Browsers will Flash Linux into the future or drag it into the past

Discussion in 'all things UNIX' started by lotuseclat79, May 26, 2014.

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  1. lotuseclat79

    lotuseclat79 Registered Member

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  2. Ocky

    Ocky Registered Member

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    Does that imply Firefox for Linux will get PPAPI supporting flash ? I wonder when.
     
  3. Wroll

    Wroll Registered Member

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    It would be more interesting if Microsoft, Apple, Mozilla & Google would meet and agree to stop supporting flash at the end of 2015. Seriously, if you don't force people to move we will still have adobe flash as the major video/audio player in 2050.
     
  4. lotuseclat79

    lotuseclat79 Registered Member

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    Maybe the Mozilla website has a tidbit or two about it - might be worth checking out the Mozilla blog.

    -- Tom
     
  5. elapsed

    elapsed Registered Member

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    But on the other side you have people complaining about the DRM in HTML5 MSE. Can't kill flash without a DRM implementation.
     
  6. Veeshush

    Veeshush Registered Member

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    Right, because people tend to favor GPL, let's remind them how much better Chrome works because a browser can't run Adobe Flash in the best way- and if you don't use Google and Adobe products on Linux then Linux will never succeed... Because also obviously, there aren't also people you use Windows and have their own personal favorite browser- whether it be IE even.

    Which to me means the age old: "If Linux just ran the software Windows ran, they'd be mainstream finally!"

    I haven't encountered many browser issues with Flash or whatnot under Linux that I'd care about (infact I'd rather ditch it entirely on my Windows systems from the security risks). I also haven't heard of any major issues stopping anyone from installing proprietary packages on most Linux distros- nothing is stopping people from using Chrome on Linux (as he is now). I'm not even arguing against the fact that sometimes proprietary works better than whatever is currently available in the GPL line of things to pick from- video drivers being a prime example. But for him to write this article up over his observations of Chrome working great under Linux, and it being some sort of enlightenment that more Linux users need to embrace closed source software- HUH? I could make the exact argument in reverse for software under Windows depending on the software (find me a video player on Windows that's as good as VLC or Media Player Classic).
     
  7. tlu

    tlu Guest

    Never, it seems. ;)

    There is a lot going on in that area:

    1. Mozilla is developing Shumway as a flash renderer so Adobe Flash won't be needed at some point. I haven't tested it for a long time and can't tell how good it is right now.
    2. If you watch videos on Youtube with Google Chrome you don't have the choice anymore between flash and HTML5: The latter is now set as default (and you can't change that, IMHO). I'm not sure if that was implemented in v. 34 or 35. In any case, this suggests that Google wants to get rid of flash sooner or later, too.

    BTW: There is more interesting news for Chrome: Another PPAPI plugin is the PDF reader which is supposedly based on the Foxit PDF reader. However, Google is now developing an open source PDF renderer called PDFium. It's been available for some time in a git repository and is obviously also based on the Foxit reader. It's uses PPAPI - if you don't want that there is the PDF.js extension.
     
  8. Ocky

    Ocky Registered Member

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    Thanks for that info, tlu. I will use Chrome for sites that do not support the Linux version of the flash player, eg. tax efiling site in ZA.
    Chrome is slowly moving up the ladder in replacing my primary browsers, thanks also to HttpSwitchboard.
    Regards.
     
  9. Trespasser

    Trespasser Registered Member

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    I use Chrome only because it handles my wife's Facebook flash games a lot better than Firefox and the ancient, neglected flash version available to us via Adobe. I much prefer Firefox. IMO, there's not enough control with Chrome, and it appears to be intentional on Google's part. Needless to say I don't trust Google.

    With reference to HttpSwitchboard, it's too complicated and bothersome for my wife to use...so I don't use it. On some Facebook flash game sites she visits the HttpSwitchboard matrix can extend well below the bottom of the screen even with the collapse feature. The sites list can go over 1000. Amazing. I absolutely despise Facebook...but my wife likes it so I (try) to keep my mouth shut. I wish there was a more simplified version with less bells and whistles.

    Later...
     
  10. tlu

    tlu Guest

    HTTP Switchboard improves that aspect a lot particularly through its control of behind-the-scene requests.

    Trespasser, you should really read the HTTPSB documentation, particularly the "MUST READ ..." article and the 5 articles just below that one. You'll see that HTTPSB is not only amazingly powerful but also amazingly flexible: You can configure it to block nearly everything by default but you can also configure it to behave like a adblocker or as mere reporting tool which doesn't block anything. I suggest that you open its About tab, click "Start from scratch" and select what suits you best.

    It already exists - it's called HTTPSB. Just configure it accordingly.
     
  11. Trespasser

    Trespasser Registered Member

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    tlu,
    Thanks for the reply. Just keep in mind, I'm trying to keep things simple so my wife can use it. HTTPSB requires decision making (expansion of the matrix...decide which domains to allow...etc.). In the case of Facebook flash games apps.facebook.com is just the base domain, but each flash game is different and has something that needs allowed before it will load. And, she visits many of these sites. I tried to show her how to use HTTPSB a few times before but it was more than she wanted to do...and I can't blame her. It's too complicated for the average user (like my wife). So, my original observations still stand.

    I can use HTTPSB just fine, tlu, but I have to to set up things to please my wife. I'm sure you understand. Right? ;).

    Later...

    Bob
     
  12. Ocky

    Ocky Registered Member

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    Just use it as an ad blocker as descibed here.
    Additional presets can also be added.
     
  13. tlu

    tlu Guest

    Sure, I understand. I just tried to explain that it is quite easy to configure it so that your wife can use it (believe me - I'm very familiar with your problem :D ) . As Ocky pointed out, you can configure it to behave like Adblock (just faster and with a smaller memory footprint) as a starting point from where you can enable, e.g., additional hosts files in the ubiquitous rules tab if you want.
     
  14. Trespasser

    Trespasser Registered Member

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    Hey Ocky.

    tlu,
    Unless your wife plays Facebook flash games extensively then you've no idea what I'm talking about. It's an impossible situation for me to try and manage. Believe me, I've tried (echos of "Honey, my game's not loading. Did you do something to the computer today?" still ringing in my head). And, she tries new games all the time. Her job (local university) demands that she makes decisions all day. The last thing she wants to do in the evening is do the same. Besides, it's no big deal. We don't use HTTPSB.

    I use dnsmasq for adblocking.

    BTW, any success getting apparmor to function properly under Trusty?

    Later...

    Bob
     
  15. tlu

    tlu Guest

    :D:D:D Okay, you beat me. My wife doesn't use Facebook and neither do I. (Nevertheless, shouldn't HTTPSB work in this case if configured as an adblocker?)

    So do I. A script which I wrote and which runs daily adds nearly 500,000 entries to dnsmasq.conf. However, with this method only (sub-)domains can be blocked. Cases like "nytimes.com/ads/" or "nytimes.com#@#.wideAd" are not covered. That's why all AdblockPlus filterlists are also supported in HTTPSB.

    I don't know if it's fixed since I don't run Kubuntu anymore. I switched to Arch Linux a couple of weeks ago.
     
  16. ParadigmShift

    ParadigmShift Registered Member

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    Hello tlu,

    I am wondering your feedback on Arch Linux vs any of the **buntu distros.
     
  17. tlu

    tlu Guest

    I wrote a short post about that elsewhere. I can only say that I like it and that everything is running very well. The installation is a bit arduous but feasible with the help of the Beginner's Guide mentioned in that post. The post-install configuration also needs some time but it's a good learning process. Once done you'll have a lean and fast system tailored to your needs. I suggest that you try it first in a Virtualbox VM, though.
     
  18. Nanobot

    Nanobot Registered Member

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  19. Trespasser

    Trespasser Registered Member

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    This actually works. I haven't used it that much but it does work with Facebook flash games. Wow.

    It's nice to be back on Firefox once again.

    Later...
     
  20. tlu

    tlu Guest

    I forgot to mention that you might want to try this ppa of the AppArmor developers - perhaps the probelms are fixed in those new packages.
     
  21. NGRhodes

    NGRhodes Registered Member

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    The author of the article seems to confuse PPAPI with Flash player in terms of what needs extracting from Chrome and repeats this a number of times too and states the PPAPI is closed source which its actually open source developed under the Chromium Project.
    Goes off on a tangent about GPL, how the source of Flash is licenced does not matter to how it is distributed.
    Then seems ignorant of that fact as to what Google contributes to Linux and uses/provides based on Linux and that Linux is not just desktops.
    Talks about the need to evolve to support outdated tech (Flash).
    The rest is just opinion based on supposition, so the entire article is just one piece of FUD.
     
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