Tracking Firefox Add-ons

"I hope you guys do it before FF does"...

...lol. ( Delete or Edit)

What do you mean? It wouldn't even need to be a part of the browser as far as I can see. I don't think it would be able to track how long you use each extension as usage is a different thing for every extension, I think it would just be a list of which ones you have installed/enabled. The regular tracker could just scan your extension directory. ( Delete or Edit)

ok that is better then what I was thinking...thanks for the clarification ( Delete or Edit)

I'm just saying: if you implement this, there's a million equivalents waiting to be implemented. ( Delete or Edit)

But the majority use Firefox so it's not a flawed idea. If Firefox wasn't used on the scale it is I wouldn't of suggested it. ( Delete or Edit)

But the majority use Firefox so it's not a flawed idea. If Firefox wasn't used on the scale it is I wouldn't of suggested it. ( Delete or Edit)

No. I get your point, but you have to see it that way:
On the one side, there's wakoopa showing "WDDriveManagerStatusMenu" or "VirusscanHelper" constantly in my most recently used "Applications" vs. on the other hand the existence of Firefox-Addons that work as applications, more than anything else, above all a great load of bad jokes that is counted as "Software" on Mac, Linux and Windows.
I, for example, use Firebug or Stylish for work the whole day long, but what is shown, at the end of the day? "Firefox, surfing the web". Sort of messes up my coquetting approach, to use wakoopa usage times of certain aplications as an indicator of my working hours. And yes, there are hanging opportunities for that one.
The only aspect i deem important to consider here, is the clear differentiation, of what is counted as "Application" and what isn't, exactly the way as it's done with web applications. ( Delete or Edit)

@Luke: I don't care about your majority; There would be no Firefox if people only cared about 'the majority'.

@Celuie, I know it makes sense, some practically are applications.
But you have to draw a line somewhere, I draw it right here. Why would Firefox extensions get to be privileged? (: they shouldn't)

If there's anything at all that I don't want to see wakoopa doing, it's going feature crazy. ( Delete or Edit)

@DasRakel: I do take it personally, especially due to the tone of your comments. You can share you opinion but saying you don't give a rats *** about mine is not the way to do it. ( Delete or Edit)

Luke, I'm not saying I don't care about your opinion, comments or idea.
I was saying I don't care if a piece of software is used by the majority or not; and find it besides the point.
I'm sorry that you took that as an personal attack, it was not my intention.
I have an opinion just like you do. You dismiss mine, I tell you why I think you shouldn't. That is all.

To get back on topic, I want to know why firefox extensions should be considered, despite not being used by everyone. (unlike processes or webapps, which are the only things currently tracked by wakoopa)
I can't find a decent reason for that, so that's why I'm against your idea.
I'm also against clutter, so I would rather this functionality not be included or at least not in the way. ( Delete or Edit)

"I don't care about your majority" is a very direct and aggressive way to 'share' your opinion.
SuburbanWorrier makes a very good example below about why it is a good idea to include what add-ons we use in our software usage.
I understand your point about keeping things simple and I don't want Wakoopa to bloat the tracker either, but instead provide an extension for Firefox that records the add-ons you use. I'd doubt Wakoopa could actually track the usage of add-ons time wise but at least we can show that not all our Internet usage is web surfing.
I think you need to take the tone of your comments down a bit because calling someone's idea "horrible" is one way to quickly get people offside with you and take the good points you make in a bias way, I however have refrained from that. I have seen how these things can escalate and I don't have enough time to waste to continue debating this in it's entirety. ( Delete or Edit)

Personally I think that tracking usage of extensions would be next to impossible, but then again it wouldn't be the first time wakoopa amazed me. However personally all I would want to see is the extensions installed for each user (especially myself as I install different things on different PCs and tracking them all is tricky) and weather they are enabled or disabled. ( Delete or Edit)

Well, ok, that's what I thought. I don't believe you can track actual usage, as that's different for every extension, many don't get 'used' at all.

Many aren't applications either. ( Delete or Edit)

> Well, ok, that's what I thought. I don't believe you can track actual usage, as that's different for every extension, many don't get 'used' at all.

Yup

> Many aren't applications either.

Wakoopa's tag line is "discover software and games" not "discover applications and games"and to quote FOLDOC (http://foldoc.org/software):
"The instructions executed by a computer, as opposed to the physical device on which they run (the "hardware")." ( Delete or Edit)

ok cool, software "and games" :)

By this definition you quote even an excel worksheet is software. I don't think so, but I'm probably wrong on this. ( Delete or Edit)

If you were to be very liberal with the "instructions executed by a computer" part then you could consider it software. However I think most people would consider an excel sheet data which instructions are executed upon. ( Delete or Edit)

@DasRakel I think you should consider an example: Because I use FireFTP I don't have (e.g.) FileZilla installed. Neither get tracked but I _do_ use a program to transfer files around.
So sometimes a plugin replaces trad software and that usage should be tracked. ( Delete or Edit)

You're right, I'm convinced many of these extensions replace and are real applications.
(I haven't used Firefox that extensively myself)
I'm still a bit off however, if they can't track the usage. Because as far as I'm concerned, Wakoopa's primary function is tracking how often you use applications. Which you have installed is something else.

So it would be something entirely separate from the real programs.
and following this reasoning it would add clutter to wakoopa. (which I think shouldn't be done)

If they somehow can track usage, adding it would be fair.

( Sorry I'm so negative during this whole thread. Some healthy criticism shouldn't harm. ) ( Delete or Edit)

Well again I would refer to the tag line. "discover software and games" The keyword this time being "discover". Maybe tracking usage in units of time is what it's all about for you, but personally I'm mostly here more for the discovery part. When I recommend Wakoopa to friends I tell them that it helps me find better alternatives to the software that I'm currently using. I want it to do that for my Firefox extensions too. ( Delete or Edit)

To be honest, I have 40 add-ons currently installed on Firefox 3.5. Now I'm sitting on Mozilla Minefield 4.0a1pre, though, so none of them are enabled. I do look forward in checking which extensions are enabled (or disabled!) out there. It is very useful information for my mass-tweakozoid to operate better!
Besides, why isn't it a good idea to track addons if the majority use Firefox? It would be very good as an option in Wakoopa, AS AN OPTION. Other ideas are welcome, after all, but Firefox is pretty good software.
I can tell, addons DO work for applications. With 35 active addons (so far!) I AM enjoying power similar to software's! Addons are indeed very interesting. And simple. ( Delete or Edit)

Discover software, okay. How can Wakoopa tell which add-ons are popular? purely by installs? Egi says he has 40 add-ons, I can't imagine using all 40 regularly, while others every day.
Firefox is a secondary browser to me, I don't use most of my plugins for months.
@ Egi-razores
I presume that with AS AN OPTION, you mean one like we have Windows, Linux, mac and Web now? That's a great addition to the original idea.
So people like me who don't need/want this clutter can turn it off, and don't have to whine about it. ;) ( Delete or Edit)

Does the current recommendation engine base it's decisions mainly on total usage time of software? I didn't know that, seems like a kinda simplistic and flawed measurement. I guess that's why no matter what software page I'm looking at, Wakoopa always recommends the Wakoopa tracker as a good alternative to that app. *rolls eyes*

I've growing tired of debating this with you as it seems you can't pick a grievance and stick with it. I point out a flaw in your argument, you start a new argument, I point out a flaw in that, you move onto something else. It think this is a lot less about "Some healthy criticism" and a lot more about you not wanting to be wrong. This is likely to be the last response I will make to you, so feel free to take advantage of that. ( Delete or Edit)

yeah you're right, I don't know what to say anymore either.
*clicks stop following* ( Delete or Edit)

Make a suggestion to GetSat on their page http://getsatisfaction.com/getsatisfa... ( Delete or Edit)

I pasted your comment into the idea box and hit enter and found this existing idea:
http://getsatisfaction.com/getsatisfa... ( Delete or Edit)

LOL on that page somebody also says:

> also there should be a counter to the "this is one of the best points" as well (ie. "this is one of the worst points")

Currently there are two people here who think this is one of the best points. I wondering how that total would look if down votes were to be enabled :) ( Delete or Edit)