Plug-Ins v. Extensions

Examples of extensions

DownThemAll & Firebug (Firefox), Google Voice extension (Chrome), & Let There Be Comic Sans (Safari)

Examples of common plug-ins

Macromedia flash, Microsoft silver light, apple QuickTime, & adobe reader

What a plug-in cannot do

Plugins have to either handle a mime type or be embedded into a web page.

When not to use a plug-in

There are no really good ways to install browser plugins that will work 100% of the time

What an extension can do

They can add onto the browser UI, process pages that the browser loads.

What is the purpose of plug-in

To support easily adding new features

Why most graphics & audio programs support plug-ins today

a convenient way to expand the capabilities of a program

Define Plug-ins

a software component that adds a specific feature to an existing software application.

Another name for extensions

add-ons