A Flash-free life?
While we get things together for the first podcast, here’s a question: have you gone totally Flash-free on your Linux installation? Maybe you got sick and tired of the plugin’s sluggish performance and tendency to crash. Or you just wanted to avoid proprietary software completely. If you still need Flash for some sites, have you tried the free software alternatives such as Gnash? Let us know your thoughts in the comments, and we’ll go over them in the upcoming podcast.
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About The Author
Mike Saunders
Mike stores his data by printing out hex dumps and laminating the sheets. He's the author of The Haynes Linux Manual and the creator of MikeOS, an operating system hand-built from assembly language.
22 Comments
I've disabled flash in my main browser Firefox, along with a Greasemonkey script that forces YouTube to use HTML5.
Unfortunately however I still need flash to use iView, the Australian Broadcasting Corporations online service. While it's always required Flash, they managed to break things for Linux and Mac users earlier this year by requiring a very specific version of Flash, apparently it gives them more control, some kind of special DRM.
Unfortunately getting them to aknowledge this problem has been a huge pain in the backside, now nearly six months later it's still broken, unless you use Chrome and its bundled version of Flash.
So yes, I use Flash sometimes, and no, the open source alternatives unfortunately can't do the job.
– The angry commenter formerly known as 'buzzomatic'.
A variety of sites I visit still need Flash, unfortunately. I used to be a true Linux geek and would have probably gotten Gnash working (or at least tried it), but life keeps me far too busy these days to do as much experimentation as I'd like.
These days, I just take the easy road, add the Adobe yum repository, and cross my fingers that their insecure mess doesn't get me owned.
I look forward to the day when Flash is dead.
Running ARM makes it easy to be Flash-free. Adobe doesn't support it and Gnash isn't up to date with the latest Flash versioning.
Since Firefox 24 introduced support for H.264 HTML5 video there is not longer any need for it. The rare youtube video that does not play without flash due to advertisements I open in SMPlayer.
Doing most of my browsing on either my Android phone or tablet means that I haven't really used flash for a while now, and the very rare times that I need to use it Chrome built in version works fine.
Like everyone else it's sad to see people leaving, but glad to see a new podcast rise from the ashes.
I have to admit that I usually don't care too much about software freedom when it comes to using the websites I need to use. So I simply install Flash and all the other proprietary crap necessary to watch videos, listen to music, or being annoyed on websites. I might hate it when the laptop burns a hole in my trousers, but I hate warnings and incomplete websites even more…
I've not used flash for several years now, especially as Debian makes it hard to install – I also use noscript to stop / view javascript. Its amazing the number of trackers somamazing use.
Just installed Slackware 14.1 beta – have not installed Flash.
Youtube plays HTML5 just fine, and extionsions like FVD Video Downloader (https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/fvd-video-downloader/lfmhcpmkbdkbgbmkjoiopeeegenkdikp) will grab the FLV file which will play with (Gnome-)Mplayer.
So it is mostly an absence of ads. I trust I will manage.
"extionsions"? Extensions.
With YouTube's ever increasing html5 support and the excellent get_iplayer, I shouldn't need to use Flash but I still occasionally need it for outdated music streaming websites. I've been looking for a band for months and have found that some people still use MySpace and other equally dreadful sites to host their demos.
As much as I would like to see the end of Flash, I fear that it will linger on like some equally irrelevant but stubborn old Royal who refuses to die.
I haven't used Adobe Flash in many years. It's proprietary software and also riddled with bugs. In the last few years, most security problems have been with Adobe's products, not Microsoft.
Also my web browser never crashes. My Flash-using friends complain of even daily crashes… hmm, I wonder why… 🙂
I mostly use Linux Mint, so Flash is generally pre-installed. I have very occasionally had issues with it wanting to upgrade itself, or with it not wanting to work for one reason or another. Mostly it seems to run fine, but my use of Flash-y sites is pretty limited so I'm not an especially good test case.
The only reason I have Chrome installed (and thus flash) is for a VOIP portal for a client. It forces me to login before my business phone will work, so most of the time I don't get any phone calls. Unless someone asks me to open the portal because somebody needs me :P. But, since Youtube has good HTML5 support I never find myself needing flash, therefore it is not installed anywhere except the built in version in Chrome.
I must admit to ritually installing the flash codecs on every new install, but probably more out of habit than necessity these days. Several years ago, it was necessary to watch sites like YouTube, but I'll have a go using a fresh install and see how good the HTML5 support is.
Haven't used flash on home pc for a couple of years, don't miss it. Damn work machine still needs it though because we use Glasscubes for collaboration-all the document editing is with a flash plugin.
GNash didn't work for me, so I'm afraid that my Linux install is "corrupted" with the Adobe Flash Player satanware. That said, I've not tried removing it and see what breaks – perhaps with the move to HTML5 I could now get away with it. That's the problem with Linux – it's so damn stable that you tend to leave things be.
I'll also try doing that on my Windows box – only used for gaming of course – since I recently also deJava'd it too.
If it was my choice I wouldn't have Flash at all but the rest of the family shouts at me if I don't install it. I'm currently in the process of installing the latest Debian on our home computers and haven't put Flash on any of them yet but my son has already complained that he can't play Club Penguin on our desktop so it probably won't stay Flash-free for long. I've never tried Gnash so maybe I shall give that a go.
Now that there aren't exactly many sites left that actually require Flash, I don't bother installing it, whether I be on a *nix box or a *doze box.
A combination of the dramatic decrease in websites that now use flash, and the fact that I now use my Android tablet for YouTube and IPlayer, means that I very rarely find a need for it.
Gnash, Gnash, Gnash
Since switching to Gnash two year ago. I reduced my use of adobe flash dramatically. Of the many distros I've installed on my pcs and notebooks (basically 13'' netbooks) I habe only one with adobe. In cases I'm interested in a video and Gnash won't play it, I simply download the video to watch it in mplayer.
if bbc dropped flash in iplayer then i could give it the 2 fingered wave goodbye. But in the meantime, i forgot 'bout gnash. I remember a fascinating article and interview with the guy in Linux Format…
Hi neighbour! It could be worse. I remember trying to watch the ABC’s iView using Silverlight in it’s early days. Still, I long to see the days where Flash is displaced by something that respects it’s users. With Adobe making ever stranger moves like subscription licensing and dropping Android support, I think now is a good time for an alternative to shoe-in. The Free-er the better.