* Don't try to use alert() as a test for the startup stuff - it doesn't work.
(You may have figured it out, but for future readers)
It's not just alert(). None of objects that are a property of window will work (e.g. <del>dump</del>, document.implementation, navigator, etc.). You can use the prompt service for alerts or console service for debugging messages.
And it's not just startup. It won't work in component code, because the global object for components is not window.
This should be on devmo or something.
Feel free to write an article and put it there
Turning that example in an article for devmo requires a non-zero amount of work.
[edit] dump() actually works in components, but it's not window.dump()