422654 - KB article: Add-ons Blocklist

Status: VERIFIED FIXED

(support.mozilla.org :: Knowledge Base Articles, task)

Description

[Jason Barnabe (np)]

-What is it?
-What's on it? (https://www.mozilla.com/en-US/blocklist/)
-If I have something blocked, what does that mean, and what can I do to get it back (update to a good version, bug whoever made it to fix it)?

Include the strings that Firefox shows for good searchyness.

Comment 1

[Chris Ilias [:cilias]]

How does it work? Is Firefox technically blocking specific extensions? If so, it me better to add this to <http://support.mozilla.com/kb/Unable+to+install+add-ons>.

Comment 2

[Jason Barnabe (np)]

http://wiki.mozilla.org/Extension_Blocklisting:User_Interface

It not only blocks them from installing, it disables them if they are already installed.

Comment 3

[myles7897]

ok, I can take this one.

Just summarizing, we put:
What it is
Why it is
List them or link to the list?
What you can do if add-ons been blocked
Link from unable to install add-ons and troubleshooting add-ons

Comment 4

[myles7897]

http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Add-ons+blocklist

Comment 5

[Chris Ilias [:cilias]]

I'd really like to test this, in order to review the article. Does anyone have a link to a XPI which is blocked?

Comment 6

[Jason Barnabe (np)]

Check out bug 408445, bug 382356, and bug 419127.

Comment 7

[Chris Ilias [:cilias]]

I have, but there are no links to XPIs. The download pages for those add-ons provide EXEs, not XPIs; and I can't find any download page for Yahoo State Plugin.

Comment 8

[Jason Barnabe (np)]

Install the EXE and you'll get the XPI. It's just a matter of finding the version of the EXE that includes the broken XPI.

Comment 9

[Chris Ilias [:cilias]]

- "Some add-ons have been put on the blocklist by Mozilla." is a confusing first sentence. The first thing you should do is explain what the blocklist is and layout the symptoms. People arriving at this article will likely arrive because they tried to install an add-on on the blocklist.

- After trying to install the Vietnamese Lang pack, the installation was blocked, with the following message:
"The extension Vietnamese Language Pack 2.0.0.0 is known to be dangerous, and can't be installed."
So the quotation "The extension ... is known to be dangerous, and can't be installed." should be in the article, probably among the symptoms.

- You can simplify "behaviors in a way harmful to the user. For example, memory leaks, incompatibility, sites not working, break or crash Firefox" to something like "prevent Firefox from working properly."

- Avoid using the term "user". Articles should be written as if you are talking to the user.

- We can just link to https://www.mozilla.com/blocklist/ rather than repeating the list (and trying to keep our version up to date).

- The message "Disabled for your protection" means the add-on *is* installed, but disabled.

- Let's avoid Firefox 3 screenshots until we at least have a release candidate.

Comment 10

[myles7897]

by any chance do you have a screenshot of the error message or know where I could get the language pack?

Comment 11

[Chris Ilias [:cilias]]

Attachment: Hacked version of Vietnamese Lang Pack to test blocklist

I've attached a version of Vietnamese Lang Pack 2.0.0.9, which I hacked to make Firefox think it's 2.0.0.0.

Comment 12

[Chris Ilias [:cilias]]

And remember, no Firefox 3 screenshots until we at least have a release candidate.

Comment 13

[Jason Barnabe (np)]

Are you sure that blocklisted add-ons can't be updated?

You don't need any sections for the amount of text you have.

Add-ons can be on the list for reasons other than making Firefox "vulnerable". I prefer Chris's wording, "prevent Firefox from working properly."

Are the two messages common examples of messages or the only messages that you'd see?

Please mark as fixed again once these things are addressed.

Comment 14

[myles7897]

as far as I know they are the only responses.

Comment 15

[Chris Ilias [:cilias]]

Reviewed and moved to KB at:
Thu 19 of Jun, 2008 02:54 EST

Any further discussion should go on the staging copy: <http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/*Add-ons+Blocklist>.