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Security/Contextual Identity Project/User Profiles: Difference between revisions
Security/Contextual Identity Project/User Profiles (view source)
Revision as of 05:35, 5 February 2015
, 5 February 2015→Related implementations: Fixed links of addons
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==Description== | ==Description== | ||
Firefox already supports multiple browser profiles. They can be created and started using <tt>firefox -ProfileManager</tt>. | |||
This work is about exposing that functionality to users and extending it so that it satisfies more use cases. It also optionally ties these local profiles to [[Identity/Firefox Accounts|Firefox Accounts]]. | |||
==User stories== | ==User stories== | ||
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* To not bother with securing each profile. I’m the only user of this laptop, after all. Nobody else sees it. I only want life and work to not mix information! | * To not bother with securing each profile. I’m the only user of this laptop, after all. Nobody else sees it. I only want life and work to not mix information! | ||
* To sync my home profile (because I have Firefox on my cellphone), but not sync my work profile | * To sync my home profile (because I have Firefox on my cellphone), but not sync my work profile | ||
===The web developer=== | |||
I design, write and debug websites and apps. To do my job, I need to test how well my sites run. Practically every site today allows one to user to talk to another, whether it’s through posting, mentioning, messaging privately, etc. My job would be made so much easier if I could automate some of the repetitive tasks of this testing and debugging process. I want to quickly open a few instances (at least two) of the same site under very specific settings. I want each instance to be automatically signed into the same web app but under two different users. I want the Web Developer tools to be open automatically, so I don’t have to invoke the shortcut for it or reload the page to start monitoring it. After I’m done testing, I want to close and save each instance so they will reopen under the same specific settings I had set up originally. Lastly, I want to clear the cookies and cache of each instance, so the next time I opened it, it opens as if it’s a fresh instance. | |||
What I want: | |||
* Many profiles (think 5–10, or more) running all at the same time | |||
* A way to set each profile exactly the way I like it to be set | |||
* A way to mirror the behaviour I’ve set up in one profile into all the other ones (for example, I want to always open this bookmark link), so I don’t have to do too many copy-pasting | |||
* A way to not just switch profile (this is easy), but compare and contrast between profiles so I can isolate which variable is causing problem, and fix it | |||
==Related implementations== | ==Related implementations== | ||
* [http://techcrunch.com/2015/01/14/google-brings-the-account-switcher-to-the-stable-version-of-chrome/ Chrome Account Switcher] | * [http://techcrunch.com/2015/01/14/google-brings-the-account-switcher-to-the-stable-version-of-chrome/ Chrome Account Switcher] | ||
* Firefox add-ons | |||
** [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/switchy Switchy] | |||
** [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/profilist Profilist] | |||
** [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/multifox Multifox] | |||
** [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/profileswitcher ProfileSwitcher] | |||
==Common problems with user profiles== | |||
* When I open a URL from a source outside of the browser (IM, email client, desktop shortcut, etc.), I don’t know which profile it will open in | |||
* There isn’t enough visual distinction between each profile, so I would always mix them up | |||
** https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/show-profile/ | |||
* There’s no security. Anybody could look at my profile and open my email | |||
** https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/master-password | |||