Bug 128946 – Webkit no longer loads latest Oracle Java plugin on OS X 10.9

• Component: Java
• Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX

Created attachment 224451 [details]
Sample Xcode project that demonstrates Java failure in Webkit

I have a 64-bit Cocoa Webview application that used to play Java applets using the Oracle Java plugin under OS X 10.7.3 - 10.9. At some point this stopped working, presumably with one of the updates to Webkit or the Oracle plugin. I am running the latest version of the OS, the plugin, Safari/Webkit, and Xcode, with all updates. Everything is enabled (Java, plugins, etc.) for the Webview.

What happens now is that there is only blank space where an applet should appear, and there are no prompts or errors of any kind. I am testing with applets at the Oracle Java website and at javatester.org. I have tried other Cocoa Webview apps and they exhibit the same problem. This occurs regardless of server, applet, or plugin settings in System Preferences.

I am aware of the recent increased security issues with Java. I am able to get both Safari and Firefox to use the Oracle Java plugin on my system, provided the browser preferences and the Oracle plugin preferences are managed properly.

Interestingly, if the plugin preferences are NOT set to enable Java for browsers, then both Safari and Firefox act just like my own app, displaying only blank space for the applet with no prompts or errors. This would seem to indicate that the plugin is somehow being prevented from loading in a standard Cocoa Webview.  I cannot find any Webkit application other than Safari that will load the latest Oracle Java plugin.

Since my application relies on Webkit for all Java interaction, and I have Java enabled so that applets run in Safari and Firefox, and I can reproduce the problem on other OS X systems using other Webkit-based applications, I conclude that something must have changed either in the plugin or in Webkit to break Java applets or the plugin loading process.

As an OS X developer, I have checked everything I can find and researched the problem to no avail.  I can provide sample code, logs, system reports, or whatever else may be needed.

Any advice on what to check?  Is this verifiable on your end?  I have attached a sample Xcode project demonstrating the problem.

I have also confirmed that the problem can be reproduced with the Minibrowser app that's built as part of the WebKit open source.

I have confirmed that when the Minibrowser app is configured to use WebKit2, Java works.  So, the bug is apparently limited to WebKit.  Has there been some kind of configuration change that might have caused Java to stop working with the WebKit.framework on OS X?

[Ahmad Saleem]

NPAPI support has been removed and Java was disabled before even Flash since Safari 12. Can this be marked as "RESOLVED WONTFIX"? Thanks!