276961 - Using plugin finder to install plugins blocks all tabs in the window below

Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX

(Toolkit Graveyard :: Plugin Finder Service, defect)

Description

[Peter Bindels]

This is very annoying when surfing using solely tabs, since you'd be stuck
waiting for the plugin finder to install something (in my case Java, which took
a while) where you'd really like not to be stuck there.

Comment 1

[alanjstr]

I had to spawn a new window in order to do any browsing while Flash was
downloading.  Why is this dialog modal?

Comment 2

[Doron Rosenberg (IBM)]

The reason was to simplify coding, since this was a last minute thing. 

I accept patches :)

Comment 3

[Justin Dolske [:Dolske]]

Bug 836415 has now removed the Plugin Finder Service (PFS) from Firefox. As a result, I'm closing all the remaining PFS bugs.

If you're getting this bugmail for an ancient PFS bug, the basic summary of the world today is:

* NPAPI plugins are a dying technology
* PFS was already restricted to assisting with only the 4 most common plugins
* Sites commonly provide their own UI for install a required plugin
* Mozilla is generally focusing on  improving the web platform so that proprietary plugins are not required.

(Note that "plugins" are a completely separate from "browser extensions", such at those found on addons.mozilla.org. The latter are not going anywhere, and are not impacted by the removal of PFS.)