asa wrote: I could imagine a first launch startup page that had 30 of the most popular extensions, each wich a checkbox next to the name. A user could read down the list of extensions and their descriptions, checking off any that he was interested in and at the bottom of the page hit an "install" button and have it install them in one click of the mouse.
asa wrote:Back to the ideal world. Beyond that default install we'd have an easy mechanism for adding "all cool innovations" to the product. I could imagine a first launch startup page that had 30 of the most popular extensions, each wich a checkbox next to the name. A user could read down the list of extensions and their descriptions, checking off any that he was interested in and at the bottom of the page hit an "install" button and have it install them in one click of the mouse.
The problem with that system is that most users won't know which extensions they want until after they've used the product for a bit. The ultimate system would be something that would automagically suggest add-ons based on the user's behaviour. So, if someone frequently opens lots of links on a page, Phoenix could suggest that they install <a href="http://linky.mozdev.org/">Linky</a>; if someone frequently alters certain prefs, it could suggest the <a href="http://www.xulplanet.com/downloads/prefbar/">Preferences Toolbar</a> or <a href="http://quickprefs.mozdev.org/">QuickPrefs</a> and so on. I can't imagine it would be easy to implement though.
asa wrote:Back to the ideal world. Beyond that default install we'd have an easy mechanism for adding "all cool innovations" to the product. I could imagine a first launch startup page that had 30 of the most popular extensions, each wich a checkbox next to the name. A user could read down the list of extensions and their descriptions, checking off any that he was interested in and at the bottom of the page hit an "install" button and have it install them in one click of the mouse.
The problem with that system is that most users won't know which extensions they want until after they've used the product for a bit. The ultimate system would be something that would automagically suggest add-ons based on the user's behaviour. So, if someone frequently opens lots of links on a page, Phoenix could suggest that they install <a href="http://linky.mozdev.org/">Linky</a>; if someone frequently alters certain prefs, it could suggest the <a href="http://www.xulplanet.com/downloads/prefbar/">Preferences Toolbar</a> or <a href="http://quickprefs.mozdev.org/">QuickPrefs</a> and so on. I can't imagine it would be easy to implement though.
That would probably be almost impossible to implement. You'd have to invent a whole "behavior system" for extensions, where they would register what behaviors they would react to. Also, Phoenix would have to maintain a database of all available extensions and compare the usage with the triggers in the database, etc. etc. No no no.
A page like Asa is suggesting, but with a good description of each extension (and not 30, just 10) would be great. If only there was a way of not displaying the install dialogs for every extension, that is. Right now, you have to click OK three times for every extension you install.
Alex Bishop wrote:The problem with that system is that most users won't know which extensions they want until after they've used the product for a bit.
To make it easy for people to find that page later on after they've used Phoenix for a while is perhaps having a menuitem under TOOLS that link directly to this page with a list of extensions. Eg like this
Page Info
-----
Preferences
Extensions
And simply the possibility to installe multiple extensions at once instead of the manual 1 by 1 would be a greate improvment.
djst wrote:A page like Asa is suggesting, but with a good description of each extension (and not 30, just 10) would be great. If only there was a way of not displaying the install dialogs for every extension, that is. Right now, you have to click OK three times for every extension you install.
Don't quote me on this, but I think XPInstall might actually support installing multiple packages at once.
Alex Bishop wrote:The ultimate system would be something that would automagically suggest add-ons based on the user's behaviour. So, if someone frequently opens lots of links on a page, Phoenix could suggest that they install <a href="http://linky.mozdev.org/">Linky</a>...
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