blog/data/2013-01-18-debian-browserplugin.txt

   1 Title: How to find a browser plugin supporting a given MIME type
   2 Tags: english, debian
   3 Date: 2013-01-18 10:40
   4
   5 <p>Some times I try to figure out which Iceweasel browser plugin to
   6 install to get support for a given MIME type.  Thanks to
   7 <a href="https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MozillaTeam/Plugins">specifications
   8 done by Ubuntu</a> and Mozilla, it is possible to do this in Debian.
   9 Unfortunately, not very many packages provide the needed meta
  10 information, Anyway, here is a small script to look up all browser
  11 plugin packages announcing ther MIME support using this specification:</p>
  12
  13 <pre>
  14 #!/usr/bin/python
  15 import sys
  16 import apt
  17 def pkgs_handling_mimetype(mimetype):
  18     cache = apt.Cache()
  19     cache.open(None)
  20     thepkgs = []
  21     for pkg in cache:
  22         version = pkg.candidate
  23         if version is None:
  24             version = pkg.installed
  25         if version is None:
  26             continue
  27         record = version.record
  28         if not record.has_key('Npp-MimeType'):
  29             continue
  30         mime_types = record['Npp-MimeType'].split(',')
  31         for t in mime_types:
  32             t = t.rstrip().strip()
  33             if t == mimetype:
  34                 thepkgs.append(pkg.name)
  35     return thepkgs
  36 mimetype = "audio/ogg"
  37 if 1 < len(sys.argv):
  38     mimetype = sys.argv[1]
  39 print "Browser plugin packages supporting %s:" % mimetype
  40 for pkg in pkgs_handling_mimetype(mimetype):
  41     print "  %s" %pkg
  42 </pre>
  43
  44 <p>It can be used like this to look up a given MIME type:</p>
  45
  46 <pre>
  47 % ./apt-find-browserplug-for-mimetype
  48 Browser plugin packages supporting audio/ogg:
  49   gecko-mediaplayer
  50 % ./apt-find-browserplug-for-mimetype application/x-shockwave-flash
  51 Browser plugin packages supporting application/x-shockwave-flash:
  52   browser-plugin-gnash
  53 %
  54 </pre>
  55
  56 <p>In Ubuntu this mechanism is combined with support in the browser
  57 itself to query for plugins and propose to install the needed
  58 packages.  It would be great if Debian supported such feature too.  Is
  59 anyone working on adding it?</p>
  60
  61 <p><strong>Update 2013-01-18 14:20</strong>: The Debian BTS
  62 request for icweasel support for this feature is
  63 <a href="http://bugs.debian.org/484010">#484010</a> from 2008 (and
  64 <a href="http://bugs.debian.org/698426">#698426</a> from today).  Lack
  65 of manpower and wish for a different design is the reason thus feature
  66 is not yet in iceweasel from Debian.</p>