My previous post outlined Domain Teleporter, a first attempt at a GM script. Continuing the experimentation (as I have a comlpetely different real example in mind), I wanted to see how easy it was to create a self-contained FF extension from the GM script ... I figure there's a significant population who have FF and can't or don't want to install Greasemonkey, even if this leads to a functionally trivially extension.

Converting a Greasemonkey script to a Firefox extension was stupidly simple, thanks to an online tool, Anthony Lieuallen's User Script Compiler. I'd read about it a while ago, and assumed there must be some catch, but the conversion was indeed child's play ... enter your name and homepage, cut-and-paste the script, and submit. The XPI pops out immediately as a binary download.

FWIW, the extension is published here; I used htaccess in the distro directory to ensure it will be an installable download (so it can be installed immediately, as opposed to saved locally) as follows:

AddType application/x-xpinstall xpi

The Richer Plugin pattern talks about the importance of FF extensions and the like. BTW The extension is Amazon Teleporter, not Domain Teleporter, because there's no longer any way to change the default "Amazon*" domain for which it applies - GM supports that sort of thing as a built-in feature; whereas an extension would have to implement it manually ... a lot more work, requiring a custom-made options dialog and a persistence mechanism.