18180 - Pluglet Naming Problem

Status: VERIFIED FIXED

(Core Graveyard :: Java-Implemented Plugins, defect, P3)

Description

[louis.martin]

Naming of interfaces Pluglet and PlugletInstance is confusing.

For example, when implemented as classes an instance of Pluglet is not
PlugletInstance nor an instance of PlugletInstance. Also, the
createPlugletIntance method of Pluglet returns an instance of PlugletInstance --
not an instance of Pluglet. Yet even the docs get confused, speaking of an
instance of Pluglet while meaning an instance of PlugletInstance. (The same
confusion exists in the Mozilla documentation for Plugins.)

The reason for this is that the Java implemntation of Plugins adopted the same
language used by Netscape/Mozilla Plugins, where the problem originates. With
the New Architecture for Plugins, the old  monolithic architecture was split
into three new interface on the developer side -- nsIPlugin, nsIPuginInstance,
and nsIPluginStream. But nsIPlugin is really an interface for a Plugin factory,
while an implementation of nsIPluginInstance would be the Plugin class. Thus
names should probably be nsIPluginFactory and nsIPlugin for these interfaces.
This is also appears in line with Mozilla policy on using factories for classes
as discussed in Modularization Techniques.

The suggestion here is that at least the Java version of Plugins (Pluglets) make
these changes:

Change Pluglet to PlugletFactory;
Change PlugletInstance to Pluglet.

This should eliminate confusion and allow for normal, meaninful conversations
about Pluglets.

Comment 1

[Alexei V. Mokeev]

Verified.