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Mozilla To Drop Support For All NPAPI Plugins In Firefox 52 Except Flash (bleepingcomputer.com)

Posted by EditorDavid on from the goodbye-to-an-API dept.

The Netscape Plugins API is "an ancient plugins infrastructure inherited from the old Netscape browser on which Mozilla built Firefox," according to Bleeping Computer. But now an anonymous reader writes: Starting March 7, when Mozilla is scheduled to release Firefox 52, all plugins built on the old NPAPI technology will stop working in Firefox, except for Flash, which Mozilla plans to support for a few more versions. This means technologies such as Java, Silverlight, and various audio and video codecs won't work on Firefox.

These plugins once helped the web move forward, but as time advanced, the Internet's standards groups developed standalone Web APIs and alternative technologies to support most of these features without the need of special plugins. The old NPAPI plugins will continue to work in the Firefox ESR (Extended Support Release) 52, but will eventually be deprecated in ESR 53. A series of hacks are available that will allow Firefox users to continue using old NPAPI plugins past Firefox 52, by switching the update channel from Firefox Stable to Firefox ESR.

6 of 163 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Context please by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    I must be an idiot. I read TFA and I have no idea if AdBlock Plus, Ghostery, NoScript, etc. will continue to work.
    What will break? What will continue to function normally?

    There is no talk of removing support for extensions. This is only about plugins.

  2. Re:Context please by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    actually there is (more than) talk to remove extensions, well replace them with a new standard
    coming in ff 57
    it'll break a lot of nice extensions
    http://www.ghacks.net/2017/01/28/firefox-add-on-quicksaver-quits/

  3. To much IT hardware needs java for management by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 4, Informative

    To much IT hardware needs java for management. LIke switch admin, IPMI's, others.

  4. "This add-on will stop working..." by Futurepower(R) · · Score: 5, Informative
    Posting this again: The reason I like Firefox is the add-ons.
    1. Classic Theme Restorer

      "This add-on will stop working when Firefox 57 arrives in November 2017."
      This add-on will stop working when Firefox 57 arrives in November 2017 and Mozilla drops support for XUL / XPCOM / legacy add-ons. It should still work on Firefox 52 ESR until ESR moves to Firefox 59 ESR in 2018 (~Q2).

      There is no "please port it" or "please add support for it" this time, because the entire add-on eco system changes and the technology behind this kind of add-on gets dropped without replacement.

    2. Cookies Manager+
    3. Ghostery DON'T UPDATE. New versions don't allow sufficient user control.
      USE THIS: ghostery-5.4.10-sm+an+fx.xpi Link: Version 5.4.10
    4. Mozilla Archive Format
    5. NoScript
    6. Nuke Anything Enhanced
    7. Open link in...
    8. Print Edit
    9. Session Manager
    10. Snap Links Plus DON'T UPDATE. New versions don't have as many features.
      USE THIS: snap_links_plus-2.4.3-sm+fx.xpi Link: Version 2.4.3
    11. uBlock Origin
    12. Video DownloadHelper
  5. If you want NPAPI, there is Pale Moon by SEE · · Score: 5, Informative

    Pale Moon is a long-established fork of Firefox that, among other things, is maintaining NPAPI support.

    1. Re:If you want NPAPI, there is Pale Moon by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      FYI, actually people are trying to port back jetpack add-ons to Pale Moon as they were removed for changes in the compiler code as they needed to drop Windows XP support for stablity.

      Remember Pale Moon != Firefox, they were like that in 20 version.