[lug] Netscape/Mozilla plugins

[D. Stimits]

I asked about plugins a while back, nobody answered. I've had some
questions out on the the mozilla plugins usenet group as well, nobody is
answering. I'm trying to find out one basic fact about plugins, or maybe
the email address of someone I can pin down and ask:
Plugins appear to be designed to handle new MIME types; anything that
looks for a MIME type handler will search for plugins if the ability
isn't built-in...but is it possible to trigger plugins in other ways,
such that plugins can be used to augment/supplement/customize existing
features?

A sample would be that I'd like my "reply-to" button to check for given
reply addresses, and if it sees one, pop up a menu and ask if I'd like
to switch to some other reply address.

Another sample, I'd like to create a PostegreSQL address book and
bookmarks menu, vastly more searchable and categorizable. One odd
alteration I would also like to do is add CORBA support to this, and
possibly to the mail box itself (and thus any mail client could use the
same data if it could reach the program).

But neither of the above are MIME handlers. Both of the above would
require hooks into non-MIME handler parts of the browser/email client.

If nobody knows the answer to this, can anyone give me the email address
of someone who knows plugin programming sufficiently well to answer if
the above are foolish ideas or if they are possible?

D. Stimits, stimits at idcomm.com