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For an example of a scary list of such offers, see https://github.com/extesy/hoverzoom/discussions/670 https://github.com/extesy/hoverzoom/discussions/670

remram 2y ago
This is cool but useless because they redacted all the company names. The opposite of a name and shame, because no name and no shame.
- xboxnolifes 2y ago
  It's not useless. It shows the scale at which extension authors get offers for buyouts. The intended buyer doesn't exactly matter.
  - ronjouch 2y ago
    Precisely. Thank you.
_boffin_ 2y ago
do you know of any other ones like this that post their offers?
- ronjouch 2y ago
  No I don’t. But Wladimir Palant is where I get most of my information on the topic (and is probably where I got this link). His blog might have a post (or a comment) that links to similar lists: https://palant.info/categories/security/ https://palant.info/categories/security/
mubou 2y ago
This is why I fork the extensions I use, with the exception of uBlock. Basically just copy the extension folder, if I can't find it on GitHub. That way I can audit the code and not have to worry about an auto-update sneaking in something nefarious. I've had two extensions in the past suddenly start asking for permissions they definitely did not need, and I suspect this is why. Btw, here's a site where you can inspect an extension's source code before you install it: https://robwu.nl/crxviewer/ https://robwu.nl/crxviewer/
- ronjouch 2y ago
  Yeah, and thx for the link to the neat crx explorer. Close to what you do, I started writing my own addon to replace a couple addons whose featureset I use only partially. For example, when I use Chromium I want 1. to customize the New Tab page, and 2. to add a keyboard shortcut to pin/unpinTab. These two features are absolutely part of extensions, but in addition to the security risk I find them heavy (I don’t need the kitchen sink, just need 2 micro-features!). And so, I have my little personal addon with zero resource usage with just these two features. It’s tiny (20 lines of code!), git-versioned, and never changes / gets pwned. When I need an extra micro-feature, it’s easy enough to add it by searching addons docs, of asking an LLM.
  - juliob 2y ago
    You shouldn’t need an extension just to add a keyboard shortcut for a menu item. Doesn’t your OS let you map that? On macOS you can in Keyboard Settings
    - ronjouch 2y ago
      Indeed, one point for MacOS! I use GNOME.

remram 2y ago

This is cool but useless because they redacted all the company names. The opposite of a name and shame, because no name and no shame.

xboxnolifes 2y ago
It's not useless. It shows the scale at which extension authors get offers for buyouts. The intended buyer doesn't exactly matter.
- ronjouch 2y ago
  Precisely. Thank you.

_boffin_ 2y ago

do you know of any other ones like this that post their offers?

ronjouch 2y ago
No I don’t. But Wladimir Palant is where I get most of my information on the topic (and is probably where I got this link). His blog might have a post (or a comment) that links to similar lists: https://palant.info/categories/security/ https://palant.info/categories/security/

mubou 2y ago

This is why I fork the extensions I use, with the exception of uBlock. Basically just copy the extension folder, if I can't find it on GitHub. That way I can audit the code and not have to worry about an auto-update sneaking in something nefarious. I've had two extensions in the past suddenly start asking for permissions they definitely did not need, and I suspect this is why. Btw, here's a site where you can inspect an extension's source code before you install it: https://robwu.nl/crxviewer/ https://robwu.nl/crxviewer/

ronjouch 2y ago
Yeah, and thx for the link to the neat crx explorer. Close to what you do, I started writing my own addon to replace a couple addons whose featureset I use only partially. For example, when I use Chromium I want 1. to customize the New Tab page, and 2. to add a keyboard shortcut to pin/unpinTab. These two features are absolutely part of extensions, but in addition to the security risk I find them heavy (I don’t need the kitchen sink, just need 2 micro-features!). And so, I have my little personal addon with zero resource usage with just these two features. It’s tiny (20 lines of code!), git-versioned, and never changes / gets pwned. When I need an extra micro-feature, it’s easy enough to add it by searching addons docs, of asking an LLM.
- juliob 2y ago
  You shouldn’t need an extension just to add a keyboard shortcut for a menu item. Doesn’t your OS let you map that? On macOS you can in Keyboard Settings
  - ronjouch 2y ago
    Indeed, one point for MacOS! I use GNOME.