Installing Moonlight? Extracting .crx files?

13.04 firefox 64-bit chromium moonlight

10,673

If you point Firefox to http://www.mono-project.com/Moonlight/, get to the download page and click on download after selecting the 64bit architecture, it will automatically install the extension.

Chrome/Chromium/Iron, on the other hand, will prevent the .crx extension to be installed automatically.

In this case, after you have downloaded the .crx file from the Moonlight download page (using Chrome), go to the Tools | Extensions configuration page, and then drag the .crx file onto the Chrome extensions page. It will ask for your permission to install the extension.

The .xpi extension package "is simply a ZIP file containing the extension files", so you can open it just like any other .zip file. Note that you might need to change the extension of the file to .zip, depending on the method you use to extract the files.

One simple way to extract the contents of a downloaded .xpi, is with the use Midnight Commander, which can be easily installed:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install mc

Navigate to the folder where the file has been downloaded and it can be opened like a folder and its contents copied out with F5.

10,673

charlie

Fell in love with the "Gutsy Gibbon", and the romance continued through the "Hardy Heron"... Now, after many on and off flings, got into the "Quantal Quetzal" and moved on to the "Raring Ringtail"...and the bond intensifies with the "Saucy Salamander". Continued on the "Trusty Tahr", the "Utopic Unicorn", and the "Vivid Vervet" for as long as I could. Now on a hiatus, hoping to delve into the magical world again soon...

Updated on September 18, 2022

Comments

charlie over 1 year

I am trying to install moonlight on my 13.04 64-bit ubuntu system. I am using chromium as my main browser and firefox as backup.

I read that to install the moonlight downloaded .crx file in chromium, first I have to extract the .crx contents.

Can someone help me with the how-to to extract .crx file?

Also, is there an easier way of installing moonlight? And would my install cater to both of my browsers?
- Shaharil Ahmad over 10 years
  
  you can also try the latest, Pipelight
charlie almost 11 years

Once done installing, one can check if the silverlight functionality is working on the browser by using the tests on the page bubblemark.com. Particularly the "Silverlight 3.0 (CLR, CacheMode="BitmapCache") new" test to check the SIlverlight 3.0
BlueBomber almost 11 years

As of July 7, 2013, the link you give for Firefox is broken (403: Forbidden).
Braiam over 10 years

Why the use of Midnight Commander when xpi files are just zipped directiries?
carnendil over 10 years

@Braiam: Thank you for your comment. I put mc for no reason other than simplicity. I have updated my answer to reflect the fact that any method to open a .zip file is valid.