573834 - Change PFS backend to use PFS2

Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX

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

Description

[Ryan Doherty (:rdoherty)]

PFS is currently one PHP script that requires manual updating. PFS2 (plugins.mozilla.org) stores the same information and is update-able via a shiny web interface. We should deprecate PFS and have PFS2 respond to PFS' requests.

This will be a tracker bug, individual bugs will be filed as dependencies.

Comment 1

[Les Orchard [:lorchard]]

This could use some thinking: 

* is it more important to try to retrofit PFS2's JSON-based version checking API to produce PFS's RDF-based plugin discovery results, or do we want Firefox to use PFS2 in the future?

* the data model for PFS2 has changed a bit from its PFS roots - I'm not sure if the two still match up, or if we do actually have all the same information available

Comment 2

[Ryan Doherty (:rdoherty)]

Agreed, need to plan this out. 

It would probably be better for Firefox to use PFS2, but since we'll have old versions of Firefox hitting PFS for a long time, they should share the same backend. We'll have less maintenance overhead that way.

I think the data model is close enough (or maybe we can update PFS2 to have the info it needs). 

I'll writeup a brief spec to document requirements.

Comment 3

[Les Orchard [:lorchard]]

(In reply to comment #2)
> I think the data model is close enough (or maybe we can update PFS2 to have the
> info it needs). 
> 
> I'll writeup a brief spec to document requirements.

This is where I think we'll need help from Firefox folks. I included a bunch of fields in the PFS2 database from PFS1 - but I don't quite understand what they're all for, or where to get the info for them.

Comment 4

[Brandon Savage [:brandon]]

A patch is available at https://github.com/mozilla/plugins/pull/1 for review. I'm awaiting review from :Tomcat.

Comment 5

[Carsten Book [:Tomcat]]

(In reply to Brandon Savage [:brandon] from comment #4)
> A patch is available at https://github.com/mozilla/plugins/pull/1 for
> review. I'm awaiting review from :Tomcat.

i'm not an expert in SQL or PFS programming, but if people like schalk are fine with the change i'm also

Comment 6

[Schalk Neethling [:espressive]]

Added a comment on the pull request.

Comment 7

[Sheeri Cabral [:sheeri]]

What's left to do on this bug?

Comment 8

[Brandon Savage [:brandon]]

I don't know that this bug is actually going to be resolved. The requirements for PFS changed, and at the moment there doesn't seem to be a need to push this forward.

Comment 9

[Justin Dolske [:Dolske]]

Bug 836415 has now removed the Plugin Finder Service (PFS) from Firefox. As a result, I'm closing all the remaining PFS bugs.

If you're getting this bugmail for an ancient PFS bug, the basic summary of the world today is:

* NPAPI plugins are a dying technology
* PFS was already restricted to assisting with only the 4 most common plugins
* Sites commonly provide their own UI for install a required plugin
* Mozilla is generally focusing on  improving the web platform so that proprietary plugins are not required.

(Note that "plugins" are a completely separate from "browser extensions", such at those found on addons.mozilla.org. The latter are not going anywhere, and are not impacted by the removal of PFS.)