Comments on: The story of a non-hacker who wrote a Firefox add-on http://blog.mozilla.com/seth/2008/04/07/the-story-of-a-non-hacker-who-wrote-a-firefox-add-on/ blogging about mozilla's community efforts Thu, 28 Aug 2008 10:44:56 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Ken Saunders http://blog.mozilla.com/seth/2008/04/07/the-story-of-a-non-hacker-who-wrote-a-firefox-add-on/#comment-105942 Ken Saunders Wed, 09 Apr 2008 00:38:42 +0000 http://blog.mozilla.com/seth/2008/04/07/the-story-of-a-non-hacker-who-wrote-a-firefox-add-on/#comment-105942 Hey great job! The issues mentioned are all minor and easy enough to fix. While you're updating, the tooltip currently reads "Open and close the toolbar", perhaps you should be more specific even though it's easy enough to just click the button to see what it does. Maybe something like, Toggle Bookmarks Toolbar? I think that it's awesome that you jumped in and created this. I've recently started to get my feet wet with extensions and contributed to Page Zoom Buttons which is full page zoom controls for Firefox 3. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/6827 Hey great job!
The issues mentioned are all minor and easy enough to fix. While you’re updating, the tooltip currently reads “Open and close the toolbar”, perhaps you should be more specific even though it’s easy enough to just click the button to see what it does. Maybe something like, Toggle Bookmarks Toolbar?

I think that it’s awesome that you jumped in and created this. I’ve recently started to get my feet wet with extensions and contributed to Page Zoom Buttons which is full page zoom controls for Firefox 3.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/6827

]]> By: seth bindernagel http://blog.mozilla.com/seth/2008/04/07/the-story-of-a-non-hacker-who-wrote-a-firefox-add-on/#comment-105854 seth bindernagel Tue, 08 Apr 2008 18:06:15 +0000 http://blog.mozilla.com/seth/2008/04/07/the-story-of-a-non-hacker-who-wrote-a-firefox-add-on/#comment-105854 Thanks, Jorge. I'll let you know how it goes. -Seth Thanks, Jorge. I’ll let you know how it goes.

-Seth

]]> By: Jorge http://blog.mozilla.com/seth/2008/04/07/the-story-of-a-non-hacker-who-wrote-a-firefox-add-on/#comment-105853 Jorge Tue, 08 Apr 2008 18:03:18 +0000 http://blog.mozilla.com/seth/2008/04/07/the-story-of-a-non-hacker-who-wrote-a-firefox-add-on/#comment-105853 Congratulations on writing your first extension :). Just a tip on adding shortcut keys: http://adblockplus.org/blog/shortcut-keys-are-hard Congratulations on writing your first extension :). Just a tip on adding shortcut keys: http://adblockplus.org/blog/shortcut-keys-are-hard

]]> By: seth bindernagel http://blog.mozilla.com/seth/2008/04/07/the-story-of-a-non-hacker-who-wrote-a-firefox-add-on/#comment-105839 seth bindernagel Tue, 08 Apr 2008 16:06:42 +0000 http://blog.mozilla.com/seth/2008/04/07/the-story-of-a-non-hacker-who-wrote-a-firefox-add-on/#comment-105839 Hey Chris: What extension did you write? Thanks for suggesting the "newbie" idea for a post. I'll pass it along. Can't help you with writing patches for Firefox...yet. :) But, seriously, if you questions and you're not getting an answer, ping me and I'll see if I can find someone. Seth Hey Chris:
What extension did you write? Thanks for suggesting the “newbie” idea for a post. I’ll pass it along.

Can’t help you with writing patches for Firefox…yet. :) But, seriously, if you questions and you’re not getting an answer, ping me and I’ll see if I can find someone.

Seth

]]> By: ChrisJF http://blog.mozilla.com/seth/2008/04/07/the-story-of-a-non-hacker-who-wrote-a-firefox-add-on/#comment-105829 ChrisJF Tue, 08 Apr 2008 15:34:26 +0000 http://blog.mozilla.com/seth/2008/04/07/the-story-of-a-non-hacker-who-wrote-a-firefox-add-on/#comment-105829 Hey Seth. That was a great post. I too had a similar experience when writing my first Firefox extension. However, I wasn't really sure how hard it would be or even where to start. Posts like these are really encouraging to newcomers. I think the Mozilla Community should have a monthly post in Planet Mozilla written by a 'newbie' about getting involved with Mozilla. Whether it be writing an extension, creating a support article, etc. Eventually, I would like to learn how to write patches for Firefox, but I'm not really sure how that process works or where to start. (I'm slowly learning though because I subscribed to Planet Mozilla's feed. :) Thanks again for the post! -Chris Hey Seth. That was a great post. I too had a similar experience when writing my first Firefox extension. However, I wasn’t really sure how hard it would be or even where to start. Posts like these are really encouraging to newcomers. I think the Mozilla Community should have a monthly post in Planet Mozilla written by a ‘newbie’ about getting involved with Mozilla. Whether it be writing an extension, creating a support article, etc. Eventually, I would like to learn how to write patches for Firefox, but I’m not really sure how that process works or where to start. (I’m slowly learning though because I subscribed to Planet Mozilla’s feed. :)

Thanks again for the post!
-Chris

]]> By: seth bindernagel http://blog.mozilla.com/seth/2008/04/07/the-story-of-a-non-hacker-who-wrote-a-firefox-add-on/#comment-105821 seth bindernagel Tue, 08 Apr 2008 15:08:58 +0000 http://blog.mozilla.com/seth/2008/04/07/the-story-of-a-non-hacker-who-wrote-a-firefox-add-on/#comment-105821 Hey Brian: Thanks for the tips. I'll look into all of those ideas for v2.0. "Tray" makes no sense. Have to change that next time. To Morbus: Nope, never wrote an extension or anything. Just had the necessary curiosity to figure it out. Topher: It will work on 2 when I fix it to. I just started with 3.0. Next version, we'll get it running, maybe all the way back to 1.5? We'll see. David Naylor: Hi, thanks for the nice comment. If you need any help, let me know. I'd be happy to point you to things I found helpful...if I didn't already do that in the post. If nothing else, some positive dialogue is always helpful when you're slogging through. Ted: Thanks for the extension wizard. I actually saw that early on. Looked at it and then went to the "Building an Extension" site on MDC. Before I knew it, I was deep in the process and forgot all about your tool! Damn. Sorry about that. Would have made life a lot easier. I think you're right, there needs to be a link to your wizard in that tutorial to get people a second option for writing those config files. Thanks everyone. Great comments. Hey Brian: Thanks for the tips. I’ll look into all of those ideas for v2.0. “Tray” makes no sense. Have to change that next time.

To Morbus: Nope, never wrote an extension or anything. Just had the necessary curiosity to figure it out.

Topher: It will work on 2 when I fix it to. I just started with 3.0. Next version, we’ll get it running, maybe all the way back to 1.5? We’ll see.

David Naylor: Hi, thanks for the nice comment. If you need any help, let me know. I’d be happy to point you to things I found helpful…if I didn’t already do that in the post. If nothing else, some positive dialogue is always helpful when you’re slogging through.

Ted: Thanks for the extension wizard. I actually saw that early on. Looked at it and then went to the “Building an Extension” site on MDC. Before I knew it, I was deep in the process and forgot all about your tool! Damn. Sorry about that. Would have made life a lot easier. I think you’re right, there needs to be a link to your wizard in that tutorial to get people a second option for writing those config files.
Thanks everyone. Great comments.

]]> By: tmielczarek http://blog.mozilla.com/seth/2008/04/07/the-story-of-a-non-hacker-who-wrote-a-firefox-add-on/#comment-105776 tmielczarek Tue, 08 Apr 2008 13:01:37 +0000 http://blog.mozilla.com/seth/2008/04/07/the-story-of-a-non-hacker-who-wrote-a-firefox-add-on/#comment-105776 Glad to hear you were successful! Too bad you didn't run into a link to my extension wizard: http://ted.mielczarek.org/code/mozilla/extensionwiz/ It takes a lot of the pain out of writing weird config files. If that "building an extension" page was the first page you encountered, perhaps it could use a link to somewhere that links to the wizard? Glad to hear you were successful! Too bad you didn’t run into a link to my extension wizard:
http://ted.mielczarek.org/code/mozilla/extensionwiz/

It takes a lot of the pain out of writing weird config files. If that “building an extension” page was the first page you encountered, perhaps it could use a link to somewhere that links to the wizard?

]]> By: David Naylor http://blog.mozilla.com/seth/2008/04/07/the-story-of-a-non-hacker-who-wrote-a-firefox-add-on/#comment-105775 David Naylor Tue, 08 Apr 2008 12:56:08 +0000 http://blog.mozilla.com/seth/2008/04/07/the-story-of-a-non-hacker-who-wrote-a-firefox-add-on/#comment-105775 Wow, that's encouraging! I've also always been wondering if I should dare try to make an extension. (Not that I have had any great ideas of what to make though...) Your post here gives me some hope. :) Wow, that’s encouraging!

I’ve also always been wondering if I should dare try to make an extension. (Not that I have had any great ideas of what to make though…) Your post here gives me some hope. :)

]]> By: Topher http://blog.mozilla.com/seth/2008/04/07/the-story-of-a-non-hacker-who-wrote-a-firefox-add-on/#comment-105772 Topher Tue, 08 Apr 2008 12:29:45 +0000 http://blog.mozilla.com/seth/2008/04/07/the-story-of-a-non-hacker-who-wrote-a-firefox-add-on/#comment-105772 I love the idea, but the extensions I love aren't avail for 3 yet, and yours doesn't work on 2. *Could* it work on 2? I love the idea, but the extensions I love aren’t avail for 3 yet, and yours doesn’t work on 2. *Could* it work on 2?

]]> By: Morbus http://blog.mozilla.com/seth/2008/04/07/the-story-of-a-non-hacker-who-wrote-a-firefox-add-on/#comment-105768 Morbus Tue, 08 Apr 2008 12:07:56 +0000 http://blog.mozilla.com/seth/2008/04/07/the-story-of-a-non-hacker-who-wrote-a-firefox-add-on/#comment-105768 Congrats bro :) I once had an idea for an extension too, but I quit like half an hour into the thing. I think I know what it took you to make this, so I think you deserve a praise. ;) BTW, had you ever modded an extension before or anything? What was your background in the scene? Congrats bro :) I once had an idea for an extension too, but I quit like half an hour into the thing. I think I know what it took you to make this, so I think you deserve a praise. ;)

BTW, had you ever modded an extension before or anything? What was your background in the scene?

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