Problems with Video Downloadhelper with Google Chrome

[Mohsen Kadkhoda]

Dear Friends,

I have a question concerning installation o Video DownloadHelper on a new MacBook within Google Chorme. I have purchased a Licence. Now I am trying to approve the licence and Video DownloadHelper  the System tells me to install supporting application but my Mac Book does not allow me to download the pkg file. The dmg file I could successfully download and install it on the macbook. 

What is it all about the supporting application? 

Why is it necessary?

And If I can not install both apllication pkg and dmg what can i do to use video downloadhelper as before?

Thank you for your assistance

[Wild Willy]

I don't know anything about Mac so I'll have to leave those questions for others.  But I can answer one of your questions.  The "supporting application" as you call it is actually named the Companion Application, affectionately known around here as the CoApp.  The CoApp came into existence a couple, 3, 4 years ago, I forget the exact timing.  There was a certain release of Firefox, I believe it was 57, also called Quantum, when Mozilla decided to completely change the rules for browser extensions.  I'm not a programmer of browser extensions so I'm not sure about what all changed.  Plus I don't work for VDH, so I'm coming at things as just another user, like you.  I've never seen the code of VDH & the CoApp.  I doubt I'd understand it anyway.  It is my understanding that browser extensions suddenly were no longer permitted to write data to files on the user's system.  Well, writing files on your system is the main function of VDH.  To get around this annoying new restriction, Michel invented the CoApp.  There is some interprocess communication between the VDH browser extension & the CoApp, which runs as a regular task on your system, independent of the browser.  VDH tells the CoApp to go get your selected video & it writes the file to your system.  I know it seems a bit convoluted but this was forced on us by Mozilla.  There is some multimedia content you can find on the web that doesn't necessarily need the CoApp.  For such content, you can tell VDH to use the browser itself to do the download.  The browser is allowed to access your file system.  Extensions can't, but the browser can.  Silly but true.  However, it's getting rarer that you can find stuff that doesn't need the CoApp.  I use the CoApp for everything & I recommend everybody do so.  You really shouldn't be concerned about what the CoApp does.  It's safe.  Don't be afraid of it.

I hope some Mac users come in here to answer your other questions.

[Wild Willy]

One other point.  Since Firefox required this CoApp architecture, Michel ported this way of doing things to the other browsers.  It's really not practical to support radically different code on the different browsers when the same code can work on all the supported browsers (Firefox, Chrome, Edge).

[jcv...@gmail.com]

Hi Mohsen,

Sorry I don't understand why you can't download the .pkg file.

Sometimes on Mac you can have a warning message, here is how to install : Open a Mac app from an unidentified developer - Apple Support

Your Chrome license is still valid.

jerome