Chrome is phasing out NPAPI support.

[Dennisch]

And it most likely will be completely gone coming September.

Now, for me this is quite a problem, since I need Silverlight to stream my paid Sports channels.
I've searched for an alternative in Chrome but all I can find is that I should switch Browsers.

How will this all work out, for plugins like Java, Unity and Silverlight? Will those be 'upgraded' to a new API standard that Chrome wants to use?

 

[vasiliflame]

Unity is ditching it's player it's using web gl now so no need to download anything player wise just loads in web browser

 

[Grayfox]

There is a simple solution.

Dont upgrade.

I still run Firefox 28 as I hate the new UI in firefox.

 

[TB]

On top of re-enabling NPAPI (chrome://flags/#enable-npapi then click Enable), which only needs to be done if you're on version 42, go to chrome://plugins/ and scroll down to Google Update and click Disable. That does appear to be the only "fix", at least for now.

 

[Tornado]

I just had this problem at work today. The crapbox 2005-ish Compaq XP computer that we use at work for selling hunting licences was down because the NY DEC website was updated and the 6 year old version of Internet Explorer it had installed stopped working with it. The call to corporate gained an answer of "just use Chrome", which didn't work because Silverlight support that the DEC website needs doesn't work out of the box and no one had any idea how to get it fixed or even why it was broken since tech support was too lazy to actually try fixing the problem and left it to a bunch of people who are mostly just a step above "which one is any key?". And they interrupted my lunch break and made the ice cream I was eating melt because they had someone buying a lifetime licence and they absolutely needed the computer working. So I just installed Firefox instead.





At the very least Google owes me a milkshake.

 

[TB]

@Tornado - The fix I posted above should make Chrome work. I think.

 

[RACECAR]

What exactly is NPAPI support?

 

[TB]

What exactly is NPAPI support?

I can't say I know a lot about it but basically it's what makes things like Java and Silverlight work.

 

[G.T.Ace]

And it most likely will be completely gone coming September.

Now, for me this is quite a problem, since I need Silverlight to stream my paid Sports channels.
I've searched for an alternative in Chrome but all I can find is that I should switch Browsers.

How will this all work out, for plugins like Java, Unity and Silverlight? Will those be 'upgraded' to a new API standard that Chrome wants to use?

Use Firefox for your sports channels and browse with Chrome?
Installing another browser is quick and easy...

I guess Google wants to force the plug-in makers to use a different standard, could be a good thing in the end.
Java is full with security issues and I think Silverlight has some problems regarding this too.

 

[TB]

Java is full with security issues

Unless they can port things over from Java to whatever Google want us to use, I MUST have Java working in a browser for about 100 users. Not having Java support isn't an option, so IE and FF better not follow suite like they did last year or we're screwed.

 

[Robin]

I still run Firefox 28 as I hate the new UI in firefox.

Firefox since 30 has been really slow and heavy on resources, I'm waiting for 38 when they FINALLY release an official 64bit version years after everyone else! I don't like the way they tried to make it a clone of Chrome but I will probably stay loyal to the spiritual successor of Netscape Navigator forever.

 

[Grayfox]

Firefox since 30 has been really slow and heavy on resources, I'm waiting for 38 when they FINALLY release an official 64bit version years after everyone else! I don't like the way they tried to make it a clone of Chrome but I will probably stay loyal to the spiritual successor of Netscape Navigator forever.

To me releasing 10 versions a year says you are releasing a product too fast and it will be full of bugs and wont be stable

 

[G.T.Ace]

Firefox since 30 has been really slow and heavy on resources, I'm waiting for 38 when they FINALLY release an official 64bit version years after everyone else! I don't like the way they tried to make it a clone of Chrome but I will probably stay loyal to the spiritual successor of Netscape Navigator forever.

I'm on the latest public release and the fox has never been faster for me.

 

[Robin]

I'm on the latest public release and the fox has never been faster for me.

I'm on 30 so they might have improved things since then. Then I will uninstall and start fresh with 28.

 

[TRGTspecialist]

How will this all work out, for plugins like Java, Unity and Silverlight? Will those be 'upgraded' to a new API standard that Chrome wants to use?

Don't know much about this (ie nothing until I did some googling just now ) but I assume web developers will continue to move away form plug-ins like these, as they have been doing for some time now. Unity has support for WebGL, and anything Silverlight/video streaming related should be replaced by HTML5 (Netflix had to do just that a while back I think).

 

[TB]

That doesn't change the fact that countless higher education facilities, just as one example, will but up 🤬 creek without Java support. Hence why I hope this is only a Chrome thing and the other major browsers don't follow their lead.

 

[Dennisch]

That doesn't change the fact that countless higher education facilities, just as one example, will but up 🤬 creek without Java support. Hence why I hope this is only a Chrome thing and the other major browsers don't follow their lead.

Firefox is calling NPAPI legacy already, so expect them to turn down the support dial in the foreseeable future.

They are essentially forcing us back to IE.

Derp.

 

[TB]

Most of my users are already rocking IE so as long as they don't do something stupid, I'm good.

 

[Dennisch]

I just hope that my streaming service will have its **** together before it all stops.

I already emailed them about it but I haven't received anything back yet.

 

[TRGTspecialist]

That doesn't change the fact that countless higher education facilities, just as one example, will but up 🤬 creek without Java support. Hence why I hope this is only a Chrome thing and the other major browsers don't follow their lead.

I'd imagine if push came to shove Oracle will have to change the Java plugin to support another API, such as PPAPI or NaCl (if they receive cross-browser support). Although I'm guessing Google's main objective with dropping NPAPI was to drop Java - given the security nightmare it's been - so anything Oracle does may just be prolonging the inevitible really.

 

[Dennisch]

In September Chrome will pause all Flash based website content to save battery life, and in addition to this, all content uploaded through Adwords is directly converted to HTML5.

 

[NLxAROSA]

Good, Flash needs to die. As for Java in the browser: that technology was obsolete a decade ago. If you're still using it you've got serious security issues, nobody should be using that anymore. Desktop/server is a different ballpark though.

 

[Barra333]

I just hope that my streaming service will have its **** together before it all stops.

I already emailed them about it but I haven't received anything back yet.

Since this thread has been bumped anyway, did you hear from Sport1? The same would apply to KPN online TV.

 

[Dennisch]

Since this thread has been bumped anyway, did you hear from Sport1? The same would apply to KPN online TV.

Nope. Not a word.

 

[Carlos]

Nope. Not a word.

They really have to fix this because I can't access Horizontv for too damn long! Though, this is only at work. I don't know where you use it Dennis but I assume you know how you can still enable Silverlight.

 

[Dennisch]

They really have to fix this because I can't access Horizontv for too damn long! Though, this is only at work. I don't know where you use it Dennis but I assume you know how you can still enable Silverlight.

Yup, I think it was @TB who showed me.

 

[Carlos]

Yup, I think it was @TB who showed me.

Oh yes I see now

A few months later

 

[Dennisch]

Well, that's it for Chrome. The option to enable is gone. And thus no more streaming in Chrome.

 

[Dennisch]

Small bump.

After Chrome and Microsoft Edge, Firefox will be dropping all support for plugins like Silverlight and Java at the end of 2016. Flash remains supported.

 

[NLxAROSA]

I wish they'd kill Flash too, it needs to die.