It's hard to install Chrome uProxy in China

[fortuna]

www.uproxy.org is accessible in China, but the Chrome Web Store is not, which prevents Chrome users from installing uProxy (Firefox doesn't have this problem).

We need to provide easy and clear alternatives to users.

For example, we could surface the files at https://github.com/uProxy/uproxy/releases through a direct link from the uProxy site, and explain how to manually install an extension. We probably want to server the .crx files to make it easier.

[bemasc]

See also #633

[jab]

see also

• https://groups.google.com/d/msg/uproxy-eng/_QerC3Z4ICM/bn07VYlSGgAJ
• https://github.com/uProxy/uproxy/wiki/Installing-from-GitHub:-Chrome
• #2193

[fortuna]

Thanks for the links

I was actually able to install without entering developer mode by dragging and dropping the files to the extension page, so we may be able to simplify the github installation instructions.

It seems we can host the extension outside the chrome store: https://developer.chrome.com/extensions/autoupdate#update_url

I'll take a look into it

[jab]

Awesome! Super psyched you're looking into this!

[fortuna]

Here is a strawman proposal:

• Provide extension and app and directly downloadable files from the Github release page
  • The manifest.json in those files must contain the key, otherwise the local installation doesn't work. (example user issue)
  • We should add "update_url":"https://clients2.google.com/service/update2/crx", to allow it to be auto-updated from the Web Store. I can see the manually loaded extension gets linked to the Web Store, but I haven't been able to see it auto-update yet.
  • I'll look into how we can modify the release process to support both items above.
• Provide guidance for manual installation from the uProxy install page. Summary:
  1. Open chrome://extensions in a separate window
  2. Download both files (could be triggered by a button click)
  3. Drag downloaded files and drop on the extensions window

It would be great if those instructions were also provided in Chinese (#2531)

[jab]

Your progress on this is truly fantastic.

Small amendment: We'll want to make the downloads available as files within actual GitHub repos, rather than as GitHub Release downloads. The latter are actually blocked in China but the former are not.

ref:

• https://groups.google.com/d/msg/uproxy-eng/7AUGXiM_XL0/BjlqknKgQgAJ
• uProxy/uproxy-windows-installer#4