Mozilla developers some time ago decided to implement the Test Pilot program, in which users had the opportunity to evaluate and test experimental functions that are being developed for future versions of Firefox.
With which as of January 22 of this year 2019, the Test Pilot program will stop your work, but all experimental capabilities already installed will continue to work on the systems of users who were able to perform these tests.
In addition to this decision, also Mozilla developers considered changing the functionality of Firefox Screenshots, given that based on the statistics obtained from the latest versions since it was introduced, this function has not turned out to be used in the way they expected
Goodbye to Test Pilot
The proposed functionality for testing will remain partially available in the form of add-ons separate that are available for installation from the addons.mozilla.org catalog.
Experimental features that are not implemented in the form of a complementos, such as Firefox Lockbox (which provides access to logins and passwords stored in Firefox) and Firefox Send (file sharing tool), they will continue to be developed as separate products that are not tied to Firefox.
It is important to mention that to participate in the program it is required installing a plugin of special test pilot, which It allows the user to activate and test prototypes with the implementation of new functions of the web browser.
In the process of work, Test Pilot collected and sent anonymous statistics on the nature of work with the tested additions.
Before your main introduction to the central browser, Test Pilot underwent features such as Activity Stream, Firefox Screenshots, and tools to block motion tracking.
Already with the data collected, the program fulfilled its duty
Firefox developers tell us that The Test Pilot program was successful, but requires a significant investment of engineering resources.
In the end, maintaining a separate platform for creating experiments was deemed unwise by the Mozilla developers.
Instead of Test Pilot, a new model has been proposed to evaluate all new functions and services that are planned in the future or that are about to go out to the testing phase.
This new proposed model focuses on the use of individual test cycles with a wider coverage of users, but with a short test period (unlike Test Pilot, this experiment does not require constant maintenance).
An example of an alternative testing scheme is the Firefox Monitor service, whose experimental prototype was proposed to test a limited number of users of regular versions of Firefox, without resorting to the Test Pilot program.
The model based on the control sample of real users was found to be more effective than the use of a small separate group of evaluators.
In the future, experimental functions for testing will be offered to ordinary users (tests are not imposed and the user is free to accept or reject), instead of involving a narrow circle of users for this task who clearly joined the tests and installed the Test Pilot supplement.
Firefox Screenshots modifies the way it saves screenshots
For those who are unaware of the Firefox Screenshots we can tell you that This allows the user to download the screenshots of the page created in the browser and share them with other users.
The downloaded images remain available in a direct link that the user can share with other users or simply save it so that they can obtain that capture before the 14 days have passed.
We can mention that the decision to close Firefox screenshots from the online service, delivered since the launch of Firefox 59, will be saved, but will be limited to saving screenshots of web pages only on the local system, without the possibility of downloading them to the cloud.
Well, go click with the screenshots :-( I use it daily for the convenience and forgetting about them. You do it, you send it in the link and period.
To find another alternative, which will not be so quick and easy.