no1uno said

I have a MacPro desktop (10.8.4) and MacBook laptop (OS 10.6.8). Both have the latest version of Firefox (v36). I've noticed some of the add-ons for one is not available for the other. How will Firefox Sync handle this? Can Firefox Sync be safely set up? Thank you, no1uno

Hi, You just need updated version of Firefox. Firefox sync can handle syncing between other OS even android's mobile version. So don't you worry if you have the update version of Firefox.

Thank you Sashoto Seeam.

As reported, the latest version of Firefox is running on both computers. But I'm not sure if your answer fully addresses the problem.

To give one example, one of the add-ons in the laptop is 'SEO for Firefox 3.6.4'. It seems this add-on is not available for (or compatible with?) the more recent OS of the MacPro. How would Firefox Sync handle this? Would it remove the add-on from the laptop? Any idea what happens in such cases?

Thanks.

no1uno said

Thank you Sashoto Seeam. As reported, the latest version of Firefox is running on both computers. But I'm not sure if your answer fully addresses the problem. To give one example, one of the add-ons in the laptop is 'SEO for Firefox 3.6.4'. It seems this add-on is not available for (or compatible with?) the more recent OS of the MacPro. How would Firefox Sync handle this? Would it remove the add-on from the laptop? Any idea what happens in such cases? Thanks.

I'm not completely sure about it. But I think that Firefox will not remove your addons. Rather if you check the about:addons then those plugins will be highlighted in different colors and warn you that they are not compatible with your system.

Maybe someone else can jump in here? Does FirefoxSync synchronise? At the moment the add-ons in the 2 computers are not totally identical. But they are compatible with their respective Operating Systems. Since I've not used Firefox Sync before I'm asking how it's likely to handle this difference. Does anyone know? Can anyone comment on the example I gave before?

Thanks.

"To give one example, one of the add-ons in the laptop is 'SEO for Firefox 3.6.4'. It seems this add-on is not available for (or compatible with?) the more recent OS of the MacPro. How would Firefox Sync handle this? "

I don't even see an extension by that name at the official Add-ons website - AMO. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/ If you installed that extension from anywhere except for AMO I would expect Sync to just ignore it. I have at least a half-a-dozen extensions that don't get sync'd, because they aren't available from AMO - they were installed from the author's own websites.

As far as how Sync would handle versions of the same extension, but for different operating systems or OS versions - I would like to see an example of such an extension, that is the exact same extension [but maybe different version numbers] that is hosted at AMO.

Also, Sync doesn't actually "synchronize" extensions, it "installs" the same extension that is "noted" as being installed on one device, and installs those same extensions on the other devices that don't have the same extensions. And that creates another problem [IMO], the preferences don't get "sync'd" if an extension isn't specifically made to be compatible with Sync. There is no "standard" at AMO for add-on extension authors to "tell" users that their extension is specifically compatible with Sync, as far as synchronizing preferences and "data" is concerned. One example is - https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/greasemonkey/ - yes it is Sync-compatible and the GM scripts do synchronize, but the AMO page says nothing about that "feature" being available. Also, Adblock Plus is partially compatible - but only as far as the Filter subscriptions are concerned, none of the user created "custom" filters are synchronized.

Thank you edmeister for your helpful and thorough explanations.

What exactly does AMO stand for? - can't find it anywhere on the Mozilla site.

'SEO for Firefox 3.6.4' is clearly old, and may not have been a Firefox add-on, I don't remember.

I now feel sufficiently confident to use FirefoxSync!

Thanks.

AMO = Addons.Mozilla.Org

This forum is referred to as SuMO by many of us - Support.Mozilla.Org