AutoProxy will stick to Firefox

Many users asked me to port AutoProxy to Google Chrome, I really appreciate that you like AutoProxy. However, I apologize, AutoProxy will stick to Firefox (at least in recent months).

Here is why:

Partly because Chrome is not prepared:

• Chrome doesn't have proxy policy of it's own, lack of fundamental function, thus it's hard or even impossible to implement some features AutoProxy did & will do for Firefox.
• To develop a proxy management extension for Chrome, we have to use NPAPI which is not designed for such usage. Source code of NPAPI will be complied to binary package, users never know what's inside.
• All proxy settings have to be finally translated to PAC. Extensions can't add any useful features or do performance enhancement to PAC. If PAC is acceptable, AutoProxy gfwList already has a PAC porting.

Partly because of me:

• Except AutoProxy, there are also many other extensions / features I like in Firefox, I won't use Chrome for my daily browsing.
• I became a gfans many years ago, thus I used too many services from Google. I don't want Google to become Skynet, since Chrome is not as irresistible as Google search/GMail..., I'd like to avoid it.
• I don't have too much spare time. I prefer to dedicate my limited time to AutoProxy for Firefox, make it as perfect as possible.

Nevertheless, the achievement of AutoProxy (such as gfwList) is free for the community. If anyone who develops extension for Chome needs help from AutoProxy project, please feel free to ask. There is already a proxy management extension for Chrome named Switchy!, I hope it'll be better and better.

In the end, I used to open Firefox and never close it before shutdown, the start-up time doesn't matter for me. Firefox is becoming faster and faster. You guys can try Firefox 3.6 or 3.7. There are also some tricks can improve Firefox's performance.