My Browser Builds (Part 4)

**basilisk-dev** · November 6, 2023

Basilisk releases use the date for the version, for example "2023.11.05" is the most recent release of Basilisk. Basilisk release builds are compiled with "export BASILISK_VERSION=1" in the .mozconfig.

Internally Basilisk releases present themselves to addons as "52.9.date" rather than just "date". This ensures that Basilisk works with extensions that were developed for Firefox 52.

The 52.9.date internal version as well as the date version number comes from the confvars.sh shell script: https://repo.palemoon.org/Basilisk-Dev/Basilisk/src/branch/master/basilisk/confvars.sh

You can also set BASILISK_VERSION to a date if you want to specify a date. For example, if you do "export BASILISK_VERSION=2023.12.01" then the Basilisk version number will be 2023.12.01. This functionality is in the above shell script as well.

If "export BASILISK_VERSION=1" is not present in the .mozconfig then the version defaults to 52.9.0. This is the reason that Serpent uses 52.9.0 as the release number.

52.9.0 comes from the txt files in the basilisk/config directory:https://repo.palemoon.org/Basilisk-Dev/Basilisk/src/branch/master/basilisk/config

Edited November 6, 2023 by basilisk-dev

**luweitest** · November 7, 2023

I am learning IPA and find a good site: http://web.uvic.ca/ling/data/IPAlab/IPAlab.htm

The site works in Serpent 52, i.e. clicking a phonetic symbol will play the sound. Then I'd like to have it offline on my PC, so I download the site using HTTrack. But the downloaded site do not work: it shows "A Quick Time player will launch here to play the sound files." at the bottom.

What could be the cause? For downloaded site, the URL becomes "file:///...", which I don't know if it is relevant.

**grey_rat** · November 7, 2023

luweitest, install VLC player and/or VLC plugin. Set associations for mp3 in about:preferences#applications

I checked it works

Check out this extension as well, maybe it will suit you https://addons.mozilla.org/ru/firefox/addon/singlefile-esr-52/

**luweitest** · November 8, 2023

3 hours ago, grey_rat said:

luweitest, install VLC player and/or VLC plugin. Set associations for mp3 in about:preferences#applications

I checked it works

Check out this extension as well, maybe it will suit you https://addons.mozilla.org/ru/firefox/addon/singlefile-esr-52/

I haven't tried VLC, but if it works, why setting associations for mp3 in about:preferences#applications to Windows Player does not work, and the original online version works anyway?

The singlefile addon do not work (mp3 files not downloaded); it is not capable as HTTrack, a true site copier.

The mp3 play is initiated by a javascipt link: javascript:PlaySound(a,b), which is :

<SCRIPT language=JavaScript>

<!--

function PlaySound(Sound,fileName)

{

	var p=top.player.document;

	p.write('<html><head></head><body bgcolor="#000000" leftmargin="0" topmargin="0">');

	p.write('<table width="90%" border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" align="center"><tr><td align="right" valign="middle" width="70%">');

	p.write('<font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2" color="#ffcc00"><b>You are listening to:</b> "',fileName,'".</font>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;');

	p.write('</td><td align="center" valign="middle" width="30%">');

	p.write('<OBJECT CLASSID="clsid:02BF25D5-8C17-4B23-BC80-D3488ABDDC6B" WIDTH="200"HEIGHT="16" CODEBASE="http://www.apple.com/qtactivex/qtplugin.cab">');

	p.write('<PARAM name="SRC" VALUE=',Sound,'>');

	p.write('<PARAM name="AUTOPLAY" VALUE="true">');

	p.write('<PARAM name="CONTROLLER" VALUE="true">');

	p.write('<embed src=',Sound,' height="16" width="200" autoplay="true" PLUGINSPAGE="http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/">');

	p.write('</embed>');

	p.write('</td></tr></table></body></html>');

	p.close();

}

//-->

  </SCRIPT>

Edited November 8, 2023 by luweitest

**Mathwiz** · November 8, 2023

I'm no Javascript expert, but I think all that code does is write out an HTML page.

The key, I think, is in these snippets from the HTML page it writes:

That looks to me like it uses Apple's QuickTime plug-in to play the audio - hence the message you reported getting. (It's also very old code: http: not https:.) At one time, QuickTime was very popular, but I haven't seen it used in years. Seeing this today is about as surprising as seeing a site that still uses Adobe Flash.

Apple still provides QuickTime but no longer supports it, and the latest version requires Windows Vista or 7. If you have XP, ~~I'm not sure where you might find~~ the last XP-compatible QuickTime version appears to be version 7.6: https://support.apple.com/kb/dl762?locale=en_US

Now, why VLC works, I have no idea, unless it emulates the QuickTime plug-in somehow. Nevertheless that sounds to me like your best option.

Edited November 8, 2023 by Mathwiz

**Mathwiz** · November 8, 2023

@roytam1: I seem to have encountered a small bug in Serpent 55, version 2023.10.26. File downloads never complete when using the "open file" option. The file seems to download, but once it "should" be completely downloaded, the download freezes. The downloaded file shows 0 bytes in the temporary directory. You can't even cancel the download except by closing the browser.

"Open file" is one of the conveniences FF-derived browsers like Serpent provide over Chromium-based browsers. It downloads to your temporary directory, opens the file, then (if the file isn't still open) deletes it for you when you close the browser, so it would be nice if this worked.

Downloads via an add-on, such as DownThemAll, work fine. Serpent 55 version 2023.10.06 also works fine, so the bug seems to have crept in quite recently.

Trying to download the 7-Zip installer is a simple way to reproduce the bug. On 2023.10.06 the installer downloads, runs, and installs 7-Zip. On 2023.10.26 the installer downloads, but then the download freezes as described above.

**grey_rat** · November 8, 2023

Quote

I haven't tried VLC, but if it works, why setting associations for mp3 in about:preferences#applications to Windows Player does not work, and the original online version works anyway?

there is an error in the plugin

VLC work offline

It’s better to install the 2.2.8 plugin, it has fewer errors than 3.0

Edited November 8, 2023 by grey_rat

**dmiranda** · November 8, 2023

17 hours ago, grey_rat said:

Check out this extension as well, maybe it will suit you https://addons.mozilla.org/ru/firefox/addon/singlefile-esr-52/

Interesting. I've been using singlefile-1.18.25-an+fx, from ff addons, two or three versions down, the reason being that it's the last that allows me to check the settings. Now, those settings are in browser-extension-data folder. But it would be nice to have something more up to day. The the question: what version is this ESR version forking from. Thanks!

**mina7601** · November 8, 2023

12 hours ago, Mathwiz said:

the last XP-compatible QuickTime version appears to be version 7.6: https://support.apple.com/kb/dl762?locale=en_US

No, it's not. The last XP-compatible QuickTime version is 7.7.6.

**VistaLover** · November 8, 2023

12 hours ago, Mathwiz said:

and the latest version requires Windows Vista or 7

... QT Player v7.7.9 (file version 7.79.80.95) for Windows is the last one Apple released for installation under Vista SP2/Windows 7 SP1; the EXE setup has a SHA1 digital signature from way back in Dec 16th, 2015, so quite outdated ; that same installer won't even work on Win10+, unless you hack it yourself ...

Since the recent discussion here was about the QT browser plugin, even that isn't installed by default:

Quote

The QuickTime web browser plug-in is no longer installed by default and is removed if you have a previous version of QuickTime on your PC. If you still need this legacy plug-in, you can add it back using the custom setup option in the installer.

My Serpent 52.9.0 copy does pick up the QT-v7.7.9 browser plugins under both "about:addons => Plugins" and "about:plugins", but, since I have now no actual use for it inside my browser (for online content), I have it permanently disabled :whistle: ...

**grey_rat** · November 8, 2023

If you wish, you can try to launch YouTube with QT plugin. https://addons.mozilla.org/ru/firefox/addon/viewtube/

You may have to configure or install codecs, it works with WMP and VLC
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-6MczEoa6I

dmiranda, 1.22.19 work in MyPal 68 https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/single-file/

SingleFile Legacy - is actually just an old version of Singlefile, approximately v1.20

Edited November 8, 2023 by grey_rat

**roytam1** · November 8, 2023

18 hours ago, Mathwiz said:

@roytam1: I seem to have encountered a small bug in Serpent 55, version 2023.10.26. File downloads never complete when using the "open file" option. The file seems to download, but once it "should" be completely downloaded, the download freezes. The downloaded file shows 0 bytes in the temporary directory. You can't even cancel the download except by closing the browser.

"Open file" is one of the conveniences FF-derived browsers like Serpent provide over Chromium-based browsers. It downloads to your temporary directory, opens the file, then (if the file isn't still open) deletes it for you when you close the browser, so it would be nice if this worked.

Downloads via an add-on, such as DownThemAll, work fine. Serpent 55 version 2023.10.06 also works fine, so the bug seems to have crept in quite recently.

Trying to download the 7-Zip installer is a simple way to reproduce the bug. On 2023.10.06 the installer downloads, runs, and installs 7-Zip. On 2023.10.26 the installer downloads, but then the download freezes as described above.

please also test build 20231014 and 20231021

**luweitest** · November 9, 2023

@grey_rat @Mathwiz

I installed VLC and it still do not work. Did you test on the downloaded offline page or on the original site? My problem is, the original site works OK, even I do NOT have VLC installed, nor Quicktime, although it claims Quicktime is needed (I wonder how Serpent 52 achieved this); But if I download the site, and open it as "file:///D:/download/IPAlab/IPAlab.html", then nothing happens when clicking the phonetic symbol.

I also tried using Minibrowser (chromium 87), the same result. Do browsers prevent local web pages from playing audio?

**VistaLover** · November 9, 2023

10 hours ago, luweitest said:

But if I download the site, and open it as
"file:///D:/download/IPAlab/IPAlab.html",
then nothing happens when clicking the phonetic symbol.

I also tried using Minibrowser (chromium 87), the same result.
Do browsers prevent local web pages from playing audio?

Actually, something relevant was discussed a few pages back:

On 10/15/2023 at 4:45 PM, VistaLover said:

On 10/14/2023 at 9:26 PM, UCyborg said:

Download link for the curious, needs to be extracted in the folder of an actual web server
as browsers' security protocols prevent access to certain resources through file:///.

It loads without "an actual web server", if file "Lights.html" is drag-n-dropped on a Serpent 52 New Tab, provided you temporarily disable (from true to false) "security.fileuri.strict_origin_policy" pref:

On 10/17/2023 at 3:38 AM, UCyborg said:

Looks like Chromium way is --allow-file-access-from-files command-line parameter.

I don't have HTTrack installed here, so can't test now on your behalf :whistle: ...

**VistaLover** · November 9, 2023

@roytam1 : This week, upstream have merged some additional "aspects" of UXP#2346 ; since we've kept EME in our tree, am I right to assume those upstream commits should be exempted from merging?

FWIW, some few sites do still use ClearKey (soft) encryption, also part of EME; some other sites delivering both Clear and DRM'd media content would not load at all if they sniff out the browser doesn't support EME/DRM; so, even if used solely as an indication of "sites-requiring-Widevine", I still feel keeping the (mostly broken) DRM implementation in Serpent 52 is a "good" thing...

Also, UXP#2281 is being pushed; will that impact buildability/NT<6.1 compatibility for "you"?

Thanks for your stupendous efforts :worship: ...

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My Browser Builds (Part 4)

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