Mozilla Testing Click-to-Play Option For Plugin Content

Trailrunner7 writes "Mozilla is developing a feature in Firefox that would require some user interaction in order for Flash ads, Java scripts and other content that uses plugins to play. In addition to easing system slowdowns, the opt-in for Web plugins is expected to reduce threats posed by exploiting security vulnerabilities in plugins, including zero-day attacks. 'Whether you hate them or love them, content accessed through plugins is still a sizable chunk of the web. So much so, that over 99% of internet users have Flash installed on their browser,' writes Mozilla's Jared Wein, the lead software engineer on the project, in a blog post."

Why did it take so long?!

[Anonymous Coward]

Seriously, this is a no-brainer, that has been implemented by tonnes of extensions. So now that we're at version 4000, why is it suddenly a good idea to implement it?

finally

[Anonymous Coward]

This should have been the default 10 years ago.

I'm a fan of Java, but I still cringe when I go to a web page and the Java console opens.

for javascript?

[sdnoob]

really? you'd get carpel tunnel if you had to click-to-run every script on most commercial sites these days.

no script is more effective but with a learning curve.

but either method will still have the masses turning the 'feature' off (essentially white-listing everything).

Re:There's a better solution

[tepples]

As I wrote in another comment [slashdot.org], both Firefox's implementation of Canvas and Firefox's implementation of SVG are substantially slower than Flash Player at playing back vector animations. Furthermore, most web browsers don't provide an API for a JavaScript program to (ask the user's permission to) turn on the camera and microphone. Once Firefox's implementation of Canvas becomes competitive in frame rate and once a device API becomes widely implemented, I will become more inclined to agree with you. Until then, SWF is the only way to push certain features out to users of IE 8 who lack permission to install other browsers (e.g. work break room, public library) because Adobe Flash Player is far more widely installed than Google Chrome Frame.

Gnash

[buchner.johannes]

I would like it if one could decide on a per-site basis to play the Flash with Gnash or with Adobe Flash.

Gnash is much faster, plays nicer with the graphic card, and is more secure. I had success using it on several websites.

However it doesn't support many of the newer Flash features, so everyone trying it out will turn away from it.

If there was a "SafeFlash" extension, that would, like HTTPSEverywhere, use Gnash where the website is compatible, a smooth transition away from Adobe Flash (which will be phased out for Linux anyway apparently) would be possible.

yes, please

[Tom]

On anything that is video (animated images count) or audio, I absolutely want confirmation.

I regularily open several tabs in the background, e.g. go through a news site, open all interesting articles in their own tabs, continue until end of summary page, then go read all of them. The next time some audio suddenly starts blasting through my speakers, drowning out my music, and I have to hunt down the fucking window that does it, I'll do berserk.

Seriously, audio in webpages should always require an explicit user start.