Common handling of browser plugins?

[Fabian Greffrath <fabian@ep1.rub.de>]

Dear Debian developers!

At the time of this writing I have 3 packages installed that provide a
plugin for Mozilla-compatible browsers. 

These are:
- flashplugin-nonfree
- totem-mozilla
- java-gjc-compat-plugin

(1) As you can see, each of these packages follows a different naming
pattern which makes it difficult for the user to find the browser plugin
of his needs. I suggest to introduce a suffix which will be added to the
package name and makes clear that it contains a plugin. My suggestions
are 'foo-mozilla' or even better 'foo-browserplugin'.

(2) Another fact that disturbes my is that all of these packages contain
different plugin directories for the different browsers in Debian. 

These are:
flashplugin-nonfree: 	/usr/lib/mozilla/plugins
			/usr/lib/mozilla-firefox/plugins
			/usr/lib/firefox/plugins

totem-mozilla:		/usr/lib/xulrunner/plugins
			/usr/lib/mozilla/plugins
			/usr/lib/firefox/plugins

java-gjc-compat-plugin:	/usr/lib/mozilla/plugins
			/usr/lib/mozilla-firefox/plugins
			/usr/lib/mozilla-snapshot/plugins

Please note the fact, that these directories are empty in the
flashplugin-nonfree and java-gjc-compat-plugin packages. The plugins are
linked in the postinst script via the alternatives system in the
java-gjc-compat-plugin package. In the flashplugin-nonfree package, the
plugin is downloaded in postinst via update-flashplugin and then linked
into the directories. 
In the totem-mozilla package, all linking is done before packaging, so
all the directories already contain the plugin.
I think a consensus should be found which plugin directories are to be
included in the package and how/when the plugin should be linked into
these directories.

(3) Another thing in which all those packages differ is the
recommendation and suggestion of compatible browsers:

flashplugin-nonfree 	suggests: mozilla-browser (>= 2:1.1) |
mozilla-firefox | firefox

totem-mozilla		recommends: epiphany-browser | www-browser

java-gjc-compat-plugin	does not recommend or suggest any browser

In my opinion this should be matched, too.

Thank you!

Nice greetings,
Fabian Greffrath
-- 
Fabian Greffrath
Institut für Experimentalphysik I
Ruhr-Universität Bochum
D-44780 Bochum

Raum:  NB 2/28
Tel.:  +49(234)32-27691
Fax:   +49(234)32-14170
Email: fabian@ep1.rub.de