Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Flash 7 for Linux Released

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the long-time-coming dept.

molarmass192 writes "Looks like Macromedia has finally made good on their word and provided Linux with a current version of Flash player. Improvements over Flash 6 include a speed boost and support for SOAP. Here's the requisite download link. I took a few seconds to get it set up and the response is noticeably snappier than version 6. In particular, the audio/video sync problems in version 6 seems to have been taken care of. Now, I wonder where they hid that Shockwave player for Linux?"

57 of 471 comments (clear)

  1. Finally! by mrbarkeeper · · Score: 5, Funny

    Looks like those Linux users finally get all the fun.

  2. Now if only... by Atrax · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ... they'd release the authoring tool in a Linux version?

    --
    Screw you all! I'm off to the pub
    1. Re:Now if only... by cujo_1111 · · Score: 3, Funny

      It works under WINE :)

      But seriously, is there enough of a market to justify the cost of a code port to Linux?

      --
      If I point out that you are incorrect, making me a foe does not make you any more correct.
    2. Re:Now if only... by Anonvmous+Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      ".. they'd release the authoring tool in a Linux version?"

      Hate to sound like I'm trolling here, but in order to get Macromedia to make authoring tools for Linux, you guys gotta prove you're willing to buy it. All this free-software movement probably puts the taste in a lot of people's mouthes that nobody wants to spend money on software.

    3. Re:Now if only... by Majix · · Score: 4, Informative

      They're working on a Flash authoring tool called Flex that runs on Linux. The plan is to run it with Wine though, but I guess it's better than nothing. Now we just need Adobe to get with the program.

    4. Re:Now if only... by gerbick · · Score: 3, Informative

      Flex is a $12k server based Flash tool, not the more friendly $500.00+ utility like the Macromedia Flash IDE. 'tis not the same thing. It's a start though.

      --
      Noli nothis permittere te terere.
    5. Re:Now if only... by nametaken · · Score: 3, Informative

      I do author in Linux. Just, using PHP + Ming SWF Output library. Sure, it's nothing near a real authoring environment... and DEFINATELY has it's drawbacks... but it gets me by. http://ming.sourceforge.net/

    6. Re:Now if only... by Vengeful+weenie · · Score: 3, Insightful
      I'm more than happy to pay, if I get my money's worth. Plunking down large bucks on enviroments that turn out to be limiting, for poor support? That's just dumb.

      Look, the difference is that with most open enviroments, your have many ways to get the job done. On most closed systems, there's one way, the way one group of programmers decided.

      The expectations are higher & the code needs to be better, more flexible and more reusable. I want to generate flash from all sorts of files and data. I want to have filters that can be piped into, and out from. I want command line and GUI options, so I can use cron and X. That's software value.

    7. Re:Now if only... by spektr · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Hate to sound like I'm trolling here, but in order to get Macromedia to make authoring tools for Linux, you guys gotta prove you're willing to buy it.

      Maybe they should ask Oracle whether anybody buys high quality software for Linux if they don't know. Some years ago this would have been a pretty good troll, but nowadays...?

    8. Re:Now if only... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Oh yeah, no copyright respecting Linux user would ever pay for software. As opposed to those pirating Windows users, who only paid for the OS that came with the machine, not even the one they're running.

      I remember using Windows. Needing a program? Ask a friend, and get a copy of something he got a copy of, registered to a name even he had never heard of.

      Since I switched to Linux, I see the advantage of copyright law (if just everyone would use software they could pay for, we would have way more Linux users), and I pay for my software. I have bought about half the titles Loki released (the rest didn't really interest me), and even Windows games for running under Wine. Actually, I bought more Windows games for running under Wine, than I ever bought when running Windows.

      I am not the only one. Linux users on average have much more respect for copyright than Windows users.

    9. Re:Now if only... by black+mariah · · Score: 3, Insightful

      No. If there was, they'd have done one already.

      --
      'Standards' in computing only impress those who are impressed by things like 'standards'.
    10. Re:Now if only... by justsomebody · · Score: 4, Informative

      Actualy, Macromedia sent letters to customers in form of:

      Would you migrate???
      Would you buy...???

      I guess they got enough positive response to start making authoring tools. You can read press releases for your self on Macromedia

      First version will be Wine based, probably Crossover, second is the native version.

      --
      Signature Pro version 1.13.2-3 release 83.5 beta3try7 after-breakfast edition
    11. Re:Now if only... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Hardly anyone buys software for Linux desktop use, which is really what the thread is about. There is almost zero commerce for Linux and without a single desktop, commercial support and no moving targets, that is hardly ever likely to happen.
      Obviously for server use it's a different story where vendors just treat Linux and a cheap UNIX and porting is easy.

      I use Linux everyday and have for years, but I see no software market at all for desktop apps until things change. Compare this with almost an uncountable number of apps for Windows and Mac.

    12. Re:Now if only... by jrockway · · Score: 4, Insightful

      > "Mr Weenie -- despite all the ideology about the "Unix Philosophy", Unix desktop apps have never worked that way. Can you meaningfully use OpenOffice with pipes and cron? No."

      Wrong. You can pipe in word documents and get a PDF (or something else) out. So yes, OO.org fits into the Unix philosophy. It also fits into the "big app that does lots" philosophy. Amazing how something can be in two groups, eh.

      --
      My other car is first.
  3. Hmmm by FannyMinstrel · · Score: 5, Funny

    Now, I wonder where they hid that Shockwave player for Linux?

    /dev/null

    1. Re:Hmmm by B2382F29 · · Score: 3, Funny

      That's the filename for write, it's /dev/random for read.

      Actually that would be the place where windows longhorn is stored, for Shockwave, check /dev/zero

      --
      Move Sig. For great justice.
    2. Re:Hmmm by sploo22 · · Score: 3, Funny
      It's not working for me...
      $ chmod +x /dev/null
      $ /dev/null
      It just hangs. These Macromedia people write really buggy software.
      --
      Karma: Segmentation fault (tried to dereference a null post)
  4. Flash + Wine is on its way, they claim by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Apparently they are working to make future versions of Flash Wine-compatible. It may not be a Linux version, but it's not a Windows version, either. It's a Wine API version. That's pretty cool. Of course we would all prefer native binaries, but having something certified as Wine-compatible is in some ways even better in the short term, because it validates that as an option for all the other Windows software companies. Making something Wine compatible is usually fairly simple.

    ----------
    mobile porn

    1. Re:Flash + Wine is on its way, they claim by dadragon · · Score: 3, Insightful

      That is a good idea. But I'd really like to see them make a version with source available, so I can build it on FreeBSD, or any other unixy operating system. If that happens to be a winelib compatible version, I'd still be happy.

      --
      God save our Queen, and Heaven bless The Maple Leaf Forever!
  5. Also available as package by G�tz · · Score: 5, Informative

    It's also available as packages for all major distributions from here..

    1. Re:Also available as package by Eivind · · Score: 4, Interesting
      Is the installer otherwise similarily brainless ?

      I used the rpm for Mandrake 10.0, and the EULA came with a new, and previously atleast for me unseen level of stupidity:

      It had a freaking timer in the lower-rigth corner counting down from 15 seconds and being labeled: "Time left until auto-decline"

      Offcourse it can easily be proven in a court of law that it is not humanly possible to read, understand and click accept on the eula in such a short time. Thus it's no longer the case, as is typically the case that the user agreed to an eula, *choosing* not to read it.

      No, it's *enforced*, to install the program you *have* to accept an eula without being given any possibility of reading it.

      It's probably not a stretch that idiocy like this will further weaken the already more than questionable legal force of terms stated in eulas.

    2. Re:Also available as package by Yokaze · · Score: 3, Informative

      Every time you scroll the license, the counter is resetted to 240 seconds.

      Still, the counter is somewhat questionable, as it puts the user under pressure, without haveing a positive effect I can think of.

      --
      "Between strong and weak, between rich and poor [...], it is freedom which oppresses and the law which sets free"
  6. Read the EULA? by jcuervo · · Score: 5, Interesting
    1. You may not make or distribute copies of the Software, or electronically transfer the Software from one computer to another or over a network.
    Just DOWNLOADING it violates the EULA.
    --
    Assume I was drunk when I posted this.
    1. Re:Read the EULA? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Why did this get a troll? It's a good example of how stupid terms get thrown into EULA's all the time.

      Another good example is NVIDIA's driver EULA. Apparently, you can only have one copy of the NVIDIA drivers installed, even if you have more than one NVIDIA vidio chipset.

    2. Re:Read the EULA? by iCEBaLM · · Score: 4, Insightful

      No, uploading it does, as the EULA states that YOU can't distribute it, doesn't mean they can't.

    3. Re:Read the EULA? by fireklar · · Score: 4, Informative
      1. You may not make or distribute copies of the Software, or electronically transfer the Software from one computer to another or over a network.
      Downloading it from their servers would be an "electronic transfer" of the Software over a network. Therefore, both uploading and downloading violate the EULA.
    4. Re:Read the EULA? by Joel+Carr · · Score: 3, Informative

      Reminds me of GriSoft's AVG Free Edition virus scanner license agreement, which has the following clause:

      3. You may not use the Software on a network or more than one PC.
      - emphasis mine.

      Although these days the intent is somewhat clearer from reading the rest of the agreement, there was a time when it wasn't.

      I was helping a strapped for cash organisation legitimise their software, and we decided to see if we could find a free virus scanner before forking out cash for one. So I shot off an email asking them to clarify what they meant by 'a network', pointing out that the internet is a network, and one assumes you can have an internet network connection since the software has an email scanner... After a week they sent an email back repeating the the above clause with the word 'network' capitalised.... Sigh, I don't think they got the point....

      We ended up paying for a virus scanner, but didn't end up buying it from them.

      ---

      --
      Any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves. -- AE
    5. Re:Read the EULA? by black+mariah · · Score: 4, Funny

      Morons. I would have sent it back reading

      3. You may not use the Software on a FUCKING LAN YOU GODDAMNED PEDANTIC GEEK-ASS DICKWEED or more than one PC.

      But, that's just me.

      --
      'Standards' in computing only impress those who are impressed by things like 'standards'.
  7. SuSE Works by managementboy · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Tried the install package on SuSe 9.0 and works like a charm. The only drawback is that the user needs to know where their mozilla/firefox is installed. Works noticably faster than before (I also have the feeling that it eats much less CPU time). Next improvement: no flash at all! ;-)

  8. Needs more work, still by etymxris · · Score: 5, Interesting

    By chance I downloaded the newest version as I was reinstalling everything else too. But it still has "jerks" whenever I play a flash game. My slower windows box doesn't have this problem. The problem is reproducible on all three of my linux machines, no matter the processor speed. It makes it especially difficult to play a game like this since there are unexpected jerks in movement.

  9. Misnomer title by diwadm · · Score: 5, Informative

    Flash 7 for Linux Released I almost jumped in joy thinking that Flash will be released natively for Linux. Flash is the application itself, Flash player is the standalone player and web browser plugin. Oh well.

  10. Please can we GNU/Linux on PPC peeps have one too by niks42 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I've had many emails passed back and forth with Macromedia tech support .. there are versions for most Unix implementations, and MacOS 9 and X .. but not for Linux/PPC *sigh* .. it wouldn't be that difficult to run just one more compile, would it ?

  11. Whoa... by bersl2 · · Score: 4, Funny

    props to Macromedia on this one.

    It's made it through (currently) six repetitions of Badgers with excellent synchronization (as opposed to version 6 not even making one). Hell, everything's so crisp and fluid... it's beyond further words.

  12. A Speedup Trick... by ajayrockrock · · Score: 5, Informative

    Has anyone tried this speedup trick in other distro's? I doubt that it's Gentoo specific:

    http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=176167

    The gist of it is setting an environment var:

    export FLASH_GTK_LIBRARY=libgtk-x11-2.0.so.0

    People in the Gentoo forum are claming massive speed increases when viewing flash. I'm about to go try it now...

    --Ajay

  13. Can't use it :( by Per+Wigren · · Score: 5, Interesting

    It's nice to see companies supporting Linux, but unfortunately I can't use it until they make a amd64-version since 64-bit browsers can't use 32-bit plugins..

    The Linux kernel can run 32-bit code but can't link to 64-bit code so to have a 32-bit browser I'd have to also have 32-bit versions of all the libraries it depends on, and their dependancies, all the way down to glibc and ld.so.. Not worth it.

    Is it possible to run isolated 32-bit code inside a 64-bit program? Something like an exec32() libc-function or something? To make 64-bit Mozilla run Flash and make 64-bit MPlayer load win32-codecs.. I'm sure you'll have to make some kind of wrapper-code to convert int-sizes etc when sending/getting data from/to the library, but would it be possible at all?

    --
    My other account has a 3-digit UID.
  14. mod parent up by ErichTheWebGuy · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The parent poster has an excellent point. If these developers write quality code, and I have no reason to suspect that they do not, why not drop a few hundred bucks on a single PPC box that you can start a GCC make on, and let it run for a week if need be?

    At the very least, you would have an excellent testbed. AND, IIRC, the US Navy is moving to PPC/Linux. Imagine the wargames... Flash/Shockwave Battleship!!!

    Macromedia Sales: Would that not make it WAY easier to land a HUGE contract with the Defense Dept?

    --
    bash: rtfm: command not found
    1. Re:mod parent up by Minna+Kirai · · Score: 3, Informative

      AND, IIRC, the US Navy is moving to PPC/Linux.

      But you recall wrong. The Navy is moving to Microsoft Windows. The NMCI is all Microsoft.

    2. Re:mod parent up by Minna+Kirai · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Isn't in their interest to get the client out to as many people as possible?

      Apparently not- or, as a greedy company, they would've done so.

      This could mean one of several things:
      (1) Macromedia plans for Flash players to become a profit-center in the future, maybe by licensing players to mobile-phone companies or something

      (2) Macromedia profits from selling Flash-authoring tools, but those tools would be easily replaced by Open Source versions if there was a good Open Source flash player to work from.

      (3) Macromedia is afraid that an Open Source flashplayer would lead to someone distributing a modified version, effectively forking the file-format and confusing web-browsers who can no longer view all flash-based content the same way.

  15. Re: With version 7, this trick is no longer needed by zero0w · · Score: 4, Informative

    This trick is no longer needed after upgrading to version 7. The plugin will work fine with both gtk1 and gtk2 version of Mozilla / Firefox.

  16. No, Seriously. . . by Farley+Mullet · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Why would you want it?

    Flash is internet pollution. (X)HTML is lighter-weight and thus faster, more accessible for people with disabilities, and just generally less crap. Plus, Google can tell you about the content of (X)HTML pages, but nothing, from Google to grep, can parse the content of a Flash movie. Flash has a nice little niche for silly animations and games, but it has become a cancer on the web as a navigation and content-presentation interface. An increase in its reach isn't something to celebrate.

    1. Re:No, Seriously. . . by le_jfs · · Score: 3, Informative

      but nothing, from Google to grep, can parse the content of a Flash movie.

      Troll. Just have a look at this: google for hello world in flash
      And this: swfstrings

      Still, I think you're right about the fact that Flash is an annoying Internet pollution and should not be over-used in menus or content. But saying one cannot google or grep it is a lie.

      --
      main(char O){O++&&(((O-291)*O+27788)*O-868020?1:putchar(O++) )&&main(O);}
  17. i'm so happy! by lingqi · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Now, you know, I can finally view tomshardware.com in its full glory.

    Now seems a good time to introduce flashblock. Very ironic, isn't it?

    --

    My life in the land of the rising sun.

  18. IRIX version? Open Source? by green+pizza · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This is one of the few times you'll hear me honestly ask "is it open source?" I ask because I would love to see an IRIX version of this for my Silicon Graphics Octane workstation, and I know it's not going to happen otherwise. The IRIX world is stick at version 5 with few alternatives.

    Yeah, yeah, I know, flash sucks. But sometimes you need to have it to visit certain sites. Sure beats having to fire up my PC just o look at the newest movie site.

    And yes, SGIs are oldschool. But Octanes are pretty cheap on eBay and are becoming common with we hardware collectors (if you're not that type, you probably know one... house full of computers with at least one working Amiga and probably a NeXT cube too). And it makes for a great main workstation!

  19. It is for x86 GNU/Linux, remember that. by latroM · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "Looks like Macromedia has finally made good on their word and provided Linux"

    GNU/Linux works on various platforms although the x86 port is the most common. I don't see x86 anywhere in the announcement, do you? If we had the source we had the freedom to compile it on any arch and OS we wanted to. A proprietary software package isn't a contribution to us if our goal is freedom.

    1. Re:It is for x86 GNU/Linux, remember that. by latroM · · Score: 3, Insightful

      It is not about money, it is abot freedom. I would gladly pay something for a good flash software if it was free. See http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/selling.html .

  20. Re:Where's the source? by Herrieman · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Please disconnect from the internet immediately.

    It's impossible that your connection to Slashdot or whatever is only accomplished through "Free" software.

    --
    http://blog.astyran.sg
  21. I could'nt find any chage by santhu · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Mozilla with flash player 7.0 opens the flash animations, in the same way as it used to do with flash player 6.0. I could'nt find any difference with the new plugin. If somebody could tell me a way to find the difference, it would be great.

  22. Works great with Konqueror! by Vertex+Operator · · Score: 3, Informative

    Just toss those two files into /usr/lib/browser-plugins and away you go.

    Works fine with Mozilla, Firefox, also.

    Didn't test it with Epiphany etc.

    --
    San Diego Padres, 100 Park Blvd, San Diego CA 92101

    It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by
  23. Downloading from a windows box? by incuso · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Is there any way to download the linux version (debian) from a windows box?

    Thanks
    M.

  24. You, sir (madam?) are a buffoon... by MaestroSartori · · Score: 4, Insightful

    In your haste to rant about how much you hate everyone else on then Intarweb, you've missed or ignored a pretty major point: Flash is just a tool. How about this:

    HTML is a lead lined cudgel with which talentless unfunny people can create their poorly designed and impossible-to-navigate websites. (or, if they're really talentless, they just ship them off to sites like geocities.com) I have personally lost count of the number of times I've had my browsing experience ruined by an annoying as hell animated gif banner ad spawning in the middle of my screen, or a homepage so slowed and crippled by dynamic HTML that I left and never returned.

    I suspect most of us would agree with that to an extent, but we don't vow never to look at a webpage again.

    Some Flash is very good. Deal with it, move on, use the appropriate browser/plugin to make Flash content optional.

    --
    Game dev and music blog
    1. Re:You, sir (madam?) are a buffoon... by MaestroSartori · · Score: 3, Informative

      The Flash file format is open. I don't understand your point. Just because something is proprietary doesn't make it not open, or bad for that matter. There are tools out there which output Flash and are not made by Macromedia themselves. There are even open source Flash production mechanisms. Yes, Macromedia could at some point change the file format to obfuscate it, yes they could make it non-backwards-compatible, they could even decide to abandon Flash completely. That doesn't put the genie back in the bottle, and its still not making Flash a bad thing in and of itself.

      --
      Game dev and music blog
  25. In defense of Flash. by novakreo · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Why would you want it?

    Because I happen to enjoy silly animations and games.

    You say that as if there is something wrong with enjoying 'silly animations and games'. I do. So do many other people.
    It may also be inaccessible, but every day people enjoy things that aren't globally accessible, from various forms of media and art to sports and recreation. How do you make animation accessible to those with vision difficulties?

    One could write a story instead, but then you have something totally different. Hypertext has been around for decades, and text itself for millennia, and they serve their purpose. Animation serves another.

    There will always be people who choose a poor method of presenting their content on the web. Even without Flash, it's still possible to have poorly-navigable sites with too many fonts, and garish colours, et cetera.

    The way to solve it is not to discourage the use of Flash, as if it were inherently wrong, but to encourage and show examples of good design and presentation when Flash is not called for.

    This may be a niche, but I for one am quite happy that such a niche exists, and is available to Linux users. I'd like to think that one day SVG will be a better alternative and we can all switch to that, but for now there's Flash.

    If you don't like it, don't install it. But don't expect others to do the same.

    --
    O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!
  26. Clause 3.g of the EULA by polished+look+2 · · Score: 4, Interesting
    You shall not use the Software to develop any software or other technology having the same primary function as the Software, including but not limited to using the Software in any development or test procedure that seeks to develop like software or other technology, or to determine if such software or other technology performs in a similar manner as the Software.
  27. Well... by Nailer · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Because vector graphics authoring tools that use motion SVG are, at their beta stage of development, quite poor?

    Because HTML/XML can't play movie trailers, whereas Flash's Sorenson codec, native on Linux, can?

    Because unlike Java, Flash UI is responsive. unlike DHTML its actually designed for forms, and unlike ActiveX, its cross platform.

  28. Macromedia showing lack of Linux commitment by rklrkl · · Score: 3, Insightful
    Over 8 months to port the Flash 7 plug-in isn't impressive in anyone's books (Windows official release date of the Flash 7 plug-in was 10th September 2003), no Shockwave Player at all for Linux as the original posting said and a half-baked announcement that they'll try to get their apps working under Linux WINE (er, is that with or without a Windows partition and all its native DLLs?).

    Macromedia still don't care about Linux in any meaningful fashion - wake me up when Flash 8 comes out simultaneously on Windows and Linux (Mozilla can do it with a Web browser that's 1,000 times more complex, so why not a browser plug-in?), when Shockwave Player finally appears on Linux and when Macromedia's entire Windows product range is available natively on Linux. Only then can you finally say Macromedia is taking Linux seriously - Oracle switched (albeit from Solaris)...c'mon Macromedia, make the same move...

  29. A little short on the badger side by Ghoser777 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    There are clearly 11 badgers before the two mushrooms.

    So to clarify:

    badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger Mushroom! MUSHROOM!

    Matt Fahrenbacher

    --
    James Tiberius Kirk: "Spock, the women on your planet are logical. No other planet in the galaxy can make that claim."
  30. Shockwave player for Linux by IGnatius+T+Foobar · · Score: 4, Insightful

    You want the Shockwave player for Linux? This is where the Slashdot Effect can actually help.

    Go to the Macromedia 'wish form' and tell them you want Shockwave Player for Linux! Development over there seems to be demand-driven, so fill out the form. If they get enough requests, they might just do it.

    --
    Tired of FB/Google censorship? Visit UNCENSORED!