How to remove/uninstall OpenH264 plugin in Firefox 33?

Question

I don't want any plugins installed in Firefox. I always keep it plugin free.

I just updated Ubuntu and it brought Firefox 33, which now has a plugin installed :(

How can I uninstall this plugin?

Answer 1

I found the answer on Reddit. Many users experienced system crashes after updating to Gnome 3.14. They discovered that it was being caused by Firefox plugins (even when said plugins were disabled!). Uninstalling the plugins fixed the crashes.

To prevent the OpenH264 plugin, disable the about:config setting that allows it to be downloaded from the provider. This can be done by setting the following about:config setting to 'false':

media.gmp-gmpopenh264.provider.enabled

Here's a quick reference:

1) open firefox

2) in URL-bar, type 'about:config'

3) search for media.gmp-gmpopenh264.provider.enabled

4) double-click the entry to change its value to false

Answer 2

Short answer

You can't, but you can disable it in the plug-in configuration pane.

Long answer

If you really want to, you can find the relevant patches, revert them, and compile Firefox yourself. There may even be a build time configuration option to disable it.