I would like to install some Firefox add-ons, also called 'extensions' or 'plugins', like for example Adblock Plus, Ubufox or Greasemonkey.
Should I install them from the Mozilla website, using the Firefox browser, or should I search Firefox in the Software Center and then select the interesting applications ?
I suppose the issue is about how the extensions are kept up-to-date. If your answer is 'via the Software Center', how can I migrate well from my former add-ons without losing all my preferences?
Best Answer
I'm going to say both, it depends on the add on.
If you want to keep on the outside of the envelope, use the built-in add on manager. Add ons installed this way will be updated frequently, and you will get major version updates.
If you prefer a bit of stability, use the ones from the repositories. They are (mostly) very heavily tested and pretty much guaranteed to work really well.
Add Ons installed from the repositories are not updated between major versions, they only get security and bugfix updates. This is a big plus for stability.
The ones provided by canonical are also eligible for canonical's enterprise support, if you're interested in that sort of thing.
Needless to say, anything that is operating-system dependent (e.g. ubufox) should be installed from the repositories. The same goes for security-related add ons (even though the only one I can think of is pwdhash). There's no harm (at all) in installing all else via the add on manager.
If you just remove the items from the software centre, your preferences should be kept. But the add on needs to be aware of previous settings, so it may not always work.