186490 - Create about:plugins from C++ code

Status: VERIFIED WONTFIX

(Core Graveyard :: Plug-ins, enhancement)

Description

[Christian :Biesinger (don't email me, ping me on IRC)]

Maybe it would be a good idea to create that page from C++ code, instead of
having it load an HTML page with embedded javascript code.

That way, the page would have no problems with stringbundle access for
localization, and it wouldn't require JavaScript to be enabled to load the page
either.

Any objections?

Comment 1

[Jo Hermans]

so this should fix bug 98298, bug 91779 and bug 170851 ?

Comment 2

[Christian :Biesinger (don't email me, ping me on IRC)]

It makes the first and last of the bugs you mention INVALID, and would fix the
about:plugins part of the second but you mention.

Comment 3

[Christian :Biesinger (don't email me, ping me on IRC)]

status update: ok, I have a non-localizable version of this done.

now I'll work on making this localizable.

Comment 4

[Christian :Biesinger (don't email me, ping me on IRC)]

Attachment: patch

this should do it

Comment 5

[Christian :Biesinger (don't email me, ping me on IRC)]

Attachment: new patch

Now unbitrotted to work with current trunk

Comment 6

[Christian :Biesinger (don't email me, ping me on IRC)]

Attachment: additional patch

this is needed too, else two components register for the same contractid

Comment 7

[Robert Kaiser]

I'm using those patches in my current builds, and it looks it's working perfectly.

You should also cvs remove xpfe/communicator/resources/content/plugins.html
after your patch is checked in, btw...

Comment 8

[Peter Lubczynski]

+  nsIDOMPlugin** plugins = new nsIDOMPlugin*[pluginCount];

where do you free plugins[]? |GetPlugins| also makes lots of copies of strings
and I wonder if it would be any better to go off the navigator object off the
global window?

Comment 9

[Robert Accettura [:raccettura]]

I was going to file a bug, but this seems to be a better place for it.

Most internal mozilla pages appear to be XHTML at this point (for example the
about page).

Seems appropriate that about:plugins also be XHTML 1.0, rather than HTML 4.01
Strict as it is now (1.5b).

Comment 10

[Christian :Biesinger (don't email me, ping me on IRC)]

Comment on attachment 111912 [details] [diff] [review]
new patch

clearing review request per previous comments

Comment 11

[Christopher Aillon (sabbatical, not receiving bugmail)]

If there are problems (91779 and 98298) then we need to fix the problems. 
Mstoltz has already said this is possible, and I agree with him.  I'd rather
avoid the extra compiled code if we can.  IMO, this bug should be marked WONTFIX
and the real problems addressed.

Comment 12

[Boris Zbarsky [:bzbarsky]]

Fine by me either way, _if_ they get addressed...

Comment 13

[Christian :Biesinger (don't email me, ping me on IRC)]

doesn't look like I'll get to this anytime soon. if the owner disagrees with
this bug, feel free to wontfix.

Comment 14

[Jesse Ruderman]

Another advantage of generating about:plugins from C++ (or chrome JS) is that you could save the output with "Save As" and upload it to Bugzilla.

Comment 15

[Boris Zbarsky [:bzbarsky]]

I would assume that saving as "web page, complete" will work even now.

Comment 16

[Jesse Ruderman]

Oh, that does work, thanks to the script in the page trying to elevate privileges and failing ;)

Comment 17

[Justin Dolske [:Dolske]]

It was asked "why" on IRC, so my 2 cents:

Many other about: pages are implemented in JS/HTML/XUL, and as a front-end feature that's the preferred way to implement things. Not to mention that there's a general preference for JS over C++ unless it's needed for specific reasons -- JS is a safe language (ie, no buffer overruns), and exposes the code to a wider audience of developers.

See also bug 619652.