Hi,

Was just reading up on the new version of AIOS and have come to find out that the "URL-Tools" feature has been removed. This is disappointing because myself and others have come to use it on a regular basis. Setting aside the frustration with AIOS having a small history of adding features only to remove them later on, the features provided by this function clearly seem like enough content to warrant a separate extension.

I recognize the rationale for having the URL-Tools feature removed in the first place, but I can't help but disagree with this action - this wasn't some extraneous, pointless gimmick like the "Toggle Find Bar" setting - this feature is highly useful and it really does feel like a downgrade to lose it. The suggestion of downloading multiple extensions to get the all the features back only makes for a messy user interface, as they cannot be integrated in the same seamless fashion: All of the features of URL-Tools are currently presented in a clean and simple menu via the toolbar button or the context menu. To add insult to injury, they don't work in the same way as URL-Tools.

Isn't it possible to take the code from AIOS 0.6.4 for the "URL-Tools" feature and simply compile it to create a separate extension for FireFox? I don't know much about coding, but I'm thinking this might be something that wouldn't be all that time consuming. I know maintaining a separate extension could be something of a hassle, but it really doesn't need any additional features - I'm thinking you feature-lock it and just do the occasional compatibility update for new FireFox versions.

Obviously this is not a priority as the new version of AIOS still needs to be completed, but I thinking there will be some down time to address this issue once the finished version of the update has been released.

 

I forgot to add in my previous post that updates are still planned for the URL-Tools feature according to the todo list as shown via the sticky in this forum: http://firefox.exxile.net/aios/todo.php

Now I can't help but ask will the URL-Tools be compiled as I suggested or will they be returned to AIOS at a future point? I know this sounds like dumb question but the development forum indicates the URL-Tools feature is dead yet the todo list here says it's not. My guess is that the todo list has not yet been updated to reflect the demise of the URL-Tools feature, in which case I'd stand behind my original post - there would be no need to integrate the planned changes to URL-Tools if time/relevance to AIOS is an issue. If URL-Tools is not dead, then those updates sound enticing and worthy of attention.

Sorry for the double post.. thanks for putting up with me.

 

Hi Kaptain75329,

the URL-Tools in AiOS are dead - definitive. The problem from the beginning of AiOS was that I didn't plan to build a big extension for a lot of users. I started with AiOS, because I wanted to know how extensions work, how they are programmed. I liked the POTO Sidebar, but I was thinking that it could have some more features. So I grabbed the code and built my own extension. I also liked the GoUp button from the Search Station, but not all the other features. I grabbed the button, which became later the URL-Tools, and integrated it into AiOS. I did the same with some other features. You see that AiOS was a collection of very different features only build for my very special needs and just for testing and learning.
Then I thought that someone could find it useful and I decided to release it on my webspace. At that point I didn't think of many users or something else. I only learned to build extensions. But the extension became larger and larger. My website statistic exploded, the to-do-list became a really long list... and still no plan...
Between 0.5.6 and 0.6 I decided that I have to make a cut in the development. I needed a plan for the future. And I decided that AiOS should be what the name assumes: A full featured sidebar extension - not more and not less. I start beginning the removing of some features step by step...

Long speech, short sense: It was never planned to add a lot of features just for removing them later. But now I see no alternative for AiOS.

In the last weeks I tried some extensions which could replace the missing features. I'm not satisfied with all, ... Never say never, but I'm still not planning a new extension. I hope that someone else will do it.
And surely never all users are satisfied - hundred users have hundred opinions.

Kaptain75329 wrote:

The suggestion of downloading multiple extensions to get the all the features back only makes for a messy user interface, as they cannot be integrated in the same seamless fashion[...]

That's right, but do you really need all the features?

Kaptain75329 wrote:

Isn't it possible to take the code from AIOS 0.6.4 for the "URL-Tools" feature and simply compile it to create a separate extension for FireFox? I don't know much about coding, but I'm thinking this might be something that wouldn't be all that time consuming.

Surely this is possible and you're welcome to do it.
Things are always more time-consuming as you can think in the beginning. One year ago I thought to release AiOS 1.0 in the first quarter of 2006...

Kaptain75329 wrote:

[...]My guess is that the todo list has not yet been updated to reflect the demise of the URL-Tools feature,[...]

That's right.

We will see what happens.

Best regards

 
_________________
Best regards

§1 The Net is allergic to truth, reason and humour.
§2 The World Wide Web is text for people who can't read.
§3 The World Wide Web is the fastest way to get from [where you wouldn't want to be] to [where you wouldn't want to go].
-- Andrew Eldritch

Many of the "buttons" that you will be missing from the url tools and etc, may be able to be found here... The Custom Buttons Forum

For one, the "Go Up" a Url button and the "Top/Bottom" of the page button are both on the forum. The buttons require that you have the Custom Buttons extension installed. Try it out!

 

Thanks for the replies guys - I appreciate them.

eXXile - The only "problem" I have with version 0.6.4 is the download monitor leak bug. I know that's fixed in the current version, so I won't bother asking for a patch to version 0.6.4. However, should you have the time...

For now, I plan to keep this version until I can find something to replace URL-Tools as well as you had it setup here. For me, the tools are exceedingly useful, but I also can't describe how much I value a clean user interface - having all those tools accessible from one toolbar button (and configured to be a single sub-menu via the right-click context menu) is unmatched anywhere else I have looked. I don't have high hopes for replacing your clean and logical implementation, but ya never know.. something might turn up. Unfortunately, I don't know squat about coding so I don't know the first thing about taking the code for URL-Tools and creating a separate extension from that source. I figured you could take it as is from 0.6.4 and do a one-time release so that we wouldn't be without it in cyberspace. Again, I understand that AiOS shouldn't have in there as it's not related to the sidebar, so hence my suggestion.

I do want to say however, that your work is greatly appreciated and I'm thankful you responded when you could have just decided to ignore my post. It does sound like even though URL-Tools is dead in AiOS the idea of taking this suggestion to fruition is at least on the table for whenever you have downtime after AiOS 0.7 is released. If that is the case, let me say that several people would appreciate that. If not, I'm still grateful for your time and efforts.

 

Guest wrote:

so I won't bother asking for a patch to version 0.6.4.

That's great. Thanks.

Guest wrote:

However, should you have the time...

Time - what's that? I never heard this before...

Guest wrote:

For now, I plan to keep this version until I can find something to replace URL-Tools as well as you had it setup here.

Accidentally I found a button which could replace the URL-Tools. Oh, I'm the author of this piece of code. How could that happen?

Ok, you will need the Custom Buttons extension. But if you use this cool thing you could install the new AiOS (some day...) and some more buttons.

I hope you will like the "new" URL-Tools.

 
_________________
Best regards

§1 The Net is allergic to truth, reason and humour.
§2 The World Wide Web is text for people who can't read.
§3 The World Wide Web is the fastest way to get from [where you wouldn't want to be] to [where you wouldn't want to go].
-- Andrew Eldritch

I don't believe it. Thank you, thank you very much indeed.
You really did surprise me - I honestly thought this issue was dead.

The up, wayback, and google cache were the biggies... I appreciate you taking the time out.
My apologies for my inability to express my thanks any better.. I wish I knew how.

 

Kaptain75329,

I thank you for your kindness. This is not obvious. Thanks a lot.

Best regards

 
_________________
Best regards

§1 The Net is allergic to truth, reason and humour.
§2 The World Wide Web is text for people who can't read.
§3 The World Wide Web is the fastest way to get from [where you wouldn't want to be] to [where you wouldn't want to go].
-- Andrew Eldritch

You're very welcome. In this day and age, taking the time out as you did to respond to a request that was, in comparison to your current work, essentially minor, I have to say it's not anything I would expect. I certainly would not come to expect it in the future, as they very last thing I would want to do would be to take advantage of someone's generosity and subsequently wear out my welcome in short order.

All the same, the tools work great and I'm standing quite beside myself over little things like this thread that turn out appreciation from everyone in a big way.


All Good Things,
=/\= Kaptain75329