Meta4 ClickOnce Launcher has been disabled on addons.mozilla.org

Add-ons addons.mozilla.org
#1

Hi,

We received some e-mail requesting more information regarding our extension. Our apologies if we have not provided the requested information before. When we were able to see the emails, the “Meta4 Clickonce Launcher” extension was already retired and the following url fails:

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/meta4clickoncelauncher/

Our extension allows you to run applications based on Microsoft’s ClickOnce technology. The extension intercepts the *.application request in the OnBeforeRequest to avoid the built-in Download Manager UI, to launch the ClickOnce app and to redirect the request to javascript:void() to cancel it silently. It is developed with WebExtension (Native Messaging) and all the source code has been provided when the extension was published. It is only available for Windows platform.

More information regarding ClickOnce:

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/deployment/clickonce-security-and-deployment?view=vs-2019

You can test it with the following url: https://bayden.com/test/clickonce/. It will download a test application that uses this technology (a SmartScreen warning could appears with the ClickOnce executable but that is unrelated to the extension).

We have the same extension for Chrome: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/meta4-clickonce-launcher/jkncabbipkgbconhaajbapbhokpbgkdc. Here are two bug thread in Chromium (with additional info): https://crbug.com/941653 and https://crbug.com/936754

There is no obfuscated code and the source code is available.

This information was added to the technical details section for the extension and the mails from the reviewers was answered. However, the extension is not yet listed.

Please, could you restore our extension in the gallery (addons.mozilla.org)?

Thank you very much

#2

Did you reply to the email? That’s the best way to get in touch with the reviewers and ask for a second look.

#3

We replied the reviewer’s email on 07/01 and there are no changes since then. So the extension is not yet available in the gallery.

I do not understand what is happening:

  • The extension was published in November 2017 (there was a problem in the publication process as can be seen in Issue with an add-on status).

  • The behavior of the extension is very basic: intercept requests (*.application resources) to launch applications with ClickOnce (Microsoft’s technology)

  • 18 months later a review is requested. For not responding in the margin of a few days, the extension is removed. We send the information and time after it is not yet restored.

  • There are other extensions available in the gallery that are CLONED from Meta4 ClickOnce Launcher (or PORTED from our Chrome extension). For example https://addons.mozilla.org/es/firefox/addon/breez-clickonce/

and our extension is not available in the gallery!!.

Please, could you restore our extension in the gallery?

Thank you very much

#4

It looks like last time you were requested to submit a new version along with the required information. That may be the quickest way to get your extension back up.

#5

Hi,

Several days ago we submit a new version (the only change is the version number) and now the extension is available again.

We don’t understand the submit of a new version without any changes (except the required version number) to get the extension available again. All remarks indicated in post # 3 remain valid.

Thanks