105673 - Non-root installation of plugins (such as Java plugin) fails under Linux

Status: VERIFIED DUPLICATE of bug 101245

(Core Graveyard :: Plug-ins, defect)

Description

[Daniel Lemire]

From Bugzilla Helper:
User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; en-US; rv:0.9.5) Gecko/20011012
BuildID:    2001101201

The web page is fine, but applet won't run because there is no JVM by default
with mozilla. I will then receive the offer to download the java plug-in. As a
user (I don't surf as root), I will try to download the Java plug-in and install
it. I will finally receive an obscur error message about the download failing
and Java will still not work.

Until I decide to run mozilla as root, I will not be able to see applets under
Mozilla. That's unacceptable to me. Java applets are common and installation
should be transparent and easy. Since applets are not a security risk, there is
no reason to require root privileges to install it.

Just install the JVM in user space if you need to.

Reproducible: Always
Steps to Reproduce:
1. Install mozilla fresh under Linux
2. Run mozilla as a user
3. Go to a web page with a java applet
4. Do as requested, try to download and install java plug-in





Actual Results:  The download will happen but the installation will fail because
you are not root. You get no explanation as to "why" it didn't install until you
figure out that you didn't have root privileges.

Expected Results:  Either explain that you need root privileges to install
anything (and thus, avoid the useless download) or else install it properly (in
user space... under $HOME/.mozilla ?).

The later would be much better since it would allow users on the same machine to
customize their browser. We could possibly allow root to disallow this feature
however.

I would also like the installer to suggest (to root) that he/she installs the
Java plug-in right away. Users are bound to meet an applet sooner or later! Why
delay the download?

Workaround: quit mozilla, "su" and run mozilla again, visit the web page with an
applet and then download, install... quit mozilla, come back as a user and run
mozilla... go back to the web page with an applet and you should see it.

Isn't that a bit painful for something as common as Java?

Comment 1

[Lars Linek]

component -> plug-ins

Comment 2

[Lars Linek]

*** Bug 104727 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

Comment 3

[Boris Zbarsky [:bzbarsky]]

Duplicate of "Automatic plug in instalation requires root to be running mozilla"

*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of 101245 ***

Comment 4

[Daniel Veditz [:dveditz]]

Note there's not much the installer can do here. We can certainly *put* the JVM
elsewhere, but the mozilla component system won't recognize it anywhere else.

There's a related bug that the installer should pop an alert in the case of
errors so at least users would know *why* it failed.

Comment 5

[K'Trina Medina]

Verified as a duplicate of 101245