Add features to Firefox with Mozilla's new Jetpack
The Jetpack project is a higher-level extension system that abstracts away the complexities of XUL and the idiosyncrasies of XPCOM. It allows web developers to use their knowledge of HTML and JavaScript, and it also offers a simpler deployment model that spares developers from the challenges of extension packaging.
Jetpack comes with its own set of standard JavaScript libraries, which include simple functions that provide easy access to native browser features. This library is currently very limited and provides only a few features, but it will be extended as the project matures. Jetpack also comes bundled with a version of the popular JQuery JavaScript library to simplify HTML manipulation. The developers hope to eventually add support for importing additional third-party JavaScript libraries.
Jetpack is intended to complement Firefox's existing extension system and is not a full replacement. It is well-suited for minor additions and feature improvements, but its simplicity limits the extent to which it can reshape the browser. For more complex enhancements, the conventional extension system will still be needed. It's helpful to think about Jetpack as being closely analogous to the Greasemonkey user scripting system but with an emphasis on modifying the browser rather than page content.
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