Older version of Chrome

[dauerbach]

So, I evidently ended up with the newest version of Chrome, as proven by the fact that the one web site I need, and which uses Java, is no longer functional. Is there a) a method to make Chrome 42 work with Java or b) download and use an older version of Chrome?

[engineer_comp_geek]

There’s a flag called //flags/#enable-npapi you can set to make it work (for now).

In April 2015 (Chrome 42) NPAPI support will be disabled by default in Chrome and we will unpublish extensions requiring NPAPI plugins from the Chrome Web Store. All NPAPI plugins will appear as if they are not installed, as they will not appear in the navigator.plugins list nor will they be instantiated (even as a placeholder). Although plugin vendors are working hard to move to alternate technologies, a small number of users still rely on plugins that haven’t completed the transition yet. We will provide an override for advanced users (via chrome://flags/#enable-npapi) and enterprises (via Enterprise Policy) to temporarily re-enable NPAPI (via the page action UI) while they wait for mission-critical plugins to make the transition. In addition, setting any of the plugin Enterprise policies (e.g. EnabledPlugins, PluginsAllowedForUrls) will temporarily re-enable NPAPI.

From here:
http://www.chromium.org/developers/npapi-deprecation

[dauerbach]

Good to know, but how do I perform the over rides?

[RealityChuck]

Type “Chrome://flags/#enable-npapi” in the address field and press enter. The flag will display. Click to enable. Shut down ALL instances of Chrome and it should work as soon as you reopen it.

This is only a temporary solution; Chrome will remove this flag by the end of the year. It’s a very old API (the “N” stands for “Netscape”) and Google has the right idea. Thery announced this two years ago, but Java hasn’t done anything.