1062236 - After update 31 to 32, checking plugins fails; adobe reader; adobe shockwave

Status: RESOLVED INCOMPLETE

(Websites :: plugins.mozilla.org, defect)

Description

[john]

User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.2; WOW64; rv:32.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/32.0
Build ID: 20140825202822

Steps to reproduce:

I updated from version 31 to 32

As is my custom, I went to the tools->addons, and check both addons and then plugins.

Checking plugins found two requiring update:  Adobe Acrobat Reader Plugin, and the Adobe Shockwave.

In the past, pressing the red buttons on either type of update successfully directed me to an Adobe page, which then updated


Actual results:

1.
Pressing the Adobe Reader red button failed.  Instead of directing me to the adobe website, it merely reissued a command to check plugins, resulting in another tab examining plugins and duplicating the result.  Closing ghostery and AdBlock did not cure this defect, nor did safe mode.  It is fully reproducible on restarting firefox.

2.
Pressing the Adobe Shockwave red button also failed.  Its failure mode left me wondering if this was an Adobe issue, or a Ver 32 issue.

On pressing this shockwave red button, I was redirected to the Adobe website, to the download page.  Pressing the download button there, I land on the second page, which displayed a left panel, and nothing else.  The middle normally requests a choice on including a McAfee addon -- this was empty.  After many seconds, a 'next button' is added to the lower right.  Pushing -that- button brings one to the successfully completed, part 3 panel.

Neither of turning off adblock and ghostery, and safe-mode, change this behavior.  It is reproducible, on restarting Ver 32, and also if I go directly [manually] to the Adobe Shockwave url.  Given that I just replaced Fox with a Fox update, I can't tell if something in Ver 32 is failing to render the Adobe URLs correctly, or failing to execute Javascript incorrectly, or if Ver 32 is failing to open an 'approve download' dialog, or . . . ???

Comment 1

[john]

Later in the day, I now note that -two- Shockwave/Director versions now exist.
12.1.0.150
and
12.0.7.148

I have -no- idea why, as I could never get an install to appear to work for the update attempt, earlier.

I will remove the earlier one, manually.

Comment 2

[DJ-Leith]

John, thanks for reporting this.
I am CCing Schalk Neethling who has been working on the 'plugincheck service'.

1. Adobe Reader

This is a known issue.
I am sorry that you experienced this.
I did try to prevent it being seen in Firefox 32.
See bug 1060905.

On testing again about 11:00 PDT, on Wed Sep 3 2014
I can confirm that the UK version of Plugincheck is now
reporting "Adobe Acrobat" version 11.0.8.4 as "Up to Date" - CORRECT.

Please test again.

2. Adobe Director
(in reply to john ruskin from comment #1)
> Later in the day, I now note that -two- Shockwave/Director versions now exist.
> 12.1.0.150
> and
> 12.0.7.14

Do you have Director installed as well as Flash?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adobe_Director

IIRC, I think there was some confusion with 'plugincheck reporting Director'
(several months ago).
I've not had a chance to research this.

3. Adobe Flash
john ruskin wrote: 
> Pressing the Adobe Shockwave red button also failed.

Adobe Flash (reported as "Shockwave Flash" [different NAME] when it is "vulnerable")
for an example see
https://bug1020133.bugzilla.mozilla.org/attachment.cgi?id=8472628


John please check also Adobe's test page about Flash:
http://www.adobe.com/software/flash/about/

You can use any of your browsers (e.g. Firefox, Internet Explorer) at Adobe's test page.

As I write, there are different versions Flash, per browser and per operating system.

Which version of Flash do you have?
Please attach a screenshot of plugincheck if you still have an issue.
From my reading of comment # 0, I think you have updated Flash.

Is plugincheck still reporting an issue for Flash?

FYI, I have found on Windows 8 (with Internet Explorer) that
Microsoft Updates 'do the ActiveX Flash plugin update'.

Is your 'Flash in IE' up to date?
What can you see at plugincheck with IE?
If you have IE 11 you might not get any result, but it would be good to know.

Here is a screenshot of IE 9 using plugincheck
https://bug1020133.bugzilla.mozilla.org/attachment.cgi?id=8472632
The button is the wrong colour (see bug 1054280).

DJ-Leith

PS
For more background about recent changes in the 'plugincheck service',
including history, list of some outstanding bugs, comments on tests:
see bug 956905 comment # 148.

Both these screenshots are from
bug 1020133 "Improve Adobe Acrobat plugin reporting"
which is the underlying bug for the Adobe Reader issue.

Comment 3

[john]

Thanks...
I should note that 
1. I have both "Shockwave Flash" and "Shockwave Director" plugins
2. The reported bug/error wrt 'shockwave' was with respect to "Shockwave Director" [sorry! you put in alot of effort to respond...]
3, Later in the day: My adobe reader now reports correctly as you indicated.   I have the US version, etc.
4. Shockwave Director installed later in the day -- now shows version 12.1.3.153.   When i deleted [in programs in Win8] the eldest of the Shockwave Directors from comment 1 both versions disappeared.  On reinstall manually using the FULL install method on the website, the version 12.1.3.153 appeared as the installed version.  To get to the full install method, I had to assert to adobe that I wanted to change the OS and etc., which gave me the option to do a FULL install, in addition to the default slim install; the slim install would not work in this realm.  I assume that 12.1.3.153 is -the- most recent update.   

For slim installs, either directly from the Fox/Moz plugin pages, or with the OS selection (above), as reported earlier I can't tell if there is an error w/ Fox and the pages at the update, or if it is an adobe website issue.

Other oddball problems that should not be problems
a.  I can't copy paste anything on the add-ons page -- makes life difficult, generally, and for reporting the issue in b, below...
b.  The naming conventions for: 
     adobe products by adobe, versus
     how adobe products are represented on the add-ons page for plugins, versus
     how adobe products are represented on the plugins check page on Mozilla.Com
are ALL over the place !

It would be nice if there was some consistency.   I could open another bug, if anyone wants...   It is probably something that Schalk Neethling could address.

c.  Why can't I get URLs on the Thunderbird add-on pages to open inside Firefox, instead of as another tab within TBird.   I've tried all the prefs/switches and etc.

Comment 4

[DJ-Leith]

John,

Thank you for your careful observations.

(In reply to john ruskin from comment #3)
> 3, Later in the day: My adobe reader now reports correctly as 
> you indicated.   I have the US version, etc.
I've now seen your other bug about Adobe Reader (bug 1062244)
and Schalk, has replied there.

(In reply to john ruskin from comment #3)
> b.  The naming conventions for: 
>      adobe products by adobe, versus
>      how adobe products are represented on the add-ons page for plugins, versus
>      how adobe products are represented on the plugins check page on Mozilla.Com
> are ALL over the place !
I know and so does Schalk.
The various authors of plugins use lots of internal versions.
Versions of Java are even harder to understand!

The 'plugincheck service' has to use the *authors* version numbers to do the
'detection'.  What is then shown to the 'visiting browser' and the User
reading the web site, in theory, could be different.

Schalk, I do think there is scope to use the 'display_name' and 'description'
in the 'new plugincheck - uses the JSON List' - indeed I think you are.

From JSON
>                   'shockwave-director': {
>                     'display_name': 'Adobe Shockwave Player',
>                     'description': 'Adobe Shockwave for Director plug-in',

>                   'adobe-flash-player': {
>                     'display_name': 'Adobe Flash Player',
>                     'description': '',
>                     'versions': {
Compare these with the two screenshots in comment # 2.
These screenshots are from the 'existing plugincheck - uses enumeration'.

The 'new plugincheck - uses the JSON List' is showing "Adobe Flash Player" - GOOD.
I don't have Director to test the "Adobe Shockwave for Director plug-in".


Adobe have switched to using "Adobe Reader" when they used to call it "Adobe Acrobat".
Now, the detection of Adobe Reader:

From JSON
>                   'adobe-reader': {
>                     'display_name': 'Adobe Reader',
>                     'description': 'Adobe PDF Plug-In For Firefox and Netscape',

>                   'adobeformacreaderfround': {
>                     'display_name': 'Adobe Acrobat NPAPI Plug-in',
>                     'description': 'Adobe Acrobat NPAPI Plug-in',

The issue, in bug 1020133 "Improve Adobe Acrobat plugin reporting",
is, I think, the 'first match found' which finds
the 'adobeformacreaderfround' section
when it should be 'adobe-reader' section when the visiting browser is a Windows PC.

DJ-Leith

Comment 5

[Schalk Neethling [:espressive]]

It looks more and more to me like a database(how we track) problem with Adobe Reader @see https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1020133#c25

Comment 6

[u597032]

These plugins are no longer supported