Plugins:Roadmap
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Plugin Interactions Roadmap | |
| Owner: Kev Needham | Updated: 2011-06-28 | |
| Over the past year we've raised user awareness of content plugins, and improved their interactions with them through the plugin check page and out-of-process plugins. In 2011 we need to continue to educate users about plugins and how they work, and simplify the installation and update process with Firefox. We'll make it easier to install and update the most popular plugins (e.g. Adobe Flash and Reader, Microsoft Silverlight, etc.) and will act as a liason between plugin developers and users. We'll continue to expand and improve our relationships with plugin authors, and proactively work with them to ensure that the content consumption experience is the best it can be for users. | ||
Vision
Provide a simplified user experience for finding, installing, and managing content plugins that is consistent with other add-on types.
Overview
Roadmap
Firefox 5
- Add support for PFS2
- Add in-product links to the Plugin Check service from the Help menu and the Add-on Manager
- Localize the Plugin Check service (Note: not directly a Firefox 5 goal, but tied to including the links above)
Firefox 6
- Add plugin check functionality into to the Add-on manager
- Add ability to update plugins without restarting Firefox
Firefox 7
- Add native plugin support
- Add support to update plugins as part of the Firefox update process
Developer Relations & Partnering
During development of Firefox 4, we've made great strides in establishing and growing relationships with popular plugin developers including Adobe and Microsoft. We'll continue to develop those relationships to improve product interactions and quality assurance, and will work closer with those organizations that affect our user base. Additionally, we'll need to work closely with plugin vendors to improve the user experience for plugin installations, updates, and removals from Firefox.
- Plugin Summit (Josh) - get the plugin players involved, come in for a day and we'll make it worth your time.
In-Product Compatibility, Installation, and Updates
Currently, installed content plugins are listed on the add-on manager, and a user can enable or disable them from there, but there is no other functionality built into the add-on manager. Over the course of the next two-three releases we need to add the functionality of the plugincheck page to the add-on manager, and expand on the information available to the user through it. Ideally, we'll be able to add the ability to (kick off) plugin installation, updates, and removals through the add-on manager, and do so without the need to restart Firefox.
Plugin Directory
The plugin directory is a metadirectory of plugin information, and is intended to be used as a data source for services such as the Plugin Finder Service 2 and the Plugin Check page. Directory information is managed through a web application, and supports the notions of roles, which would allow both Mozilla and authorized 3rd parties to update and/or add information on plugins as they change.
Plugin Check
- integration with input (morgamic) - qualitative trending (morgamic) - plugin crash feedback loop (morgamic)
Plugin Finder Service
Blocklisting
Related Bugs
bug 613305 Integrate Plugin Check with installed plugins in the add-ons manager