Synchronize Chrome Preferences

[clintonb]

Background

Most users use ABP on multiple devices. Without any form of preference synchronization Chrome users must manually copy settings between browsers/devices. This feature has been requested for almost two years: ​https://adblockplus.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11834.

What to change

1. Add support for basic preference syncing using the ​chrome.storage API.
2. Implement a merging/prioritization scheme to resolve issues when users download data to an instance of ABP that has existing preferences.

[clintonb]

The synchronization scheme used for Firefox may be a good place to start: ​https://github.com/adblockplus/adblockplus/blob/master/lib/sync.js.

[sebastian]

While a lot of users might use Adblock Plus on different devices, users that use Chrome (and only Chrome) on different computers, and wish to sync their settings, can still be considered a corner case.

Also considering that only the desktop version of Chrome supports extensions, people have to use anyway either Adblock Plus for Android or Firefox Mobile with Adblock Plus on their phone.

But we might implement our own synchronization mechanism that will work cross-browser in the future.

[RobIII]

I would kindly like to urge to to reconsider this. Depending on the source, Chrome has a marketshare of anything between 40% and 60%. According to WikiPedia:

As of October 2015, StatCounter estimates that Google Chrome has a 56% worldwide usage share of web browsers as a desktop browser. It is also the most popular browser for smartphones, and combined across all platforms at about 45%.

You'll be hard-pressed finding users not using the built-in synchronization so I strongly disagree with the "can still be considered a corner case" remark. Everyone I know that uses Chrome does so (knowingly or unknowingly). It is also not very uncommon for people to have a desktop, laptop and mobile device (though mobile is a different story). For myself, I use 2 desktops (work, personal), 3(!) laptops (windows, 2x OSX) on a very regular basis. And it's becoming very cumbersome to keep all these "in-sync" regarding white-listed domains and custom filters.

Also I would like to request that, unless there's a very good reason not to do so, use the synchronization mechanism Chrome provides instead of building/implementing your own. If not for the NIH syndrome (​https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Not_invented_here) then for the fact that it would require another login or at the very least another "3rd party cloud storage" next to the existing one which would raise (unessesary!) suspicion at the very least.