I haven't come across any other examples in a web search, but wondered if anyone else has had similar troubles.
When I updated to Java 8 update 181, it broke all java plugin functionality in older versions of Firefox (i.e. version 52 ESR and earlier, the only ones which support NPAPI/Java plugins any more). Firefox did not acknowledge the plugin (libnpjp2.so) in the config page about:plugins, despite me linking / copying it to every firefox/plugin folder I could find. I'm not saavy enough to have yet figured out why specifically Firefox would not load u181, yet loads earlier java version plugins without difficulty. If anyone can direct me to firefox logs or other resources that provide debugging clues, I'm grateful.
After spending way too much time troubleshooting I finally just reverted (clumsily) to a prior version of Java 8 and everything was back to normal.
This problem was involved in Firefox versions 47, 51, and 52.9.0 ESR. Linux Mint 17.2. Java u111 reversion makes everything work fine again, though I did not have the inclination to try multiple java versions and find out exactly which one breaks the plugin.
Before anyone decides to get preachy about the use of outdated software, versions just let me say, I have no choice in the matter and need it for work. I would love nothing more than to be able to rely solely on the latest firefox and not deal with any vulnerable plug-ins or documented security holes.
If anyone has found a graceful way to make u181 work after experiencing this same problem, I'd be grateful for any tips.
Thanks!!
Java 8 update 181 breaks Firefox
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Java 8 update 181 breaks Firefox
Last edited by LockBot on Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Java 8 update 181 breaks Firefox
Didn't Firefox 52 ESR reach end of support 2 months ago?
Perhaps give Waterfox a try. That is a Firefox fork that still supports NPAPI plugins. You'll probably like it. You can download a .deb file for installation from their web page https://www.waterfoxproject.org/en-US/waterfox/desktop/. I'm not sure if it will work on Linux Mint 17.x but give it a try. There is an unofficial PPA also but for that you need to be at least on Linux Mint 18 (Ubuntu 16.04): https://hawkeye116477.github.io/waterfox-deb/
Perhaps give Waterfox a try. That is a Firefox fork that still supports NPAPI plugins. You'll probably like it. You can download a .deb file for installation from their web page https://www.waterfoxproject.org/en-US/waterfox/desktop/. I'm not sure if it will work on Linux Mint 17.x but give it a try. There is an unofficial PPA also but for that you need to be at least on Linux Mint 18 (Ubuntu 16.04): https://hawkeye116477.github.io/waterfox-deb/
