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I'm not willing to install another browser plugin to enable video chat anymore.

Until video chat works without plugins I'm using the standalone apps.

I know chrome bundles the hangouts plugin. I wish it didn't and worked without plugins.

Chrome doesn't bundle a plugin for hangouts, they use WebRTC. They use the plugin on other browsers that don't have WebRTC.

No, they use a bunch of nonstandard extensions to WebRTC that basically amounts to the plugin. This is why the plugin is required on Firefox, even though it supports WebRTC.

https://webrtchacks.com/hangout-analysis-philipp-hancke/

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