307233 - Description of plugins needs to be rewritten

Status: VERIFIED DUPLICATE of bug 316806

(addons.mozilla.org Graveyard :: Plugins, defect)

Description

[Deb Richardson [:dria] (plz NEEDINFO)]

"Plugins are programs that allow websites to provide content to you and have it
appear in your browser" isn't a very useful or accurate description of what
plugins actually are.

I'd suggest something more along the lines of:

"Plugins (or plug-ins) are small pieces of software that interact with the
browser to provide certain, usually very specific functions. Typical examples
are plugins to display specific graphic formats, or to play multimedia files. 
Plugins are slightly different from extensions, which modify or add to existing
functionality."

Comment 1

[Michael Morgan [:morgamic]]

Mass change - bugs to be read / (re)confirmed.

Comment 2

[Michael Morgan [:morgamic]]

Updating PFS bugs -- nobody has touched these in a long time, so I am assigning to default, so we can pick them off the list one-by-one.

Comment 3

[Michael Morgan [:morgamic]]

Deb, finally getting to this -- I agree, the blurb there right now sucks.  I think it needs to be more informative but still short and sweet.

I'm cc'ing Shaver so he can get his 2 cents in.  I like your example, except I would trim it down a bit to:

"Plug-ins help your browser perform specific functions like viewing special graphic formats or playing multimedia files. Plug-ins are slightly different from extensions, which modify or add to existing functionality."

Comment 4

[Michael Morgan [:morgamic]]

I'm going to go w/ the shortened version, and push it with bug 316806.

*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of 316806 ***