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{{G1G1 Support FAQ}}
{{G1G1 Support FAQ}}
{{proprietary}}
{{proprietary}}

Adobe Flash must be avoided.

* see [https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/flash-player/apsa15-05.html Adobe Security Bulletin APSA15-05] for a critical remote control vulnerability. No update will be available for XO-1, XO-1.75 or XO-4 laptops.

* see [https://theconversation.com/using-flash-is-like-leaving-your-home-doors-open-and-sending-invites-to-criminals-44741 Using Flash is like leaving your home doors open and sending invites to criminals] by David Glance, Director of UWA Centre for Software Practice at University of Western Australia.

Adobe Flash support for all platforms is [https://blogs.adobe.com/conversations/2017/07/adobe-flash-update.html ending] in favour of more recent technologies.

Adobe Flash is a [[RestrictedFormats|Restricted Format]]. A free software player [[Gnash]] comes with each XO laptop, but does not work with all web pages, because not all web sites have taken care to make sure that Gnash works.
Adobe Flash is a [[RestrictedFormats|Restricted Format]]. A free software player [[Gnash]] comes with each XO laptop, but does not work with all web pages, because not all web sites have taken care to make sure that Gnash works.


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==Overview==
==Overview==


Adobe Flash Player can be [[OS_Builder/Add_Adobe_Flash_support|added by laptop deployments]] by the deployment engineers, for all laptop models, subject to permission from Adobe.
Adobe Flash Player can be [[OS_Builder/Add_Adobe_Flash_support|added during build]], for some laptop models, subject to permission from Adobe. Adding during build is the method supported by OLPC, because it works with our operating system {{Code|[[olpc-update|olpc-update]]}} feature.


Adobe Flash Player is not included in OLPC OS, used by supporters and volunteers, because of the restrictions on redistribution. But it can be added later. The steps to follow depend on the model of laptop:
Adobe Flash Player is ''not'' included in OLPC OS, because of the restrictions on redistribution. But it can be added after install. Such changes are lost on {{Code|[[olpc-update|olpc-update]]}}.
* XO-1 or XO-1.5, Adobe publish a compatible player themselves, so follow the [[#Installation on XO-1 and XO-1.5]] to download the player from Adobe,
* XO-1.75, negotiate with OLPC regarding the payment of Marvell license fees, then follow [[#Installation on XO-1.75 and XO-4]],
* XO-4, follow [[#Installation on XO-1.75 and XO-4]],


(On XO-4 OLPC has already included the Marvell license fees in the cost of an XO-4).
Both Adobe and OLPC provide an Adobe Flash Player plugin, depending on the model of laptop:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|valign="top"|[[XO-1]]
|Adobe do not provide a compatible player.<br>See [http://lists.laptop.org/pipermail/devel/2012-October/036209.html technical details].<br>
|-
|valign="top"|[[XO-1.5]]
|Adobe provide a player, <br>follow the [[#Installation on XO-1 and XO-1.5|instructions for XO-1.5]],<br>
|-
|valign="top"|[[XO-1.75]]
|OLPC provide a player, <br>please negotiate with OLPC regarding the payment of Marvell license fees for video drivers, then <br>follow the [[#Installation on XO-1.75 and XO-4|instructions for XO-1.75]],
|-
|valign="top"|[[XO-4]]
|OLPC provide a player, <br>follow the [[#Installation on XO-1.75 and XO-4|instructions for XO-4]], <br>because OLPC has paid the Marvell license fees.
|}


== Checking Version ==
== Checking Version ==


To check which version is installed, visit the [http://www.adobe.com/go/tn_15507 Adobe Flash Browser Version Test].
To check which version is installed, visit the [http://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player/kb/find-version-flash-player.html Adobe Flash Browser Version Test].


== Installation on XO-1.75 and XO-4 ==
== Installation on XO-1.75 and XO-4 ==

OLPC support will provide a file {{Code|libflashplayer.so}} at the same time as providing access to the [[Vmeta|video drivers]].


*download and [[Vmeta|install the video drivers]],
*download and [[Vmeta|install the video drivers]],
*copy the {{Code|libflashplayer.so}} file provided by OLPC to the XO-1.75 or XO-4,
*copy the {{Code|libflashplayer.so}} file to the XO-1.75 or XO-4,
*start the [[Terminal Activity]],
*create a directory, type this:
*check the clock shows the correct date,
sudo mkdir -p /usr/lib/mozilla/plugins
*copy the plugin, type this:
*copy the plugin, paste this:
sudo cp libflashplayer.so /usr/lib/mozilla/plugins/libflashplayer.so
sudo cp libflashplayer.so /usr/lib/mozilla/plugins/libflashplayer.so
*wrap the plugin<ref>these instructions to wrap the plugin are derived from and maintained in the [http://dev.laptop.org/git/projects/olpc-os-builder/tree/modules/adobe_flash Adobe Flash module in OS Builder].</ref>, paste this [[Compound_commands|compound command]]:
*start Browse and [[#Checking_version|check version]].
sudo yum -y install nspluginwrapper && \
sudo rm -f /usr/lib/mozilla/plugins-wrapped/nswrapper*.so && \
sudo /usr/lib/nspluginwrapper/npconfig -n \
-p nswrapper_32_32 \
-d /usr/lib/mozilla/plugins-wrapped \
-i /usr/lib/mozilla/plugins/libflashplayer.so && \
sudo yum remove -y gnash gnash-plugin && \
sudo chmod a-x /usr/bin/mozilla-plugin-config
*start Browse and [[#Checking_version|check version]],
*for the first video played, raise the volume in the playback window.


==Installation on XO-1 and XO-1.5 ==
==Installation on XO-1.5 ==


*use ''My Settings'' and ''About my Computer'' to check what release of OLPC OS you are using,
On Browse activity, Flash media is not played immediately; click on the media to start playing. The [[#Click to Play|Click to Play]] can be disabled.
*connect the XO laptop to the internet,
*stop Browse,
*start the [[Terminal Activity]],
*check the clock shows the correct date,
*download and install the plugin, paste this:
sudo rpm -F http://linuxdownload.adobe.com/linux/i386/adobe-release-i386-1.0-1.noarch.rpm
sudo yum install flash-plugin
*wait for the above to complete, it may take a few minutes before the terminal prompt reappears,
*if this is the first time the plugin has been installed, wrap it and remove gnash, paste this [[Compound_commands|compound command]]:
sudo yum -y install nspluginwrapper && \
sudo /usr/lib/nspluginwrapper/npconfig -n \
-p nswrapper_32_32 \
-d /usr/lib/mozilla/plugins-wrapped \
-i /usr/lib/mozilla/plugins/libflashplayer.so && \
sudo yum remove -y gnash gnash-plugin && \
sudo chmod a-x /usr/bin/mozilla-plugin-config
*stop Terminal,
*start Browse and [[#Checking_version|check version]],


== Updating ==
How to download and install Adobe Flash Player, on Sugar 0.82 and later:


To update to a later plugin, repeat the steps above. This must be done after any {{Code|[[olpc-update|olpc-update]]}}.
*Make sure the XO is connected to the Internet,
*Start the [[Terminal Activity]],
*Enter the following commands:
[[su -l]]
wget http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/get/flashplayer/pdc/11.2.202.251/flash-plugin-11.2.202.251-release.i386.rpm
rpm -i flash-plugin-*.rpm
:(this link is occasionally invalidated by Adobe, to find the current one go to [http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/ get.adobe.com] and complete the prompts.)
:(to save typing, copy and paste the above commands from Browse activity to Terminal, like this: start Browse, visit this page, use the touchpad to highlight the wget and rpm commands, click the Edit menu in the Browse and click the Copy button, then in the Terminal, click the Edit menu and then click Paste.)
:(to upgrade from an existing installation of flash-plugin, use ''rpm -U'' instead of ''rpm -i''.)
*Wait for the rpm command to complete. On XO-1.5 this may take a minute or so.
*In releases prior to [[Release notes/8.2.0|release 8.2.0]], and in [[11.2.0]], to avoid conflicts between the Gnash and Adobe Flash plugins, remove Gnash with the following Terminal commands:
[[su -l]]
yum remove -y gnash gnash-plugin
*Stop Terminal,
*Stop Browse,
*Start Browse, and check that Flash is working properly: open the page [http://www.adobe.com/go/tn_15507 Adobe Flash Browser Version Test].
* If Flash did not work, now follow these steps:
1. From Terminal type su - (this brings you to the root terminal). At the bash# prompt type:  yum -y install nspluginwrapper
Wait for it to complete.
2. Now,at the bash, copy paste this:
/usr/lib/nspluginwrapper/npconfig -n -p nswrapper_32_32 -d /usr/lib/mozilla/plugins-wrapped -i /usr/lib/mozilla/plugins/libflashplayer.so


== Test Cases ==


* [http://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player/kb/find-version-flash-player.html Adobe Flash Browser Version Test],
The reply will just be the bash. But now if you open Browse and go to YouTube and click on a video, the flash player will work. Note that these instructions have been tested to work on Build 12.1.0 for the XO 1.5. See also http://dev.laptop.org/git/projects/olpc-os-builder/tree/modules/adobe_flash/kspost.51.flashinstall.inc
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0DPdy98e4c a count down short test video],
* [http://khanacademy.org/cs/programming/intro-to-programming/v/programming-intro Khan Academy Introduction to Programming].

== Local Flash Media ==


See [http://www.abdulqabiz.com/blog/archives/flash_and_actionscript/flash_player_trust_f.php hints on how to disable security questions popping up when using local content].
See [http://www.abdulqabiz.com/blog/archives/flash_and_actionscript/flash_player_trust_f.php hints on how to disable security questions popping up when using local content].


== Click to Play ==
This installation must be repeated after any [[olpc-update|Update]].


On OLPC OS prior to 13.2.0<ref>the exact version that fixed the click to play is unknown, but it was probably between 11.3.1 and 13.2.0</ref>, Flash media is not played immediately; click on the media to start playing. You can upgrade the version of Browse or the OLPC OS version to fix this.
=== Click to Play ===
To automatically run Flash applets without seeing the '''Click to play''' prompt, move two files by typing the following in the Terminal Activity:


== Issues with Adobe Flash ==
*For current builds, i.e. '''767''' (aka '''release 8.2.0''')


See the main article on [[Adobe_Flash_Issues|issues with Adobe Flash]].
:: cd /home/olpc/Activities/Browse.activity
:: mkdir bak
:: mv agent-stylesheet.css bak/.
:: mv clickToView.xml bak/.

:To '''undo''' using Terminal:

:: cd /home/olpc/Activities/Browse.activity/bak
:: cp agent-stylesheet.css ../.
:: cp clickToView.xml ../.

*For Sugar-on-a-Stick builds, e.g. '''Blueberry v2''' (aka '''Sugar 0.86.3''')

:: cd /home/liveuser/Activities/Browse.activity
:: mkdir bak
:: mv agent-stylesheet.css bak/.
:: mv clickToView.xml bak/.

:To '''undo''' using Terminal:

:: cd /home/liveuser/Activities/Browse.activity/bak
:: cp agent-stylesheet.css ../.
:: cp clickToView.xml ../.

*For really old builds: (if this applies to you, you really should [[Release_notes/8.2.0|update!]])

:: su -l
:: cd /usr/share/activities/Web.activity
:: mkdir bak
:: mv agent-stylesheet.css bak/.
:: mv clickToView.xml bak/.

:To '''undo''' using Terminal:

:: su -l
:: cd /usr/share/activities/Web.activity/bak/
:: cp agent-stylesheet.css ../.
:: cp clickToView.xml ../.
Notes: In build 703 /usr/share/activities looks like it's moved to /home/olpc/Activities while in build 711 it looks like it's /home/olpc/Activities/Web.activity

NEWBIES (like me): This works like a charm to get rid of the double Flash elements on each page, but remember:
text entered in the terminal is '''CaSe SEnsITiVe'''.


== Uninstallation ==
== Notes ==
<references/>
Linux [[rpm|RPM]] removal:
* In the [[Terminal Activity]]
* At the <tt>#</tt> prompt, type
su -l
rpm -e flash-plugin
exit


== Advanced options ==
== Developer Discussions ==
{{Developers}}
{{Developers}}
{{outdated}}
===Flash-heavy Sites===
===Flash-heavy Sites===


Note that media-rich and script-heavy Flash media can be very taxing on the CPU and may perform poorly.
Note that media-rich and script-heavy Flash media can be very taxing on the CPU and may perform poorly.


The XO [[Browse]] Activity is loaded with [[Gnash]], a [[FOSS|Free and Open Source Software]] that is compatible with Flash 8. A number of sites, however, require at least [[Adobe Flash version 9 and higher]] running the newer Actionscript Virtual Machine 2 (AVM2) and Actionscript 3.0 code.
The XO [[Browse]] Activity is loaded with [[Gnash]], a [[FOSS|Free and Open Source Software]] that was compatible with Flash 8. A number of sites, however, require at least [[Adobe Flash version 9 and higher]] running the newer Actionscript Virtual Machine 2 (AVM2) and Actionscript 3.0 code.


To successfully access sites that require Adobe Flash 9 and above:
To successfully access sites that require Adobe Flash 9 and above:
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More information may be found here:
More information may be found here:
http://olpcnews.com/forum/index.php?topic=3676.0
http://olpcnews.com/forum/index.php?topic=3676.0

== Gnash ==

See the [[Gnash|Main Gnash Article]].

Adobe Flash has been reported to conflict with Gnash before; but this has not been reproduced recently. If you have a site that works for you with Adobe Flash installed but not with ''both'' Adobe and Gnash installed, please describe this in detail on the talk page here (after doublechecking the [http://adobe.com/go/tn_15507 version of flash] your browser seems to be running).

With build 8.2.0 of the XO OS, Adobe Flash & Gnash generally co-exist peacefully, with the Adobe Flash plugin running in the browser and Gnash able to run outside the browser in stand-alone mode.

Some notes on Gnash:
* Gnash 0.8.2 that comes with 711 has problems with AS-driven dynamic text rotation/positioning
* Gnash 0.8.3 that comes with 8.20 builds the above problem, but still has some Adobe Flash 7 & 8 sound bug incompatibilities.


[[Category:Linux software]]
[[Category:Linux software]]

[[es:Adobe Flash]]

== Issues with Adobe Flash ==
See the main article on [[Adobe_Flash_Issues|issues with Adobe Flash]].

== Related Articles ==
* [[Gnash|Gnash]] the open source Flash player pre-installed with the XO
* [[Adobe_AIR|Adobe AIR]] on the OLPC XO

Latest revision as of 23:01, 25 July 2017

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  For the general public
This page is part of the XO Support FAQ.     Support Index | Print This Page
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This page describes third-party software that does not meet the OLPC standards for software freedom. The use of such software is unsupported; OLPC does not endorse or encourage its use.

Adobe Flash must be avoided.

Adobe Flash support for all platforms is ending in favour of more recent technologies.

Adobe Flash is a Restricted Format. A free software player Gnash comes with each XO laptop, but does not work with all web pages, because not all web sites have taken care to make sure that Gnash works.

Adobe Flash Player is a proprietary player for Adobe Flash media. Adobe Flash Player plays a larger variety of Flash media than Gnash, but has license restrictions that prevent easy distribution. More information on Adobe Flash Player can be found on the Adobe Flash Player web site.

Overview

Adobe Flash Player can be added during build, for some laptop models, subject to permission from Adobe. Adding during build is the method supported by OLPC, because it works with our operating system olpc-update feature.

Adobe Flash Player is not included in OLPC OS, because of the restrictions on redistribution. But it can be added after install. Such changes are lost on olpc-update.

Both Adobe and OLPC provide an Adobe Flash Player plugin, depending on the model of laptop:

XO-1 Adobe do not provide a compatible player.
See technical details.
XO-1.5 Adobe provide a player,
follow the instructions for XO-1.5,
XO-1.75 OLPC provide a player,
please negotiate with OLPC regarding the payment of Marvell license fees for video drivers, then
follow the instructions for XO-1.75,
XO-4 OLPC provide a player,
follow the instructions for XO-4,
because OLPC has paid the Marvell license fees.

Checking Version

To check which version is installed, visit the Adobe Flash Browser Version Test.

Installation on XO-1.75 and XO-4

OLPC support will provide a file libflashplayer.so at the same time as providing access to the video drivers.

sudo cp libflashplayer.so /usr/lib/mozilla/plugins/libflashplayer.so
sudo yum -y install nspluginwrapper && \
sudo rm -f /usr/lib/mozilla/plugins-wrapped/nswrapper*.so && \
sudo /usr/lib/nspluginwrapper/npconfig -n \
    -p nswrapper_32_32 \
    -d /usr/lib/mozilla/plugins-wrapped \
    -i /usr/lib/mozilla/plugins/libflashplayer.so && \
sudo yum remove -y gnash gnash-plugin && \
sudo chmod a-x /usr/bin/mozilla-plugin-config 
  • start Browse and check version,
  • for the first video played, raise the volume in the playback window.

Installation on XO-1.5

  • use My Settings and About my Computer to check what release of OLPC OS you are using,
  • connect the XO laptop to the internet,
  • stop Browse,
  • start the Terminal Activity,
  • check the clock shows the correct date,
  • download and install the plugin, paste this:
sudo rpm -F http://linuxdownload.adobe.com/linux/i386/adobe-release-i386-1.0-1.noarch.rpm
sudo yum install flash-plugin
  • wait for the above to complete, it may take a few minutes before the terminal prompt reappears,
  • if this is the first time the plugin has been installed, wrap it and remove gnash, paste this compound command:
sudo yum -y install nspluginwrapper && \
sudo /usr/lib/nspluginwrapper/npconfig -n \
    -p nswrapper_32_32 \
    -d /usr/lib/mozilla/plugins-wrapped \
    -i /usr/lib/mozilla/plugins/libflashplayer.so && \
sudo yum remove -y gnash gnash-plugin && \
sudo chmod a-x /usr/bin/mozilla-plugin-config 

Updating

To update to a later plugin, repeat the steps above. This must be done after any olpc-update.

Test Cases

Local Flash Media

See hints on how to disable security questions popping up when using local content.

Click to Play

On OLPC OS prior to 13.2.0<ref>the exact version that fixed the click to play is unknown, but it was probably between 11.3.1 and 13.2.0</ref>, Flash media is not played immediately; click on the media to start playing. You can upgrade the version of Browse or the OLPC OS version to fix this.

Issues with Adobe Flash

See the main article on issues with Adobe Flash.

Notes

<references/>

Developer Discussions

The contents of this page are considered outdated and some of the information may be stale. Please use information here with caution, or update it.

Flash-heavy Sites

Note that media-rich and script-heavy Flash media can be very taxing on the CPU and may perform poorly.

The XO Browse Activity is loaded with Gnash, a Free and Open Source Software that was compatible with Flash 8. A number of sites, however, require at least Adobe Flash version 9 and higher running the newer Actionscript Virtual Machine 2 (AVM2) and Actionscript 3.0 code.

To successfully access sites that require Adobe Flash 9 and above:

  1. Close all Activities
  2. Ensure that the XO is connected to the internet
  3. Install Adobe Flash, and follow the advanced instructions to disable Click to Play
  4. optional: Disable Gnash
  5. Reboot the XO
  • Please note that a lot of websites such as popular children's sites Webkinz.com (Flash 9+ required) and Disney.com are generally geared towards systems that have a lot of free disk space for browser cache files. The XO only has a total storage of 1GB so be aware that successive use of these sites may quickly fill up your free storage.
  • Also note that the Browse and Firefox activities zoom-in pages by default to improve readability. Because of this, Flash applets are artificially scaled up above native resolution and the CPU is taxed even more because more pixels have to be rendered by Flash. Zooming out or using a browser that runs at native resolution like Opera will improve performance.
  • Additional performance increase at the sacrifice of visual quality may be gained by running Flash in low-quality mode. This may be achieved by right-clicking on the flash applet to access the context menu, then selecting QUALITY -> Low. Note that a lot of Flash applets disable the right-click context menu.

A forum thread at the following URL documents a workaround that will start the Adobe Flash plugin in low-quality mode by default: http://www.olpcnews.com/forum/index.php?topic=845.msg7429 note that the guide was written with Flash 9 in mind and has been documented to crash the browser on Flash 10: http://www.olpcnews.com/forum/index.php?topic=3804.0

Flash Video

Installing the latest version of Adobe Flash will allow users to run sites like Youtube.com and GoogleVideo.com and play Flash Video. Note however that decoding video is a CPU-intensive activity. Due to the XO's limited CPU, Flash Video will play at very low framerates. Sound in general will play at full speed. Running Flash in low-quality mode (detailed in the previous section) may improve Flash Video performance.

Flash 3D

3D in Flash is achieved via software rendering and is not hardware accelerated. Because of this, 3D in Flash is very CPU and memory-intensive, and the XO's limited 433MHz CPU and 256MB RAM may not be able to cope.

Visiting sites that use Flash 3D engines such as Papervision3D.org, the demo pages of FlashSandy.org and AlternativaPlatform.com may freeze the browser *AND* the entire machine thus requiring a reboot.

Because of this, avoid visiting sites which make use of 3D in Flash.

Webcam Support

Support for the XO's built-in camera seems to be problematic.

In both the Browse Activity and Opera browser:

  • Browsing Flash apps that use the webcam will turn on the indicator light above the webcam
  • Flash 9 shows just a black screen
  • Flash 10 shows red and green static which reacts to motion. This means the camera is working, but isn't talking quite correctly with Flash.
  • Tested on Update.1 711

More information may be found here: http://olpcnews.com/forum/index.php?topic=3676.0