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Why Is Adobe Flash On Linux Still Broken?

Posted by kdawson on from the where-there's-a-will dept.

mwilliamson writes "As I sit reading my morning paper online I still cannot view the embedded videos due to auto-detection of my Flash player not working. One in every three or four YouTube videos crashes the browser. I remember sometime back reading that Adobe has a very small development team (possibly only one) working on the Linux port of Flash. It has occurred to me that Flash on Linux is the one major entry barrier controlling acceptance of Linux as a viable desktop operating system. No matter how stably, smoothly, efficiently, and correctly Linux runs on a machine, the public will continue to view it as second-rate if Flash keeps crashing. This is the worst example of being tied down and bound by a crappy 3rd-party product over which no Linux distribution has any control. GNASH is nice, but it just isn't there 100%. I really do have to suspect Adobe's motivation for keeping Flash on Linux in such a deplorable state."

6 of 963 comments (clear)

  1. Flash sucks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Adopt Silverlight!

    1. Re:Flash sucks by Peet42 · · Score: 5, Funny

      Adopt Silverlight!

      Indeed. Anything to get it away from its abusive parents.

    2. Re:Flash sucks by Skye16 · · Score: 4, Funny

      (you may want to multitask whilst you're waiting. otherwise you just ruined *two* lives.)

  2. Re:Open Source Flash? by dotgain · · Score: 5, Funny

    As do many packages that begin with 'G', I have to say...

  3. Re:Flash by Zerth · · Score: 4, Funny

    The internet isn't thriving, it is festering.

  4. What problems? by Alex+Belits · · Score: 5, Funny

    I am not a fan of Flash, however I have not seen any problems with Flash on Linux since they ended the enormous version lag that broken some sites when Windows hd flash 8 and Linux port stopped development at 7. Flash on Linux is a massive resource eater, has idiotic installation procedure, often has to be updated because of security bugs, however it has exactly the same problems on Windows. It is more crappy and unfixable than most Linux software, however this says more about the level of quality that is considered acceptable on Windows rather than about any deficiencies specific to a Linux port.

    As for Youtube, why would a Linux user want to use their flash-based player? Install latest version of clive, mplayer and xclip, and run this script after selecting or copying Youtube URL:

    #!/bin/sh
    cd "$HOME"
    cd Desktop 2>/dev/null
    xterm -bg "#ffffff" -fg "#000000" -cr "#800000" -ah -fa "DejaVu Sans Mono" -fs 14 -g 80x6 -T "Video Download" \
    -e sh -c \
    'xclip -o | clive "--player=mplayer -fs %i" --play=src --mask=custom'

    (assign it to some panel launcher or menu in your desktop environent).

    --
    Contrary to the popular belief, there indeed is no God.