Manifest V3 usage
Manifest V3 is the replacement API created by Google for third-party Extensions on the Chromium web engine. The announcement was that by the end of 2023, the Chrome Web Store will not allow new Extension updates using Manifest V2.
RetroTxt 5 uses Manifest V3, while earlier editions used Manifest version 2.
The Manifest version 3 comes with several benefits for RetroTxt
The good
- The use of service workers that make the source code easier to layout and debug. RetroTxt v5 is now more resilient, and the migration fixed some previously hard-to-trace behavior bugs.
- Service workers also mean future features will be simpler to implement and test.
- Unfocused tabs can run the RetroTxt process while in the background.
- Offers an improved and safer permissions system, which means RetroTxt can work out of the box with less scary-looking permissions requests.
The bad
- Firefox has limited support for Manifest V3, and there is no timeline for its full implementation.