guarantee can be given that all works as before.
I can test many 3.6.x too, same extension will behave on one 3.6.x this way and on other 3.6.x version differently because the author of the extension might have produced some update in the mean time. On one of my 3.6.x the oldbar did survive, on other not for example.
Or take the tabmixplus extension. It survived on version 4.0, but definitely not on 3.6.13.
It does survive on some other versions however.
And yes, same happens with ff 6.0.x and 7.0.x and now even 8.0.x
And there are probably hundreds or thousands of extensions and nobody is able to check them all for real compatibility.
So if you have let say 3.6.24 and all your extensions survive a path change, then you are just lucky to have picked extensions which do so. You could have picked some clone of some extension and you would have the same problem back.
Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland
For me, *all* extensions survive a change in path on 3.6.x And I don't see it as luck, as half the extensions didn't used to survive the change until John fixed the bug. After that, *every* extension survives a change in path just fine. That's not luck, that's a fixed bug.
Now, I'm seeing the same issue occur in 8.0.1, and I don't see why it's anything other than a bug again, as the symptoms are exactly the same. And some of the comments you made suggest you're referring to *old* extensions on 3.6.x, which is not the case here. All extensions are fully updated and up to date on both 3.6.x and 8.0.1. But 3.6.x works fine, and 8.0.1 does not.
This is not luck.
as from this test:
)
3.6.13 (which is 3.6.x version
move survived
pdfit
Cookieculler
USengDictinary
Fireftp
Dictionary switcher
german dictionary
czech dictionary
move did not survive
oldbar
tabmixplus
sure all extensions are also full updated before I try to move the folder, but this does not mean anything as it will update to extensions which according to author of that extension are compatible with that particular version. So some extensions have new version for each subversion of FF, others can live almost for ever.
So if you see some of my extensions, they simply do not survive a change of path when they have the right version for the right version of FF. Then magic, the next version of FF they work again even after a path change.
So everybody has 'his' list of extensions and they may or may not work as we can not know how they are made. As you can see, some extension will not survive a move of 3.6.x ff, they were updated before the test and failed after the test. I can search my archive and find some more 3.6.x subversions, in any version some extensions will not work this way.
So if the rather simple extension called oldbar does not survive move on 3.6.13, then we can not say all extension, but all extension except oldbar.
Or all extensions except tabmixplus and oldbar etc.
So in my few extensions for that version, 2 did not survive the move. And they are the latest version for that version of ff.
In other words, on 3.6.13, the dictionaries did survive, so if I had just those, I would also claim that all extensions survive on 3.6.x.
But as they are more extensions then the main stream, some do survive while others not.
Or on the other hand, I think that FireFTP did not fail after a move in almost all versions. It is probably properly done and takes care of proper path update before it is reported to the ff itself each time on start up of ff.
So if I had number of extensions like fireftp, I would also assume that all is fixed.
And when we go to versions after 4.0, they all behave differently as 3.6.x and if there is some specific problem to 8.0 in this direction, then it is likely to be there from 4.0 upwards.
So the Q is: did you notice different behaviour just now with 8.0 or earlier , with 4.0 , 5.0 etc?
Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland
there are lot of threads on this subject coming up time to time
https://portableapps.com/node/26199
https://portableapps.com/node/22353
https://portableapps.com/node/27815
Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland