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Running multiple instances/profiles at the same time

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lwc
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Running multiple instances/profiles at the same time

v67 added support for running Multiple Instances:

A myriad of new features help make Firefox easier to use:
Users will be able to run different Firefox installs side by side by default so that you can run the beta and release versions simultaneously

https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/67.0/releasenotes/

  1. Should this change the whole basis of https://portableapps.com/support/firefox_portable#second_profile?
  2. Should it finally allow RunLocally=true?
  3. Should it finally allow using the profile manager?
  4. Should it finally allow using AllowMultipleInstances without -no-remote?
John T. Haller
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Yes and No

Second Profile will continue to exist as is.

Runlocally will likely be dropped entirely from all apps as read-only optical is basically dead.

Profile manager is still local or did something change?

AllowMultipleInstances without -no-remote is likely, but running multiple instances will still have all the other caveats: it'll leave files behind in APPDATA and LOCALAPPDATA, it'll leave registry entries, you shouldn't use the built-in updater in this mode, etc.

Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!

duttyend
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Thanks a lot John for taking

Thanks a lot John for taking the time to maintain and make your great platform evolve !

lwc
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Does the "but" also apply to running with -no-remote?

And shouldn't closing the last of the instances clean after the rest?

Does anyone know the answer about Profile manager?

John T. Haller
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Yup

Yup, Firefox is not fully portable on its own. The only thing switching from -no-remote to the new option will let you do is run multiple instances and pass files/urls to running instances without Firefox generating an error. Firefox will still leave data in all the places mentioned above.

Unless there was specific mention of Profile Manager suddenly being portable in the release notes, it's very unlikely that it is. The goal was to have per-Firefox profiles by default without the need of Profile Manager so users could run Beta, Dev, Nightly, etc without impacting each other, not to revamp Profile Manager. At least as it was explained to me.

Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!

lwc
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Could you delete all the off-topic messages in this thread?

Including my comment here after you're done.

Thanks!

duttyend
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Thank you very much for

Thank you very much for notifying those important changes and their potential consequences !

duttyend
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"Types" app

I found this excellent open source app to register PortableApps : https://ystr.github.io/types

lwc
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v94 added an extension that allows avoiding multiple profiles

v94 added a way to run multiple instances at the same time without even using profiles:

We’re rolling out the Firefox Multi-Account Containers extension with Mozilla VPN integration. This lets you use a different server location for each container.

https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/94.0/releasenotes/

This extension:

lets you keep parts of your online life separated into color-coded tabs that preserve your privacy. Cookies are separated by container, allowing you to use the web with multiple identities or accounts simultaneously.

Will you consider mentioning it in https://portableapps.com/support/firefox_portable#second_profile? It might not give all the benefits of profiles, but might solve all the aforementioned issues (RunLocally=true, using the profile manager and using AllowMultipleInstances without -no-remote).

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