Missing plugins.

[Stewards enquiry]

I have just installed Firefox and on some pages it tells me to install missing plugins. Anybody know what this means and if I install will my computer go wrong. :fizz

[Win2Win]

Duno, never had that problem with it, unless it's looking for Flash, or something.

[GlosRFC]

Could be anything, depending on what pages you were looking at. Do you know which plugin it was specifically asking for?

Plugins allow you to view other web technology software and are mostly invisible to the user as the plugins are only loaded when you visit a web page that is trying to deliver content to you. The most common plugins are for things like Flash, Shockwave, Real Player, Acrobat, Quicktime, Java and Windows Media Player. These are all pretty standard so you shouldn't have any problems installing them and most will also have a security certificate for added peace of mind.

There are also some less-common plugins available such as viewers for Word, Excel, SVG, and HyperStudio. I wouldn't expect too many problems with these either and again they'll usually have a security certificate.

In addition to plugins you can also get extensions. Unlike plugins, these actually alter the way your browser functions and add new menu items or buttons to your browser. The most common are things like spelling dictionaries, ad blockers, download managers etc. Although you can install most of these without any problems, they tend not to be as well-supported as the major plugins. Some will possess a security certificate but not all.

Finally you can also download themes. These actually change the way your browser looks by altering the default colour schemes and graphics. Most of these are written by individuals and are unsupported. You won't get a security certificate with any of these.

So if you're going to get any problems it's more likely to be with themes rather than with plugins.

[Stewards enquiry]

Thanks for that reply. Most helpful.