Google Gears does not install on Prism

[Nicola Ferralis]

Binary package hint: prism

Using Ubuntu 8.04.1, fully updated. Package: 0.8+svn20071115r8030-0ubuntu3

Google Gears allows offline caching of documents (similarly Google Reader offers offline feeds). Unfortunately Prism is not supported by Google Gears, which will not install. Being the same as Firefox 3.0 I think the installation is prevented because the browser string "prism" is not supported by Google (it probably accepts only firefox).

Since Prism claim to be akin of a standalone program, lacking offline support provided by Google Gears is a major limitation.

[Nicola Ferralis (feranick)]

Binary package hint: prism

Using Ubuntu 8.04.1, fully updated. Package: 0.8+svn20071115r8030-0ubuntu3

Google Gears allows offline caching of documents (similarly Google Reader offers offline feeds). Unfortunately Prism is not supported by Google Gears, which will not install. Being the same as Firefox 3.0 I think the installation is prevented because the browser string "prism" is not supported by Google (it probably accepts only firefox).

Since PRism claim to be akin of a standalone program, lacking offline support provided by Google Gears is a major limitation.

[Nicola Ferralis (feranick)]

Upstream bug report:

https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=444271

[Matthew-gertner (matthew-gertner)]

*** Bug 435794 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

[Nicola Ferralis (feranick)]

A possible workaround is to install the Prism extension to Firefox 3 (instead of the full Prism). This allows Google Gears to be properly installed. Prism as a standalone is really not necessary if Firefox is installed.

[Nicola Ferralis (feranick)]

The Prism extension is available here:

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/6665

[Fabien Tassin (fta)]

In my PPA, you have a pretty fresh Prism now containing the add-on. It's well integrated to Firefox 3.
Too bad it's late for Intrepid.

AFAIK, the desktop file that is created by this Prism addon do need the standalone Prism, otherwise i don't see the point as it would mean launching the full browser.

There proper fix would be to package Gears in Ubuntu and teach it to support Prism.
I suggest you add it to the wiki so someone gets to the job: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MozillaTeam/Extensions/List

[John Bradley Bulsterbaum (infinitelink)]

I would also call this a bug, as otherwise gDocs never truly becomes a standalone web/desktop app; people actually like having them separate from their browswers so things like crashing of one tab interrupt work and such.

[Andrew Abogado (andrewabogado)]

Sorry if I post this here. But I do agree with Fabien Tassin for Prism is a standalone app.

[Nicola Ferralis (feranick)]

Still doesn't work using Mozilla's own version of Prism in latest version (0.9).

[Matthew-gertner (matthew-gertner)]

See http://otaqui.com/blog/382/enable-google-gears-and-offline-gmail-for-mozilla-prism/. Looks like it's just a question of modifying install.rdf. I'll confirm and see if there's some way I can file this as a Gears bug.

[Matthew-gertner (matthew-gertner)]

Ok I filed a Gears bug: http://code.google.com/p/gears/issues/detail?id=811

[Andrei Dziahel (develop7)]

Well, of course it won't install, just because Gears' manifest doesn't have any references to Prism. But if you'll edit .xpi file as shown at http://douglasjmeyer.blogspot.com/2008/09/google-gears-in-prism.html, you'll be able to install it. And it works. For me, at least

[Andreamonni (andreamonni)]

Looks like that you patch for Gears has been accepted (http://code.google.com/p/gears/issues/detail?id=704)

Do you have any idea if and when it'll be integrated in the official Gears distribution?

[Matthew-gertner (matthew-gertner)]

No idea. That depends on Google, not us.

[Andreamonni (andreamonni)]

I know it depends on Google, I was just wondering whether you had any feedback from them or they just accepted the patch and didn't say anything.

[Matthew-gertner (matthew-gertner)]

The latter. I didn't get any bugmail or anything.

[Siegfried Gevatter (rainct)]

This is a bug in Google Gears, not in Prism, so I'm closing it.

FYI, Stefan Lesicnik is working on packaging Google Gears for Ubuntu (expect it to be available in Karmic). The packages version will have both support for 64-bit Ubuntu and for Prism :).

[Matthew-gertner (matthew-gertner)]

*** Bug 493419 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

[Andreamonni (andreamonni)]

Shouldn't this be marked as WONTFIX?

[Matthew-gertner (matthew-gertner)]

Ok I closed this. I'm not sure what the status is with the latest version of Gears, but it really is a Gears issue, not a Prism issue (unless we were to decide to impersonate Firefox).