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Re: Mozilla deprecates NPAPI / Pale Moon will keep NPAPI Thr

Posted: 2015-11-22, 19:29
by lewisje
CharmCityCrab, there will always be legacy sites that use NPAPI, and it would be nice to have a still-updated browser that still supports it, so I don't have to break out an old browser for the old Web.

Re: Mozilla deprecates NPAPI / Pale Moon will keep NPAPI Thr

Posted: 2015-11-23, 13:20
by Moonchild
There's actually nothing "old" (as in too old) about NPAPI. That's like saying people should stop using JPEG images since they've been around for a very long time.

Re: Mozilla deprecates NPAPI / Pale Moon will keep NPAPI Thr

Posted: 2015-11-23, 13:32
by New Tobin Paradigm
Off-topic:
There are people saying that for jpeg and of course gif.. That is why webp is a thing. But those people of course can't be reasoned with.

Re: Mozilla deprecates NPAPI / Pale Moon will keep NPAPI Thr

Posted: 2015-11-23, 18:13
by LimboSlam
How is it old when it still functions and so many still use it, it's not.

Re: Mozilla deprecates NPAPI / Pale Moon will keep NPAPI Thread

Posted: 2016-03-26, 23:15
by Victoria
Perhaps this has been discussed, but I missed it. Regarding Firefox depreciating NPAPI, and Pale Moon keeping it. Mozilla has a LOT of extensions on their web site and I assume a large portion are using NPAPI. When Mozilla removes NPAPI, do their extension/plugin web pages go away too? Does someone need to copy the web pages/extensions and programmer names/contacts so these won't be lost to Pale Moon? Or do the programmers who wrote the extensions/plugins need to be advised that their NPAPI plugin/ extensions can be ported to Pale Moon with a small amount of effort? So that Pale Moon then becomes the repository "go-to-site" for all the browser extensions that still work on Pale Moon, but not on Firefox? A lot of the extensions/plugins were written by people who needed the functionality, and who loved the customization provided by Firefox. They are losing that with Firefox, but may want to jump ship to Pale Moon to keep their extensions updated for a user community who is very impressed with what Pale Moon is doing.

I would love to see more users who are unhappy with the new Firefox direction finding out about Pale Moon. Perhaps Pale Moon needs a feature article on one of the popular tech blogs about a week before Firefox pulls the plug on NPAPI. Or even sooner.

Are we, the users of Pale Moon, supposed to be doing "something" about this? I'd hate for all those Firefox extension/plugin options to just "disappear" one day, even though I don't use most of them. The list reminds me of how many choices for customization Firefox was providing.

Edit: Guess I should have read the new post titled "Idea for a new browser product" before posting....

Re: Mozilla deprecates NPAPI / Pale Moon will keep NPAPI Thread

Posted: 2016-03-27, 07:07
by New Tobin Paradigm
Plugins != (do not equal) Extensions

What may be confusing you beyond the obvious abstraction under the name of "Add-ons" can be cleared up with this:
The Pale Moon Add-ons Manager wrote:What are Add-ons?

Add-ons let you customize Pale Moon with extra functionality or a different look.

There are several types of add-ons. Extensions expand the capabilities of the browser, themes allow you to personalize Pale Moon's visual aesthetic, and plugins further extend the browser with specialized external components such as the Adobe Flash Player.
Now all these technologies are currently under threat. But work is still proceeding to preserve as many Extensions and Themes for our users use and future forking projects. As for plugins those are an older and different technology and that is up to the companies that make them such as Adobe.

Re: Mozilla deprecates NPAPI / Pale Moon will keep NPAPI Thread

Posted: 2016-04-07, 20:41
by JodyThornton
I still use the non-supported SumatraPDF plugin for PDF online docs. What would you folks suggest using?

Re: Mozilla deprecates NPAPI / Pale Moon will keep NPAPI Thread

Posted: 2016-04-07, 21:24
by Moonchild
JodyThornton wrote:I still use the non-supported SumatraPDF plugin for PDF online docs. What would you folks suggest using?
Pale Moon! :)

Re: Mozilla deprecates NPAPI / Pale Moon will keep NPAPI Thread

Posted: 2016-04-13, 14:33
by JodyThornton
Right. I use Sumatra PDF with Pale Moon. Am I misunderstanding something? Is there an integrated PDF reader I am unaware of?
:)

Re: Mozilla deprecates NPAPI / Pale Moon will keep NPAPI Thread

Posted: 2016-04-13, 14:58
by Andrew Gilbertson
JodyThornton wrote:Right. I use Sumatra PDF with Pale Moon. Am I misunderstanding something? Is there an integrated PDF reader I am unaware of?
:)
There is indeed an integrated PDF reader - PDF.JS - but I thought that it was disabled by default (possibly due to some security issues from a few months back). To enable it, go to about:config and change the setting pdfjs.disabled from true to false.

Re: Mozilla deprecates NPAPI / Pale Moon will keep NPAPI Thread

Posted: 2016-04-13, 15:23
by JodyThornton
Wow, OK I'll need to check that out.
:)

Re: Mozilla deprecates NPAPI / Pale Moon will keep NPAPI Thread

Posted: 2016-04-13, 20:31
by Moonchild
JodyThornton wrote:Wow, OK I'll need to check that out.
:)
The integrated pdf reader is for emergency use only. its rendering capabilities are rather rudimentary but it works in a pinch -- it's not a replacement for any proper reader, though.

Re: Mozilla deprecates NPAPI / Pale Moon will keep NPAPI Thread

Posted: 2016-05-09, 08:38
by bawldiggle
I have been using free PDF-XChange Viewer for several (4+) years
- PDF-webpages can be saved with PDF-XChange-Viewer, if Viewer is made the default PDF viewer
- the resulting PDF file can be edited with XChange Viewer to insert comments, hilite text, customise bookmarks (but cannot Edit the PDF-body-text etc)
  • links are mostly active (depending on who designed the PDF web-page in the first place.
- Viewer is well suited for laptops, occupying smaller real estate than PDF-XChange Editor
- Viewer toolbars are an appropriate size for smaller screens

Tracker.com would like you to use/buy Editor (which supersedes Viewer
- unfortunately free Editor inserts a black "watermark" in each corner of all pages in PDF files if you double click one of your Editor-created text-boxes, to edit text
- Viewer doesn't suffer from the black mark unless you flatten/integrate your added "markings"
- there is no undo for the black watermarks.

The PDF-Xchange forum is very helpful
.

Re: Mozilla deprecates NPAPI / Pale Moon will keep NPAPI Thread

Posted: 2016-05-09, 12:08
by Moonraker
What options are there for linux flash users next year.?
As i understand it adobe will stop issuing security updates to flash 11.2 which is what i currently use.
The only way at the moment to get an updated flash player on linux is via google chrome and i DONT want to install that browser just for flash content.

Could i in theory just carry on using flash 11.2 indefinately until it goes kaput.?
Thanks.

Re: Mozilla deprecates NPAPI / Pale Moon will keep NPAPI Thread

Posted: 2016-05-10, 02:49
by bawldiggle
Good question "Moonraker" ... (a "me too")
Flash is a constant stone in my shoe.

Re: Mozilla deprecates NPAPI / Pale Moon will keep NPAPI Thread

Posted: 2016-06-13, 14:00
by complutense
PDF:
I can recommend PDF-XChange Editor (by Tracker Software, only for Windows I'm afraid) enthusiastically. It offers more than Viewer, and it is free. It will not insert watermarks as long as you don't try using those features that are assigned to the advanced (pay) version. But you can add many sorts of comments, text boxes, balloons, highlights, underline, strikethrough, etc.
It integrates nicely in Firefox (and so it was automatically copied to my installation of PM) as the default pdf viewer. You have full control to add those comments (which go on another layer on top of the pdf content proper), much nicer and richer that the tools in Adobe Reader. Management of the toolbar screen space is excellent, also when inside the browser. You have quick access to Save As dialog.
A great feature is that you have a button / drop-up menu that lets you transfer the pdf you are seeing inside the browser to either the stand-alone Editor (outside the browser) or to Adobe Reader, maybe even to another viewer to might have installed.
Up to now it is working in PM the same as it does in FF (I have used it for years there)

Flash:
Shumway sounded very promising as alternative, but it has been abandoned by Mozilla. I guess that's why they plan to put an exception for Flash while dropping NPAPI support.

Re: Mozilla deprecates NPAPI / Pale Moon will keep NPAPI Thread

Posted: 2016-06-13, 22:42
by Moonchild
complutense wrote:Shumway sounded very promising as alternative, but it has been abandoned by Mozilla. I guess that's why they plan to put an exception for Flash while dropping NPAPI support.
I find it terrible practice to give specific plugins an exception position. If you're dropping support for an API, then you remove the API -- but they aren't, they just say "only Adobe Flash may play in our garden".
At the same time they say "Adobe DRM may play in our garden, but Microsoft Silverlight DRM may not" because "GMP" is still a plugin, just more proprietary instead of using an established plugin API.

Lots of favoritism and "special treatment" going on lately.
Off-topic:
See also: WebExtensions and custom APIs for specific favorite extensions that need more than what WebExtensions can offer as-is...)