As already announced in the past (e.g. here): I will remove the toolbar features from AiOS. These features, like toolbars on the tabbar, on the statusbar and anywhere else in the browser, has nothing to do with the intention of AiOS. Furthermore it blows up the source code and the result is a bloated extension with the need of complicated maintenance. Many bugs and compatibility issues also have their root in this part.

Why I added these toolbar features to AiOS?
Because the implementation of "Toolbar Enhancements" by Stephen Clavering was the fastest and easiest way to get a fully customizable AiOS toolbar. And because I didn't plan to build a big extension for a lot of users when I started AiOS. I only wanted to know how things work. But in the meantime AiOS has a lot of users and it has to be a consistent extension with a clear range of features. I know - there is a lot of work until we get this result. You could read more, if you're interested in the history of AioS.

What happens now?
AiOS will be updated very soon to the version 0.7.4 0.7.5. This release will contain some small bug fixes and it will be compatible with Fx3.0b3pre Fx3.0b4 Fx3.0b5, but not higher. With this release the tree for Fx2 will be ending.

Then I will release 0.7.5 0.7.6 (unlikely 0.8 ) which will be compatible with Fx3 and higher. This version will not contain the toolbar features, but surely an AiOS toolbar which can be placed anywhere in the browser. But you will not be able to add new toolbars which can be placed anywhere in the browser. The AiOS toolbar should be fully customizable. At present I'm not sure whether I will implement own code to configure the toolbar or if a third-party extension will be needed.

Will I develop a toolbar extension which adds the missing features?
No, definitely I will not do this. And I have not to do this, because alta88 is already working on it. His extension is called TotalToolbar and it uses the code from AiOS. However, it has been significantly renovated and updated for Firefox 3 and it's working better than AiOS. Furthermore it adds the ability to organize the statusbar elements. It isn't released yet, but you already could have a look on it.

We will see which version of AiOS is released at the end of this year - and with which set of features. I'm always interested in your opinion, especially about the question whether the toolbar should be customizable by AiOS or by a third-party extension. Please tell me your opinion!



Last edited by eXXile on Sat Dec 20, 2008 3:06 am; edited 3 times in total 
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This seems like a good idea to me. I personally use AiOS for what it is - a sidebar - so anything that slims down the extension while keeping its necessary functions has got to be good.

Will there be any notable new features in the next release (such as anything from the 'to do' list) or will it primarily be a bugfix/security update?

 

Hello the_hyrax_lord,

thanks for your post. The next version and possibly the next two versions will not contain notable new features.

 
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§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 can see your reasoning behind this.

I am content being able to move the side bar to the right in Fx which as a right handed mouse user it seems
more natural to select bookmarks and history from the right of the Fx Window.

The ability to place some buttons in the sidebar for quick access to needed functions/extensions is also a big plus.
----
I have not opened extensions, view source, downloads, or view page info in the sidebar since starting to use this extension which was
at initial release.

Unless a user is going to drag the sidebar halfway across their screen it is IMO more practical to use a window
to view page info, page source, and downloads. Leave the sidebar for History & Bookmarks plus buttons.

 

Hello GrailKnight,

I always admire your opinion. I'm not sure if you fear of reduced possibilities for your special usage of AiOS or if you just told us your way of usage. However, I can promise that it still will be possible to move the sidebar with its toolbar to the right side of the browser. Surely you also will be able to configure the toolbar and place some other buttons on it. It's just not decided if you will need an extra extension to configure the toolbar.

GrailKnight wrote:

[...]Unless a user is going to drag the sidebar halfway across their screen it is IMO more practical to use a window
to view page info, page source, and downloads. Leave the sidebar for History & Bookmarks plus buttons.

I agree. I also didn't use the sidebar for PageInfo and PageSource, but for History, Bookmarks, Downloads, Add-ons, MultiPanel, Error Console (Console²) and some third party extensions.

 
_________________
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'm a long-time user of AIOS, but I never use the toolbar features. I won't miss them, but I would miss AIOS if you didn't keep it updated. Thank you for your work and congratulations on your recognition by the Extend Firefox 2 contest.

 

Hi there,

I'm a long-time user although I found this forum today for the first time because I was trying to find some documentation on the AIOS toolbar, having accidentally restored all my toolbars to their default settings.

I'm not sure that I fully understand what your future intentions are, but I'd like to explain how I use AIOS, since it's one of my most valued and heavily used add-ons.

AIOS has a phenomenally complex interface and feature set (not least its options menu) so I can see why'd you want to reduce it. But I really cannot understand why you're starting off by removing the toolbar functionality, which I find extremely useful.

Having said that, I never use the AIOS toolbar itself, at all. It makes no sense to me to have buttons situated in the sidebar. Instead, I drag nearly all of the buttons onto my navigation toolbar : Downloads, History, Bookmarks, Add-Ons and Multipanel. I use all of them frequently, to view those features in the sidebar. So when you remove the toolbar functionality from AIOS, my experience of using Firefox is going to be seriously degraded. I don't want to have to navigate the View menu to get access to features I use all the time - I want one-click access!

Since the developer of TotalToolbar reports an incompatibility with Tab Mix Plus, it seems rather unlikely I'll be installing it.

Also - when's the release date for Firefox 3? Are you withdrawing the toolbar functionality from AIOS even before TotalToolbar becomes available?

I don't suppose you could continue to make the current version of AIOS available to those of us who don't want this upgrade, could you?

Best regards

Steph

 

Hello Alan,
nice to hear from you again.

Alan Baxter wrote:

[...]but I would miss AIOS if you didn't keep it updated.

I will try my best, but I know that the updates sometimes are very rarely...


Hello Steph,

Guest wrote:

[...]I'm not sure that I fully understand what your future intentions are[...]

I don't think so.

The good message is that nothing will be changing for you! I will not remove any toolbarbutton from AiOS. You will still be able to place all of them to the navigation toolbar. The only features which I will remove, are features which you doesn't use. You will not be able to create a new toolbar, fill it with many buttons and place it e.g. at the bottom of the browser. That's all! You will still have one-click access!

Guest wrote:

[...]Also - when's the release date for Firefox 3? Are you withdrawing the toolbar functionality from AIOS even before TotalToolbar becomes available?

The latest plan was to release Fx 3 in the first quarter of 2008. I don't think that this will happen... And I don't think that the first AiOS version without the extra toolbar features (which you doesn't need ) will be released before TotalToolbar is finished. Probably TT will be released in February.

Guest wrote:

I don't suppose you could continue to make the current version of AIOS available to those of us who don't want this upgrade, could you?

Nobody must install updates. But one day you have to decide whether you want an old extension AND an old browser or if you want to update.

 
_________________
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

Hello eXXile,

Thanks for clearing up my misunderstanding! I'm really glad to hear that I had it wrong.

Many thanks for all your hard work. It's much appreciated.

Best regards,

Steph

 

eXXile wrote:

Hello Alan,
nice to hear from you again. :D

Nice to hear you're planning to support Fx 3. I'm sticking with Fx 2 until v3 is officially released. I've been so quiet because AIOS has been working well for me.

Quote:

Alan Baxter wrote:

[...]but I would miss AIOS if you didn't keep it updated.

I will try my best, but I know that the updates sometimes are very rarely...

You've been doing just fine as far as I'm concerned. I meant I would miss AIOS if it wasn't updated for Fx3, but it sounds like you plan on doing that. :D

 

Hi all,

TotalToolbar (link above) has been officially released. Many thanks to Ingo. Non toolbar users can look forward to what will surely be a much slimmer AiOS..

 

I can't wait for the new stuff to come down the pike. Especially for the Fx3 line. Links only open when you right-click and chose Open from a popup menu. And there's huge display problems in the Extensions section.


Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.9b4) Gecko/2008030714 Firefox/3.0b4 - Build ID: 2008030714

 

Hi DeepFreeze3,

DeepFreeze3 wrote:

I can't wait for the new stuff to come down the pike.[...]

my plan was to release a beta of AiOS 0.7.4 (compatible with Fx 3 Beta 4) this night. But unfortunately I still have a small problem which should be fixed before. So I hope I could upload the beta next night.

 
_________________
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

Eagerly (yet patiently) awaiting the build - I just installed GP B4 (the last three times I installed previous Betas of GP I used the same profile as my Fx 2 install, for testing, and it would break here and there) but I am way more impressed with B4. Plus, this time it is getting its own profile, as I now realize that even some of the customizations I have in the user.js file don't apply here anymore....

Looks like this was definitely the right time ot start playing seriously with GP B4.

Thanks for all your hard work on AIOS, I have been using it for a long while now but have never run into any issues that were not reltated directly to Fx itself, as opposed to your AIOS ext., so I don't think I have posted here before - but keep up the good work, and don't kill yourself doing it!

Oh, BTW - if you happen to release the 0.7.4 RC on the 15th March, it will share its birthday with me

 

John L. Galt wrote:

[...]Oh, BTW - if you happen to release the 0.7.4 RC on the 15th March, it will share its birthday with me

In my timezone the 15th of March is more than 4 hours old - happy birthday to you and the new build 0.7.4. RC 1!

 
_________________
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