Mozilla Foundation to lead open plugin initiative
July 1, 2004
The Mozilla Foundation just announced a new open browser plugin API effort that will also consist of players like Apple, Macromedia, Opera and Sun Microsystems. The plugin API will be based off Netscape Plugin Application Program Interface (NPAPI), which is what Mozilla browsers (including Firefox) use at the moment, and will be released under an open source license. Notice how Microsoft isn’t (yet?) involved - I wonder if they’d consider this a threat (which I hope not, because it’s a very smart initiative that saves everyone from doing double work trying to make their plugins cross-platform and cross-browser).
Don’t confuse these plugins with extensions though - these plugins are things like the Flash plugin that allows you to play Flash and Shockwave files in your browser, and the Java plugin that lets you load applets. Maybe we’ll finally have a Java plugin that isn’t so iffy.
Check out the Mozilla Plugins project if you’re interested in the technical details.
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Big names join forces for better plugins
Mozilla, Opera, Apple, Macromedia and Sun have just announced that a series of changes will be made on the legacy plugin API (NPAPI). The new scriptable plugin interface will allow web developers to offer richer web browsing experiences (more securel…
Posted by: ubiquitous minghong - My Blogger on July 1, 2004 3am