Basilisk update 2018.12.18

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Moonchild
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Basilisk update 2018.12.18

Unread post by Moonchild » 2018-12-19, 00:31

Basilisk has been updated to v2018.12.18

http://www.basilisk-browser.org/releasenotes.shtml

This is a development and security release.
  • Added a preference (network.http.upgrade-insecure-requests) to allow disabling requests for opportunistic encryption.
  • Removed more telemetry code from the platform.
  • Added experimental support for the AV1 video codec for MP4 containers (disabled by default).
  • Cleaned up some media handling code, removing obsolete components for older target platforms.
  • Ported all applicable security fixes from Gecko/64. Most of these fixes were merely defense-in-depth.
  • Fixed a crash when using http pipelining over some broken proxies.
  • Enhanced the WebP decoder to properly handle animated lossy and lossless WebP.
  • Removed VR hardware support (both display and input types) from the platform.
  • Updated the GMP update service URL to improve compatibility with DRM-encumbered media.
  • Removed support for Firefox Accounts and changed the Sync client to work with Sync 1.1 (Weave).
    The default server for using Sync is now the Pale Moon Sync server.
    Please see this announcement on the forum for more details.
  • Updated NSPR to 4.20.
  • Updated NSS to 3.41, finalizing our platform support for TLS 1.3.
  • Fixed a spec compliance issue with the location.protocol setter.
Last edited by Moonchild on 2018-12-19, 00:33, edited 1 time in total.
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Gauri

Re: Basilisk update 2018.12.18

Unread post by Gauri » 2018-12-19, 06:07

Removed VR hardware support
1). What was the problem with VR?
2). Will software VR support be deprecated as well?
VR is a good technology. Just set dom.vr.enabled to true and watch funny demos like this: https://aframe.glitch.me/
P.S. Some videos on web version of pornhub support VR too)

yami_

Re: Basilisk update 2018.12.18

Unread post by yami_ » 2018-12-19, 10:31

The official reason why this was removed is:
Moonchild@GitHub wrote:This is total nonsense for a web browser (or anything else building on UXP).
source: Issue #881 (uxp)
The other problem with VR headset support is that in order to keep this feature working someone would need to buy a expensive piece of hardware just to check if the VR support is still working. Otherwise it will simply break after being left unmaintained for a while.

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Re: Basilisk update 2018.12.18

Unread post by Moonchild » 2018-12-19, 12:25

Gauri wrote:watch funny demos like
So, what actual use beyond gadgeteering is there for a web browser to have VR support? Are websites 3D? No. (people who remember VRML will remember trying to make them 3D was a huge flop, too).

Look at how old the VR idea is and how it has not gained any traction. The only reason there has been -some- adoption this time around is because HTC and Oculus have pushed their marketing for it extremely hard -- but I still think it's a fad for the rich elite. VR is not a good technology if it has failed time and again over 3 decades.

Aside from the technology itself, though, I ask once again, what actual use beyond toys/gadgets and maybe some 3D media playback (which is hardly a justification to have it in anything but a media player) is there to have VR in a browser or any other application that would be building on the UXP platform?
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Gauri

Re: Basilisk update 2018.12.18

Unread post by Gauri » 2018-12-20, 19:33

Moonchild wrote:Are websites 3D? No.
For me WebVR is first of all a method to render 3D scenes within browser with easy scrolling/rotating with mouse and keyboard. As I can see, the recent change broke rotation with mouse.
Phrase
Moonchild wrote:This is total nonsense
is just a personal unexplained opinion, not a reason.
I love Basilisk because it supports a load of things, both new and old: NPAPI Plugins, WebExtension add-ons, the most recent security patches, DRM and so on. I can even install OverbiteFF add-in to enable ancient gopher:// protocol. It's disappointing that instead of adding new features we break old ones.

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Re: Basilisk update 2018.12.18

Unread post by Isengrim » 2018-12-20, 20:09

Gauri wrote:For me WebVR is first of all a method to render 3D scenes within browser with easy scrolling/rotating with mouse and keyboard. As I can see, the recent change broke rotation with mouse.
I assumed that the removal of VR support meant hardware support - that is, the ability to run the browser on a VR headset, as Yami said. From a software standpoint, I think that being able to view published VR content in the browser might be more important to keep around. For example, can you view this video correctly in Basilisk? (I currently don't have the opportunity to try it myself, but it does work on Pale Moon 28.2.2.)
Gauri wrote:I love Basilisk because it supports a load of things ... WebExtension add-ons, the most recent security patches
Please keep in mind two things: First, Basilisk is not more secure than Pale Moon. Both browsers (as well as the UXP platform that they build upon) receive the same kinds of security patches, including plenty of relevant security and update patches ported from Firefox. Second, WebExtension support in Basilisk is very limited, and is not being developed any further at this time.
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Re: Basilisk update 2018.12.18

Unread post by Moonchild » 2018-12-20, 20:20

Gauri wrote:For me WebVR is first of all a method to render 3D scenes within browser with easy scrolling/rotating with mouse and keyboard.
I think you are confusing WebGL with WebVR.
Gauri wrote:is just a personal unexplained opinion, not a reason.
It's explained. Also, what is a reason but an opinion supported by facts?
If you think VR hardware support for a web browser, chat client, mail client and other UXP applications in existence or being created is not nonsense, then by all means, let me hear your reason why it makes sense to have Oculus Rift support for them, for actual application use.
Gauri wrote:It's disappointing that instead of adding new features we break old ones.
So you think we should leave everything in place, even if it's incomplete and untested, and should just pack on more and more bloat? I'm sorry but that is not and has never been our goal.

We've been here before though. Every time a design decision is made to remove something that has theoretical gadgeteering/toy use or has at least one demonstrable proof of concept use, there is someone who doesn't like it and makes a fuss about it. I'll just say this about this situation, like I have before:
If you think the development direction of any application is grossly undesirable and believe loss of certain features is a deal-breaker for you, you have the freedom to fork, rebrand, and publish your own version of it or to make a private build, with your patches to add new things or revert removal of features, for your personal use.
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Re: Basilisk update 2018.12.18

Unread post by Isengrim » 2018-12-20, 22:32

On a non-VR-related note...

I noticed that the tab sound indicator/control feature added in Issue #638 (UXP) was not included in the release notes. Should it be?
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JustOff

Re: Basilisk update 2018.12.18

Unread post by JustOff » 2018-12-21, 08:33

Isengrim wrote:I noticed that the tab sound indicator/control feature added
IIRC, Basilisk had it from the beginning.

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Re: Basilisk update 2018.12.18

Unread post by Isengrim » 2018-12-21, 10:36

JustOff wrote:IIRC, Basilisk had it from the beginning.
Ahh, you're right. My mistake. :coffee:
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