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Help Save a Firefox Theme or Extension!

Save FirefoxDid you know that there are Firefox themes and extensions stuck in the sandbox and that you can help save them? It’s true, with just a few clicks of the mouse, and taps on the keyboard, you can bring joy to a Firefox addon and their developer.

It’s really easy, just head over to the Mozilla Addon site and sign up for a free account. Once you are logged in, click on the ‘sandbox’ link next to the search box and you can then browse though the sandbox looking at many brand new & updated themes or extensions. Some of which you may have never seen before! Find one you like, install it and try it out for a few days. Then, head back to the addon’s page in the sandbox and write a review. That’s all there is to it.

You see, all themes & extensions are tossed into the Mozilla sandbox when they uploaded. The developer then has to wait for a reviewer to approve or deny the addon. The sad part is is that a lot of themes & extensions are getting denied because they don’t have enough, if any, reviews. With your help, you can not only check out some great addons before everyone else, but you can also help them get out of the sandbox and on the public site.

I also have a tip for developers. Did you know that if you have reviews of your theme or extension from outside sources, you can use them to help push your addon live faster? It’s true. Just drop a link to the blog post or forum post where you have users testing out your addon in the notes to reviewer box when you nominate it. That just may help the reviewer approve it.

In the end, the sandbox is a great idea, but it’s causing a bit of concern as themes and extensions are getting in, but not getting out. Don’t let a good addon get stuck, review items in the sandbox and help save a Firefox theme or extension!


12 Responses

  1. Steven Moncivais says:

    You say the sandbox link is next to the search box?
    That’s weird…
    I can’t it it at all…

  2. Thomas says:

    Are you logged into the Addon’s site Steven?

  3. Steven Moncivais says:

    Pretty sure, yeah.
    What I get left of the search bar, “My account (Logout)”.

  4. To access the sandbox. Click the my account link to the right of the search bar, tic off show sandbox and save.

    note: Kermit’s color should be normalized, it bugged me that I wrote Green and tossed out my comment or at least say all lowercase

  5. MASA says:

    External review sources are a great help, and for developers who need a review, the addons mirror is the quickest and easiest way to get a review. Not all addons are approved (ones that break won’t get added in) but Seamaiden and the other TAM users provide great feedback to extensions.

    Another thing to get yourself out of the sandbox is to put up previews, reference the addons mirror link, and *maybe* start a thread at mozillazine’s forums

  6. Thomas says:

    Thanks Kevin, it seems I forgot all about that step. No wonder no one is seeing the sandbox if you have to enable it too.

  7. n1ce says:

    Sandbox is a great concept, but basically a pain in the ass for the users. 1, find the add-on you have been looking for; 2, please download this from Mozilla; 3, uh oh, bug you for a free registration; 4, confirm email link; 5, what the hell was I looking for again? Search and not find it; 6, click original link again, No! this download is inaccessible because it is in the “sandbox, which you do not have enabled in your user preferences.”; 7, click link on that page, read 4 pages of blah blah about the sandbox but nowhere explaining where to enable viewing it, wtf; 8, google and read 5 pages before finding you have to click “My Account” when logged in at Mozilla, then checking one box in the Edit Profile page… how logical, stoopid me… now, what was I looking for again?

    And now I am supposed to come back some days later and find that add-on page and add a review?

    Nice idea, crap implementation, sorry developers, your nice plugins will be stuck in sandbox hell until this process gets a bit of usability, er, added on.

  8. RTFM says:

    thanks nfce.
    you saved me reading the 5 pages on google,,,,
    buttttttt where is the “myaccount” option on the mozilla website /

  9. Thomas says:

    RTFM – If you are on addons.mozilla.org you must first login. Once in, the login link is replaced by a my account link.

  10. Anon says:

    n1ce is correct on this one, I hate how they don’t effing tell you how to enable the sandbox, and I had to google for a couple of minutes before I found this.

    That Sandbox FAQ needs some work, it’s really lacking all of the necessary information every FAQ should have regardless of the content it’s attempting to describe.

  11. Jivko says:

    Very nice info about the themes in sandbox.This is very helpful for people who want to help other people by posting reviews. See my new theme in sandbox https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/10349 white bluepc and if you like it post reviews.

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