Requesting Android support so that Vimium can work in Firefox for Android, at least in Developer mode

[trustdan]

Kindly requesting a few modifications so that Vimium can be available in Firefox for Android (woo!). In the Firefox support site they replied that the dev would have to submit an Android compatible version.

At minimum, it will then become available for Firefox Nightly and Firefox Beta, but this extension is so widely used among devs that I should think it would be one of the few made available for all Firefox Android users.

See:
https://blog.mozilla.org/addons/2023/09/27/test-firefox-android-extensions-and-help-developers-prepare-for-an-open-mobile-ecosystem-in-december/

How-to webinar recording: https://www.linkedin.com/events/7123393225486159872/comments/

https://discourse.mozilla.org/t/firefox-for-android-add-ons-development-webinar/123880

https://discourse.mozilla.org/t/about-the-firefox-for-android-add-ons-category/122456

https://blog.mozilla.org/addons/2023/09/27/test-firefox-android-extensions-and-help-developers-prepare-for-an-open-mobile-ecosystem-in-december/

See also:
"Edward_Sullivan
mods-addons
2d

Hello @trustdan. The extension developer would have to submit an Android compatible version of their extension - this is not something we control on our side.

Thank you – Ed"

[UncleSnail]

Just my thoughts on the matter: It would be nice to have Android support, but if we officially support Android, it's another thing that needs to be maintained and could add a lot more maintenance load for very little benefit.
Why little benefit? For most people, something like vimium is not useful on Android because they are using a popup screen keyboard which is usually closed, so controlling the browser with the keyboard doesn't really make sense. Granted, some users have external keyboards or permanent keyboards, but that percentage is comparatively low. There is also the use case of using the extension when testing apps in an android emulator on your main system, which I could see some people using, but again, it seems very niche, with a potentially very large maintenance cost.
What is the use case you are considering that you want it for?

[trustdan]

Understood. My primary use case is to make Nvidia Shield (and any other Android TV) browsing a hell of a lot easier. Granted, the user would need to be savvy enough to install Firefox to begin with.

I have also been increasingly using Android tablets with keyboard. I just got a Lenovo P12 2023 that has its own matching keyboard, like an iPad. Vimium would be immensely useful on that.

[UncleSnail]

Understood. My primary use case is to make Nvidia Shield (and any other Android TV) browsing a hell of a lot easier. Granted, the user would need to be savvy enough to install Firefox to begin with.

Ah, that makes sense. I wouldn't have thought of Android TV as a use case, thank you for sharing.