One note: as the SDK is still in alpha, not all of the add-ons in this tag will work with all beta versions of Firefox 4.  We expect compatibility to increase dramatically when the Release Candidates ship.

Since we’re hard at work upgrading the Collections feature with some big improvements, we’ll be temporarily disabling the “Add to Collection” feature from the add-on detail pages.  We’ll reinstate the feature within the next couple of weeks and you can still update your collections with the Add-on Collector, as well as on the collection detail pages themselves.

• Tabs API – Provides easy access to tabs and tab-related events.
• Request API – Lets you easily make network requests.
• Load/unload reasons – Add-ons can now find out when they are being loaded for the first time after being installed or enabled and unloaded because they are being uninstalled or disabled.
• Localization API – Provides simple localization functionality. It makes it possible to retrieve localized versions of the strings in your code. And it doesn’t require you to solicit localizations from localizers or bundle localizations with your code, as the module retrieves them automatically from a web service based on the strings your code is using.
• Selection API – Provides a means to get and set current text/HTML selections as well as observe new selections.
• And in case you have not been following the latest Jetpack developments, we also launched Page Worker, Widget, Simple Storage and Private Browsing APIs in previous releases. A complete list of APIs can be found in the core library reference.

• Discuss, debate, and get help in the discussion forum.
• Chat via IRC in #jetpack on irc.mozilla.org.
• Submit a bug report.
• Grab the source code and fix a bug or add a feature.

For more about Jetpack, check out the Jetpack Blog, where you can read older entries.  Future Jetpack related entries will get cross posted to the Add-ons Blog.

Henrik Skupin’s Blog

Testday for creating Mozmill tests for Add-ons

AMO is a directory of add-ons which meet our requirements for user experience, security, and code quality.  These add-ons are selected based on criteria consistent with our values as a public benefit organization dedicated to improving the internet.  Since listing is not a prerequisite for distribution, any add-on can be distributed without any involvement from AMO or Mozilla.

The Fat Plug business model

Fat Plug is a component that gives Firefox add-ons the ability to both insert new ads and replace existing ads on virtually any website.  The model involves including this component in successful Firefox add-ons, to use this success to ‘bootstrap’ advertising in web content to be shared between Fat Plug and the add-on author.  Since add-ons incorporating Fat Plug are largely unrelated to online advertising, it is difficult for users to discern that changes to web content has occurred, and nearly impossible for them to determine the connection between their altered web content and the add-on they installed.

The only indication that a user has installed Fat Plug is a Terms of Use dialog.

These Terms of Use are written on behalf of the original add-on, with only the fine print broadly describing what Fat Plug does.  There are no links or plain English descriptions of how this feature works, nor does it set expectations with users on what content gets changed. If the user declines the Terms of Use, the add-on is disabled.

Here are some examples to illustrate the Fat Plug functionality.

On search engines, Fat Plug inserts text advertising.

In this example, Fat Plug has replaced a BBC ad unit with one of its own.

Developer control

One thing that we’d like to make clear is that we aren’t preventing the development or distribution of Fat Plug add-ons.  We’ve made an editorial decision to exclude these add-ons from our directory, one that we believe is in the best interest of our users and developers.  Any add-on that uses the Fat Plug platform can be distributed separately from AMO, and we know that many add-ons distribute themselves without the involvement of AMO or any related Mozilla websites.

Commercial add-ons

We believe that a healthy add-on ecosystem reflects the internet as a whole- with both commercial and non-commercial elements.  It is often the interaction between the two that results in disruptive innovation, and we’ll continue to support this.  Add-ons with advertising are not prohibited on AMO, but we ask that this advertising is clearly marked and clearly associated with an add-on.  We also believe that add-on developers deserve to benefit directly from the success of their add-ons.  Plans for an add-on marketplace are underway, and we will communicate this plan in detail in the next couple of months, well in advance of its implementation.

Our Mobile Add-on Challenge ends this Monday, April 12, which means this is your last weekend to develop a killer mobile add-on for your chance to get cool Mozilla Mobile swag and a new Nokia N900!

Add-on developers are challenged to develop a compatible Firefox mobile add-on that shows innovation and considers the mobile context (small screen size, touch screen, out and about, etc.) At the end of the Challenge, our panel of judges (consisting of members from the Mobile and Add-ons teams) will select ten winners who will receive a new  in addition to other great mobile merchandise!

The last challenge resulted in many fantastic add-ons. Check out our previous winners’ award-winning add-ons that have been recognized by press around the globe. Despite these awesome innovations, there is much more room to help enhance the look, feel and functionality of Firefox on mobile devices. Here are some themes the Mozilla Mobile team finds especially interesting:

• Using device APIs: js-ctypes (Fennec 1.0) might be used to hook into the device (addressbook or camera) and add functionality to a Web app by making a pagemod (jetpack- or greasemonkey-like add-on)
  Check out these helpful resources around js-cytypes:
  ctypes on Mobile Developer Center
  blog post using GStreamer js-ctypes
  
• Photo, media, social and sharing tools: Create a social aggregator for quickly viewing streams from Twitter, Facebook, etc; Create a tool for sharing images, links and text
• Saving files and Session Restore: Save as PDF, Save Image, Remember last open tabs, etc.

So what are you waiting for? Develop an add-on for Firefox for a chance to win a new phone, and most importantly, see your innovation used by people around the world on multiple platforms and devices!  See the complete contest details and rules here.

Many thanks to Forum Nokia, Nokia’s Developer portal for supporting this challenge!

Now, in the Contributions section of the Developer Control Panel, you can fill out an optional “Thank you” note that gets sent to anyone who elects to send you a contribution.  These emails are text only, and contain a link to the developer profile page for the add-on.

So if you’re a developer who requests Contributions, please consider thanking the users who help out with the future of your add-on.

To stay up-to-date on the status of this bug, please follow bug 552162 in Bugzilla.

UPDATE:  This bug has been resolved and statistics should be normal again.  If this is not the case, please let us know in the bug mentioned earlier.