[CALUG] Plugins for firefox?

[Edward D. Browne]

Is it just me, or is there something brain-dead about this whole browser
plugin thing?  Using Firefox 2.0.0.1 (but I think this happens with all/most
browser/version), I'm sure you've all had this experience, for certain spots
in certain webpages where you don't have the needed plugin, it shows you the
little green jigsaw puzzle piece.  If you click on it, it claims to go
looking
for plugins to install.  But it doesn't seem to have any way of knowing
the plugin that's needed *for that web page* (although it does waste your
time finding other, unrelated plugins, which it usually is not able to
install
automatically anyway.)  Sorta the web-browser equivalent of the (from the
old Unix 'fortune') car with the single red idiot light with a question
mark, the
point being, when it lights up, anyone who knows his car will know what
it's
trying to tell you.  Even if I ignore this useless feature - how do I
find out
what plugin I do need (other than poring over the HTML source, which may
not even be decipherable by me)?  I see the option in "about:" where I
can stop
it from prompting me for plugins to download, but how about the option where
it tells me what plugin is needed?

Thanks - Ed