[lug] adding java to mozilla on linux

[John Hernandez]

D. Stimits wrote:
 > I'm still confused about something though...what the heck is the good of
> having the "helper applications" in mozilla if I can't assign an
> application to a MIME type? Do all helper applications also require a
> plugin too? Or do they specifically operate only on specific filename
> extensions? I'm happy to have the application/x-java-vm working, but I'm
> really curious now just what the helper applications were intended for.
> 

Helpers are primarily external, standalone programs launched by the
browser.  In a common scenario, the browser will store the downloaded
file in a scratch area, and that path is then passed to the executable
as an argument.  Another way to use helpers would be to pass the URL
itself to the external program.  Lots of variations involving external
programs exist.  They don't require plugins.  They can usually be
triggered by MIME type and/or filename extensions, but if you have a
type mismatch, the helper app will probably just exit quietly.  I've
encountered these helper "back holes" before, where you click on a link
and...nothing.

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