Policies for Vivaldi

mib2berlin

Hi, I tried to enable policies in Linux for Vivaldi but failed.
I use Vivaldi snapshot 6.8 for testing because of the new Chromium version 126.
What I have done so far:
@DoctorG link to https://www.chromium.org/administrators/linux-quick-start/
I create folders for Edge/Chrome and Vivaldi
Create a file ExtensionManifestV2Availability.json in managed folder.
Content is:

{

"manifest_version": 2
}

It show up in chrome://policy for Edge 127 and Chrome 125 but not in Vivaldi.
In Edge/Chrome I get an error "Unbekannte Richtlinie" , "Unknown policy" but it show up.

It would be nice if some Linux users steps by, userDataSnapshotRetentionLimit create profile backups if Vivaldi update, for example.
Many user reported issues after updates, it would be very good to have a backup in such cases in Vivaldi.

Cheers, mib

npro

@mib2berlin said in Policies for Vivaldi:

It would be nice if some Linux users steps by

I could tell you how you do it, but I disagree with the above, it's not the user's job, Vivaldi should include that info in their Help pages. But I guess that "manifest" subject is not that "imminent" (yet) for them.

DoctorG

@npro I agree.

mib2berlin

@npro @DoctorG
Hi, that "manifest subject" is only an example I don't care about, the other is more interesting to me.
I could make a feature request or report it to the bug tracker, no idea.
A help page with just basic steps how to manage policies on all platforms would be nice.

Thanks for reading, mib

DoctorG

@mib2berlin said in Policies for Vivaldi:

A help page with just basic steps how to manage policies on all platforms would be nice.

I asked internally some minutes ago, let's wait who answers.

PS: I am too lazy to write an article or help page, not my duty.
And i use such policies less.

mib2berlin

Hi, I guess we can wait forever so I check again.
Vivaldi looks for policies in /etc/chromium not in /etc/opt/ on my Opensuse.
The manifest think still shows an error but:

{
  "ShowHomeButton": true
}

Does not, even it does nothing in Vivaldi but Chromium.

npro

@mib2berlin said in Policies for Vivaldi:

/etc/chromium

you found the 1st part as Vivaldi is more "chromium" underneath than all the others*, the 2nd one is that it's not how the .json file would need to be called, it can be mypolicy.json, the actual policy is not manifest_version , but ExtensionManifestV2Availability itself, so it should look like

{
"ExtensionManifestV2Availability": 2
}

*(see for example the known $ vivaldi-snapshot --disable-vivaldi --user-data-dir=/tmp/vivtest/)

ybjrepnfr

now looking forward excitedly to a manifest file for tst functionality in v. willing to wait til monday.

npro

@ybjrepnfr haha, there isn't

or wait I think it's

{
"Chromium_sucks_open_any_Gecko_browser": True
}

ybjrepnfr

@npro

mib2berlin

@npro
The file name is ExtensionManifestV2Availability.json and the content is as your show.
No idea where the name manifest_version come from.
It show up in Vivaldi but gives an error, same in Chromium.
Anyway, just fun to play with until the help pages appear.

Cheers, mib

npro

@mib2berlin said in Policies for Vivaldi:

The file name is ExtensionManifestV2Availability.json and the content is as your show.
No idea where the name manifest_version come from.
It show up in Vivaldi but gives an error, same in Chromium.

You wrote in your 1st post:

@mib2berlin said in Policies for Vivaldi:

Content is:

{

"manifest_version": 2
}

that's not right, use the correct one.

mib2berlin

@npro
This was an old file but ...
I had copied several files between /etc/opt/ /etc/ and between Edge, Vivaldi and Chromium and copy the old file to /etc/chromium.
As usual copy and past error.
Thank you for the hint, it is working now.

Levent1st

Let me make it easy for people like me who come from google search:

sudo mkdir -p /etc/chrome/policies/managed /etc/chromium/policies/managed

echo '{ "ExtensionManifestV2Availability": 2 }' | sudo tee /etc/chrome/policies/managed/mypolicy.json /etc/chromium/policies/managed/mypolicy.json

npro

@Levent1st yeah but you don't have the nice format this way

mine was

sudo mkdir -p /etc/chromium/policies/managed && cd $_

sudo tee mypolicy.json <<EOF
{
"ExtensionManifestV2Availability": 2
}
EOF

P.S.1 Keep in mind this is valid only until June 2025, it won't work afterwards.
P.S.2 Why create the additional chrome folder
P.S.3 google search

electryon

@npro said in Policies for Vivaldi:

sudo mkdir -p /etc/chromium/policies/managed && cd $_
sudo tee mypolicy.json <<EOF
{
"ExtensionManifestV2Availability": 2
}
EOF
P.S.1 Keep in mind this is valid only until June 2025, it won't work afterwards.
P.S.2 Why create the additional chrome folder
P.S.3 google search

I don't think messing with policies is needed.
Generally I avoid policies because Chromium has the annoying "feature" to lock DoH even if a single policy is applied.
Google has added recently the ExtensionManifestV2Disabled flag for it.
chrome://flags/#extension-manifest-v2-deprecation-disabled
7 months left anyway, even with that enabled.

npro

@electryon said in Policies for Vivaldi:

@npro said in Policies for Vivaldi:
sudo mkdir -p /etc/chromium/policies/managed && cd $_
sudo tee mypolicy.json <<EOF
{
"ExtensionManifestV2Availability": 2
}
EOF
P.S.1 Keep in mind this is valid only until June 2025, it won't work afterwards.
P.S.2 Why create the additional chrome folder
P.S.3 google search
I don't think messing with policies is needed.

They released more info few days ago:

October 9th 2024: an update on Manifest V2 phase-out.

We will now begin disabling installed extensions still using Manifest V2 in Chrome stable. This change will be slowly rolled out over the following weeks. Users will be directed to the Chrome Web Store, where they will be recommended Manifest V3 alternatives for their disabled extension. For a short time, users will still be able to turn their Manifest V2 extensions back on. Enterprises using the ExtensionManifestV2Availability policy will be exempt from any browser changes until June 2025. See our May 2024 blog for more context.

This means extensions like uBlock based on MV2 won't work any more, unless you do the policy thing (until June).

Generally I avoid policies because Chromium has the annoying "feature" to lock DoH even if a single policy is applied.

Really, that was unkown to me, but I use another browser these days anyway.

Google has added recently the ExtensionManifestV2Disabled flag for it.
chrome://flags/#extension-manifest-v2-deprecation-disabled
7 months left anyway, even with that enabled.

Just checked it, if my english understanding is right, this is just to not display warnings.

electryon

@npro said in Policies for Vivaldi:

Just checked it, if my english understanding is right, this is just to not display warnings.

The flag for the warning is ExtensionManifestV2DeprecationWarning
chrome://flags/#extension-manifest-v2-deprecation-warning
ExtensionManifestV2Disabled is a new flag and it is for the Extension Manifest V2 Deprecation Disabled Stage.
chrome://flags/#extension-manifest-v2-deprecation-disabled

npro

@electryon yes I read them their description below is:

Displays a warning that affected MV2 extensions may no longer be supported due to the Manifest V2 deprecation

Displays a warning that affected MV2 extensions were turned off due to the Manifest V2 deprecation.

So they are warnings about how the affected MV2 extensions may no longer be supported or were turned off. Those warnings can be disabled, not the deprecation of MV2 extensions.

electryon

@npro said in Policies for Vivaldi:

So they are warnings about how the affected MV2 extensions may no longer be supported or were turned off. Those warnings can be disabled, not the deprecation of MV2 extensions.

ExtensionManifestV2DeprecationWarning removes the warning.
Chrome is about to start disabling MV2 extensions and not allowing the installation of them from the store.
ExtensionManifestV2Disabled.. this new flag makes Chromium not to disable any MV2 extension and allows you to keep being able to install MV2 extensions.
This is what the policy does too.