What's up with Adobe Flash for Linux?
|
| Author | Content |
|---|---|
| penguinist Jul 03, 2012 6:14 PM EDT |
I just went to download the latest adobe flash (version 11.2.202.236) to support a Firefox upgrade I did today and I'm seeing this message on the Adobe site:Adobe wrote:NOTE: Adobe Flash Player 11.2 will be the last version to target Linux as a supported platform. Looks like Adobe really wants their software to be obsoleted by HTML5. This is one more reason to avoid proprietary software whenever possible. |
| HoTMetaL Jul 04, 2012 6:13 AM EDT |
Penguinist, where have you been hiding? |
| Koriel Jul 04, 2012 2:39 PM EDT |
That cave must be pretty lonely, this hasn't been news for months now. I had to move my media machine over to Windows 7 since Adobe removed OpenGL hardware acceleration from Flash 11.1 on Linux. Then they announced no support for Linux, you will start getting the "Please update your Flash before viewing this site" messages a lot more frequently now, only problem is you can't. |
| herzeleid Jul 04, 2012 2:48 PM EDT |
Easy fix for linux: use google chrome browser, flash support is built-in. Seems a lot less drastic than switching to windoze. |
| DrGeoffrey Jul 04, 2012 5:40 PM EDT |
hz: Did you mean to write 'drastic' or 'suicidal'? |
| penguinist Jul 04, 2012 6:23 PM EDT |
If Adobe is going to drop Linux support, then they should open source it so that the community can keep it updated. |
| tracyanne Jul 04, 2012 6:40 PM EDT |
I'm not having any problems viewing Flash with Firefox (13) on Linux. |
| claudecat Jul 04, 2012 8:23 PM EDT |
I think flash-player has been updated at least 3 times since Adobe announced they were dropping linux support several months ago. Perhaps they just want to clog up the interwebs for linux users with chunks o' flashy mediocrity. |
| Koriel Jul 04, 2012 10:20 PM EDT |
Dont like Chrome and the Flash they ship with it is old and does not support OpenGL acceleration end of story so unless you are willing to update your hardware which im not your SHOL. Flash is dead on Linux, like it or not but we still have to live with it, the only updates have been security updates and fixes for VDPAU which I don't have and those will stop soon as well. So far im very happy with the switch to Win 7 on the media machine, Flash is running great at 1080 no stuttering slow mo I was getting on Linux or the constant problems I had with tearing. For awhile I ran Flash 10.3 which was great performance wise and no tearing then I got the "Flash is to old" messages and was basically force to move to Flash 11 at which time they disabled acceleration. It sucks that I have to do this but its the reality of the situation where I have to provide an entertainment unit that just works for the whole family and IMO Linux is no longer able to provide that YMMV, please be aware that all our entertainment is internet based, where i live cable is but a fairy tale and satellite beyond our means. Please don't get me wrong, I still have 3 other linux machines its just that the platform is no longer suited for modern media delivery due to the proliferation of flash, it may well be able to deliver in the future when html5 becomes de rigueur but IMO thats 2 years away, my family wont wait 2 years for HD Casualty and In The Night Garden from the BBC. I like to deal with reality so im dealing with it, in the cheapest fashion possible (I am Scottish, one stereotype that is true is that we are canny) and since I have some Windoze licenses lying around doing nothing (perks of my job) it was the simplest solution as Flash on Win 7 is able to provide the performance I need with my existing hardware its pretty much a no brainer. Also before folks get on their high horses i'm not blaming Linux for the situation as im well aware its due to proliferation of proprietary software that was adopted as a pseudo standard that has caused this problem in the first place. Also don't get me wrong that im against proprietary software (far from it), im just against proprietary software and protocols being used as a standard which I believe should be completely open. End of Diatribe |
| claudecat Jul 05, 2012 12:30 AM EDT |
Sounds like a reasonable solution, and of course I didn't mean to imply that updates were going to solve your issues. I only use flash like 2-3 times a month - I can't imagine having to rely on it for family entertainment purposes. |
| caitlyn Jul 05, 2012 3:39 AM EDT |
It's a pity that gnash + lightspark, two FOSS alternatives that work together, do work for some Flash things but still really don't work well enough to rely on them. I just wish that I didn't need Flash but some websites I use still require it. |
| helios Jul 05, 2012 10:36 AM EDT |
There is a Windows-only application called Zac Browser that made a big deal in releasing a version for Linux. It is computer learning software for autistic children. Unfortunately, the whole thing was built upon Adobe Air and with Adobe cutting Linux Support, the day the app was released, it told the user that Air needed updating but unfortunately, Air was no longer supported in Linux. I realize business is business but you can't help but take it personally after the second or third slap across the face. The sooner HTML5 can become standard, the better off we will all be. Unfortunately, Linux users will find this a painful time period....and as evidenced from the statements above, some of us already are. |
| JaseP Jul 05, 2012 10:45 AM EDT |
Flash is on its way out, anyway. Chrome(ium) will support it, and there ARE 3rd party flash players for Linux (that just need a little more love, due to neglect). I'm not concerned... Flash for Windoze will lose support soon enough, I'm sure... |
| Bob_Robertson Jul 05, 2012 12:11 PM EDT |
So long as YouTube runs through Flash, Flash will live. |
| skelband Jul 05, 2012 12:17 PM EDT |
@Bob Aren't Google offering WebM through YouTube as an alternative these days? |
| tuxchick Jul 05, 2012 12:28 PM EDT |
Flash will die when the .doc format dies. We're stuck with it for a long, long time. |
| Bob_Robertson Jul 05, 2012 12:29 PM EDT |
They may be, but where? Certainly there's no clear choice to be made that I've seen. There were html5 fits and starts last year that seemed to go nowhere. |
| Koriel Jul 05, 2012 1:05 PM EDT |
HTML5 at the moment on Youtube is fairly random and its implementation isnt great, it didn't have proper full screen support last time i looked. But then I have my essential sites such as BBC Iplayer, ITV Player and Hulu where the bulk of our viewing is done. And their is no sign of them dropping Flash anytime soon so im pretty much scunnered with the whole situation. Update: You have to go to http://www.youtube.com/html5 to enable access to the majority of html5 vids on youtube. Have gone back to review Youtube status regarding Html5, Their is still quite a few flash only vids so they haven't converted everything yet, although they only claim partial support on their html5 entry page for full screen video in actuality they have now fully implemented it, certainly on the videos I tried. Performance is abysmal even at 480p especially on Firefox 13, choppy doesnt even begin to cover it, this is due again to lack of hardware acceleration which Firefox 13 has disabled by default even with the latest Nvidia driver installed. Force enabling acceleration causes the browser to crash as soon as I fullscreen the video. Performance on Chromium is a lot better still slightly choppy but a lot smoother although both my cores are clocking a steady 70% usage and you guessed it again no hardware acceleration support on Linux just Win and Mac are supported. IMO lack of hardware acceleration is going to hold back the Linux platform certainly in the field of multimedia delivery as without it html5 wont be any better than flash. The one thing I will say based on what ive seen so far the rendering quality is excellent far better than flash has ever achieved. |
| herzeleid Jul 05, 2012 4:35 PM EDT |
I predict that chrome will implement hardware acceleration for their flash implementation. After all, the independent developer of the lightspark flash player has managed it, so it's an idea whose time has seemingly come. |
Posting in this forum is limited to members of the group: [Editors, MEMBERS, SITEADMINS.]
Becoming a member of LXer is easy and free. Join Us!