Klaus Knopper answers your Linux questions
Ask Klaus!
Klaus Knopper is the creator of Knoppix and co-founder of LinuxTag expo. He works as a teacher, programmer, and consultant. If you have a configuration problem, or if you just want to learn more about how Linux works, send your questions to: klaus@linux-magazine.com.
Klaus Knopper
Klaus Knopper is the creator of Knoppix and co-founder of LinuxTag expo. He currently works as a teacher, programmer, and consultant. If you have a configuration problem, or if you just want to learn more about how Linux works, send your questions to: mailto:klaus@linux-magazine.com.
Flash Alternatives
Klaus: Flash doesn't work well, so what is a person to do? Could you use the Wine program and download a Windows browser version; install SeaMonkey, Chrome, or something else? What about Lightspark? Does it work?
Thanks, Joe
Answer
It seems that, probably, because of its proprietary nature and frequent security problems, many vendors are abandoning Flash as a browser plugin or video player for their browsers lately. But, there are still fields of application for Flash:
- videos, especially the Flash player-optimized
.flv
video format, - interactive games or programs written in Adobe's Flash programming language ActionScript, and
- interactive and multimedia elements in some websites.
The original Flash Player is not really needed anymore for just playing videos because MPlayer or VLC can play .flv
files with much better performance. Also, YouTube offers an alternative HTML5-based view for many videos, especially the newer videos. So, if you go to the so-called "experimental" HTML5 version of YouTube [1], you might be able to say goodbye to the Flash plugin and use the browser's internal video player support.
About Wine: Most Flash problems are not related to Windows or Linux, so running Windows programs in the Wine emulator and installing the Windows version of Flash Player there will most likely not give you a more stable or faster Flash experience than running Flash natively on Linux.
Lightspark [2] is a quite new and interesting replacement project for the Flash-based video player. It aims to be faster and more stable than the original player, yet it is open source and does not contain proprietary modules. The project is located on GitHub, and an official Debian package is available: browser-plugin-lightspark [3].
If you still need proprietary Flash support in Debian, you can download and upgrade the Flash plugin by installing the newest flashplugin-nonfree package. Then, run
sudo update-flashplugin-nonfree
to check for and install the newest versions of the Flash plugin for Firefox/Iceweasel.
A TrueType Font How-To
Is there an easy way to install a TrueType font in Linux?
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
OSJH and LPI Release 2024 Open Source Pros Job Survey Results
See what open source professionals look for in a new role.
-
Proton 9.0-1 Released to Improve Gaming with Steam
The latest release of Proton 9 adds several improvements and fixes an issue that has been problematic for Linux users.
-
So Long Neofetch and Thanks for the Info
Today is a day that every Linux user who enjoys bragging about their system(s) will mourn, as Neofetch has come to an end.
-
Ubuntu 24.04 Comes with a “Flaw"
If you're thinking you might want to upgrade from your current Ubuntu release to the latest, there's something you might want to consider before doing so.
-
Canonical Releases Ubuntu 24.04
After a brief pause because of the XZ vulnerability, Ubuntu 24.04 is now available for install.
-
Linux Servers Targeted by Akira Ransomware
A group of bad actors who have already extorted $42 million have their sights set on the Linux platform.
-
TUXEDO Computers Unveils Linux Laptop Featuring AMD Ryzen CPU
This latest release is the first laptop to include the new CPU from Ryzen and Linux preinstalled.
-
XZ Gets the All-Clear
The back door xz vulnerability has been officially reverted for Fedora 40 and versions 38 and 39 were never affected.
-
Canonical Collaborates with Qualcomm on New Venture
This new joint effort is geared toward bringing Ubuntu and Ubuntu Core to Qualcomm-powered devices.
-
Kodi 21.0 Open-Source Entertainment Hub Released
After a year of development, the award-winning Kodi cross-platform, media center software is now available with many new additions and improvements.