Simple Suspender

Background: ========= The great suspender was an extension that would automatically replace an open tab with a static, low memory page that would redirect back to the original on demand or after a set idle time. After a change of ownership, it was abused to contain malware, and therefore removed by Google. Looking to avoid another extension by an unknown developer (who can always change), I opted to find a safer solution. I believe I have found it and want to share it in a way that can let others use / replicate it for their own benefit, at the level of knowledge and safety they require. Why is this solution safer: =================== - No static page - cannot be abused without changing the logic in a noticeable way. - Hash parameter - not sent to a server by the browser, by design. I decided to use localhost:0 as a "host" to keep things local, and on a port that shouldn't conflict with other services / local servers. See why here: https://www.lifewire.com/port-0-... - Simple code base - easy to fork, install manually, and if necessary - replicate. The core of the script boils down to: .. const suspendPrefix = "https://localhost:0/#"; .. const toggleSuspendUrl = (pageUrl) => .... pageUrl.startsWith(suspendPrefix) ...... ? pageUrl.replace(suspendPrefix, "") ...... : `${suspendPrefix}${pageUrl}`; .. if (browser) { .... browser.browserAction.onClicked.addListener((tab) => { ...... browser.tabs.update(tab.id, { url: toggleSuspendUrl(tab.url) }); .... }); .. } - The API I'm using doesn't require running Javascript code on the web page in the tab - just to get a page's URL. This makes the abuse potential minimal, and is reflected in the extensions limited permissions. - Advanced features, if/when added, will be "opt in" via a separate installation (on stores if / when I upload them) / branch (or possibly repository) - to always provide a stable, simple, and secure base version.

Moshe, Why do I need this ? The purpose of this chrome extension ? Isn’t the normal tab suspenders fine as they work?