Update: Well guys, it’s time to reveal that the following post was my entry to April fool’s day. This post has been a hit and atleast a handful of people believed it. So guys, happy April Fool’s day to everyone 🙂
Yes, you read it correctly. IE 8.1 (code named Eagle Eyes) is going to support Firefox extensions. Smashing Magazine has a screenshot to prove it. The first time I came to know about it, I got goosebumps. (Yes really)
If this is true (and I believe it is), then this is the final nail in Firefox’s coffin. The only reason why I continue to use Firefox is because of it’s extensions.
Firefox has become too bloated due to it’s monolithic architecture and had become a huge memory hog. I checked my task manager as I am writing this post and you get the proof. This is with just 5 tabs open.
The major advantage Firefox had over other browsers is it’s huge list of third-party addons. But it cannot rest on it for long. Unless Firefox solves the issue with memory leaks, and comes up with some cool innovation, they cannot retain their market share. Let’s see how Firefox overcomes this new threat from IE.
In addition to supporting Firefox Addons, IE 8.1 also has other cool features like Multiple Browser Rendering Engine Options, Server-side code decompiler, Website Skins etc.
On a related note, even Google’s chrome is going to support third-party extentions. Matt cutts has a tutorial which explains that steps that you need to follow to create extentions for Chrome.