Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

x86 Linux Flash Player 9 is Final

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the i-still-hate-flash dept.

Schlaegel writes "The official Adobe Linux Flash blog has announced that Flash player for x86 Linux is now final and no longer beta. Every x86 Linux user, at least those willing to load binary software, can rejoice and no longer feel like a second rate citizen. Distribution packages are also available, for example the Macromedia Fedora repository already has the flash player marked for update."

32 of 288 comments (clear)

  1. Finally! by Bananatree3 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Us Linux users can now watch Zdnet's interview with Torvald about Linux kernel 2.7:)

    1. Re:Finally! by CrankyOldFart · · Score: 5, Informative

      Now you too can load Flashblock and browse the web unfettered by all that ridiculous bandwidth hogging flash crap!

  2. Any vacancies in the i-still-hate-flash dept.? by Reverse+Gear · · Score: 3, Funny

    I am not going to remove flashblock from firefox any time soon, I don't expect for flash to become any less annoying and inefficient because of this new release.

    1. Re:Any vacancies in the i-still-hate-flash dept.? by solevita · · Score: 5, Insightful

      It probably won't, but now you have some choice at least. Isn't that what Linux is all about?

    2. Re:Any vacancies in the i-still-hate-flash dept.? by LiquidCoooled · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I use flashblock because I cannot concentrate with crap dancing around on the screen.
      I hate that its required as an extension (but shown my support for the principle by bugfixing it...)

      ClickToView functionality should be a proper configurable option within the core system for all plugin types.

      --
      liqbase :: faster than paper
    3. Re:Any vacancies in the i-still-hate-flash dept.? by stubear · · Score: 3, Insightful

      "...and being able to claim ignorance when our friends and family ask us to fix their windows computers."

      Claim ignorance? Most Linux users ARE truly ignorant when it comes to Windows.

    4. Re:Any vacancies in the i-still-hate-flash dept.? by EzInKy · · Score: 4, Insightful


      Flash is REALLY useful. I stream my music and video across the net using flash. I know that any machine (Windows/OSX/Linux) that has flash player installed can stream my media.


      Why not offer your users the option to simply download your material and let them use the player of their choosing?


      Until there is a decent replacement that is just as light, Flash is here to stay.


      There is no way that flash is lighter than a link to a file.

      --
      Time is what keeps everything from happening all at once.
    5. Re:Any vacancies in the i-still-hate-flash dept.? by tsa · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Why not offer your users the option to simply download your material and let them use the player of their choosing?

      Maybe because then you have to offer it in many different formats?

      I like built-in players in webpages, because they (almost) always Just Work.

      --

      -- Cheers!

    6. Re:Any vacancies in the i-still-hate-flash dept.? by metamatic · · Score: 3, Insightful
      Most Linux users ARE truly ignorant when it comes to Windows.

      Somehow I doubt that. I'm reminded of studies during the 90s that showed that Windows users typically had no knowledge of Mac OS, but Mac OS users typically had moderately detailed knowledge of Windows.

      I suspect that the situation is similar for Linux. I would be very surprised if any significant percentage of Linux users had not:

      • Seen a Windows XP BSOD (or spontaneous reboot if you haven't turned off that option)
      • Experienced the joys of applying security updates and service packs and rebooting multiple times
      • Encountered DLL Hell
      • Had to edit the registry

      ...and so on.

      --
      GCHQ Quantum Insert installed. If only our tongues were made of glass, how much more careful we would be when we speak
    7. Re:Any vacancies in the i-still-hate-flash dept.? by cabraverde · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Most Linux users ARE truly ignorant when it comes to Windows.

      Rubbish. Every Linux user I know personally (ok, only a dozen or so) is required to use Windows as their primary desktop OS at their place of work. This even includes some people who are primarily Linux developers.

      This daily familiarity, combined with a general technical aptitude that you can still assume from Linux users, means that very few of them are going to be "truly ignorant" of Windows. Ignorant of some internal Win32 APIs perhaps, but not ignorant in the sense that you are claiming. Most people with a passing acquaintance of computers are going to be familiar with Windows to some degree.

  3. Re:x64_86 by andersbergh · · Score: 5, Informative

    x86_64, not x64_86

  4. rejoice by mastershake_phd · · Score: 4, Funny

    Now you too can win an ipod.

    --
    Libertarian Leaning Political Discussion Forum.
  5. Re:Why? by sharkey · · Score: 5, Funny

    Remind me why I should rejoice again?

    Because you will now have the option of punching the monkey in addition to spanking it.

    --

    --
    "Outlook not so good." That magic 8-ball knows everything! I'll ask about Exchange Server next.
  6. Re:Why? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Don't. But don't think the entire world isn't interested in what you're not interested in. There's plenty of great flash content out there.

  7. Second class citizen? by FrostyCoolSlug · · Score: 3, Funny

    What they failed to tell you, was that flash version 723 is being released for windows next week.

    1. Re:Second class citizen? by WWWWolf · · Score: 3, Funny
      What they failed to tell you, was that flash version 723 is being released for windows next week.

      But currently...

      The table below contains the latest Flash Player version information.
      Windows ... 9,0,28,0
      Macintosh - OS X ... 9,0,28,0
      Linux ... 9,0,31,0

      ... we can just enjoy our status as the most up to date Flash Player platform. =)

  8. Re:Why? by Ingolfke · · Score: 4, Funny

    It wouldn't impact you anyways because the flash player can't be integrated with lynx.

  9. Just like Windows... by dtjohnson · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Flash is a proprietary software app that uses proprietary protocols that are becoming ubiquitous on the internet. The new Linux 'Flash 9' will just help to further cement flash as the mainstream format for video content distribution. The linux support can be (and will be) easily dropped at some point in the future when Windows moves to 'flash 14' and Linux is hopelessly stuck on the obsolete 'Flash 13' standard. Seems like this is bad news for OSS, net neutrality, and protocols that are freely available for everyone to use anywhere.

    1. Re:Just like Windows... by Lumpy · · Score: 3, Informative

      Fun part. Most of the crap done with flash can be done with the really old flash 5 or 6. I only dabble in flash but the added features in the newer flash engines are outweighed by the "pain in the ass" factor to the viewing person and the incompatabilities that can exist.

      I am sure some flash guru's out there can do fantastic things with the new stuff but most dont need it.

      --
      Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    2. Re:Just like Windows... by truedfx · · Score: 5, Informative

      The Flash specification is not open. It is freely available, but may not be used to create Flash players, only Flash creators.

    3. Re:Just like Windows... by YGingras · · Score: 5, Informative
      Sorry, but as far as I know, flash specification is open
      You are wrong, the licence of the spec explicitly deny you the right to reimplement it:
      3)a. You may not use the Specification in any way to create or develop a runtime, client, player, executable or other program that reads or renders .swf files.
  10. Re:x64_86 by MrHanky · · Score: 4, Interesting

    You can use nspluginwrapper to use the 32 bit Flash plug-in on AMD64 and compatibles. It works quite well.

  11. comment of a real linux user by kirils · · Score: 4, Funny

    so, wait, tell me again - how do I compile it?

    --
    Do not. Touch. Down.
  12. a little bit of aalib, anyone? by kirils · · Score: 4, Funny

    Anything can be integrated with lynx!

    --
    Do not. Touch. Down.
  13. Re:No EULA??? by truedfx · · Score: 4, Informative

    Here's the EULA, and here's where it's linked from. Complain away! :)

  14. Alternative open source implmentation by thue · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The Free Software Foundation is working on an open source implementation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnash

    I think it came installed by default in Firefox last time I installed Ubuntu. Currently doesn't seem to work very well, but the effort is worthwhile, and hopefully the software will improve.

  15. Re:No EULA??? by MikeBabcock · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Here's a good one for people who don't read these:
    3.1 Web Player Prohibited Devices. You may not Use any Web Player on any non-PC device or with any embedded or device version of any operating system. For the avoidance of doubt, and by example only, you may not use a Web Player on any (a) mobile devices, set top boxes (STB), handhelds, phones, web pads, tablets and Tablet PCs that are not running Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, game consoles, TVs, DVD players, media centers (excluding Windows XP Media Center Edition and its successors), electronic billboards or other digital signage, internet appliances or other internet-connected devices, PDAs, medical devices, ATMs, telematic devices, gaming machines, home automation systems, kiosks, remote control devices, or any other consumer electronics device, (b) operator-based mobile, cable, satellite, or television systems or (c) other closed system devices.


    --
    - Michael T. Babcock (Yes, I blog)
  16. Re:This is Great by Nutria · · Score: 4, Informative
    Life just wouldn't be complete without the ability to fully experience those spastic dancing silhouettes on lowermybills.com ads.

    With an ad-blocker and Flash, you get the "best" of both worlds: You Tube *and* (relatively) ad-less surfing.

    Brilliant!!

    --
    "I don't know, therefore Aliens" Wafflebox1
  17. Finally, ALSA support by massysett · · Score: 4, Informative

    Flash Player 7 for Linux used OSS. This required loading the ALSA-OSS compatibility modules, or or using aoss. Both methods had occasional quirks. I'll be glad to get rid of my last OSS application.

    --
    Penny - plain text accounting
  18. Take a second look at flash by Diacre · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Flash Player 9 is more than just an update to what you all have known as flash. Sure, it will still play older flash content but new content written in Actionscript 3.0 using the new Actionscript Virtual Machine to playback will be way more efficient. The new methodologies for programming have a large base in JAVA, so JAVA developers will have any easy time using this new tool to make true ( rich internet ) applications that have greater ubiquity than JAVA on the web. To be honest, I think it will help take flash away from being a great tool for building horribly intrusive banner ads to being better know as one of the great tools for building rich internet experiences. On the note of proprietary versus open source, sure it is a proprietary program but Macro-Dobe ( Macromedia / Adobe ) have done a great job of using the open source community ( http://www.osflash.org/ ) to push themselves into making a better product. They support the open source development, even if it competes ( http://osflash.org/red5 ) directly with one of their products.

    1. Re:Take a second look at flash by mandelbr0t · · Score: 3, Insightful
      Flash is not useful for developing rich Internet applications because:
      • It is almost entirely client-side code, and not very efficient at that. Java applets are more portable (because Sun releases Java on more platforms simultaneously) and faster (Flash UIs are soooo sloooow) for executing client-side code. Even some JavaScript is a better choice in many cases.
      • The stuff that executes server-side has to go through the "Flash gateway servlet" which won't work with anything but JRun, a horrible, unsupported, poorly documented, crash-happy piece of crap masquerading as a J2EE server. Applet-Servlet, JSP or even AJAX RPC (god forbid!) make for better server-side code.
      • You can't separate the ActionScript into separate files. Every VCS that I've seen Flash developers use gets filled up with dozens of binary versions of the .FLA source. Some even version-control the .SWF as well. Yuck. Obviously Flash developers weren't meant to use version control, which makes collaborating with them a real PITA.
      Flash is useful for making animations, and only for making animations. Why the output couldn't be a standard movie file format instead, I'll never know. Adobe needs to stop trying to get into the web market and stick to PhotoShop.
      --
      "Please describe the scientific nature of the 'whammy'" - Agent Scully
  19. Re:No EULA??? by chicagotypewriter · · Score: 3, Funny
    ...medical devices, ATMs, telematic devices

    *flashing upper banner* ENTER HERE TO HELP YOU RAISE THAT LOW BALANCE! $1,000,000 IS YOURS!
    Checking Account
    Balance: $20
    *flashing lower banner* JOIN FOO BANK TODAY AND GET $50 IF YOU SIGN UP IN THE NEXT 30 SECONDS!