Opera won't play flash

[grandma]

Tried loading libflashplayer.so to various folders, including

/usr/local/lib

and a dozen others - then restarted Opera - but Opera won't recognize it

Tried changing operaprefs.ini to point to folder.

Also noticed inside operaprefs.ini - the version is set to flash version 6 - may want to set it to 10 to reflect current adobe release

[maro]

I'm not sure where you get that version information from out of 'operaprefs.ini', but I believe that it's "neither here nor there".

I'm using a (slightly reduced version) of 'flash10.tcz' created along the lines of the script from the 'getFlash10.tcz' extension (i.e. it consists only of '/usr/local/share/flash10/libflashplayer.so' plus the startup script that creates symbolic links for all sorts of browsers). Therefore the appropriate "file" (or rather link) for Opera seems to be: '/usr/local/lib/opera/plugins/libflashplayer.so'.

But if I take a look into the contents of the default 'pluginpath.ini' file (either in '/usr/local/share/opera/ini' or in '/usr/local/share/opera/defaults') I'd like to think that opera will search for plugins in all sorts of other directories (but not in '/usr/local/lib'). When it finds one it appears to adjust the '~/.opera/pluginpath.ini' file accordingly.

What I like about Opera is that it has no problems to re-scan for new plugins whilst it is running (e.g. via the 'opera:plugins' page and then the 'Refresh plug-ins' link, or via 'Preferences' -> 'Advanced' tab -> 'Content' -> "Plug-in Options' -> 'Find New'). IIRC not all browsers are that flexible (or at least were not in the past).

[grandma]

I also read that "Opera rescans" without a restart, and that it "searches all over" for plug ins.

It does seem to run faster - more responsive. I will try the flash10.tcz - I was using flash10ff.tcz for Firefox, and took that out for Opera - reading the Opera site and Adobe site - leading me to utilize their gz file and "IF" I tinker just right - I do get flash to work with Opera, but have yet to repeat it consistently.

I did encounter some other Opera issues - notably visiting a https email login (godaddy emails), - Opera didn't like it and it didn't like Opera much either.

Also, I am being "pushed" into Opera due to a "firefox keeps crashing" problem, that the kind and wise admins have suggested "may be memory related" - and they may be quite right. I went and pulled a PS, DF and DMESG report and figure I'll let em wag a finger at me and say "Grandma - WHAT is all that stuff ya loaded! - And WHY!?!?"

Subject to resolving that, I may or may not continue messing with Opera: I do "want" an open source browser, but just need one that works - reliably. However, adversity brings opportunity, and I have now fine tuned a software package to run on both - and automatically switch to default (Firefox) if Opera becomes unresponsive/ dysfunctional - so these trials - as usual - have brought about some good things.

The one thing to remember throughout all of this "learning" and "tinkering" and "getting it right" - which a lot of people say makes TC a "No thanks" - but when something doesn't work in Windows, you are usually just out of luck - and no matter how much you "tinker" - its unlikely you'll ever get it working "good and fast and consistently". The nice thing about TC - once it works right, its a lot easier to keep it working "good and fast and consistently". So.... onward.

I will try the straight flash10 method.

[Rich]

Hi grandma
Since rather than using AppBrowser and installing extensions from the repository, you seem to
prefer to bypass these mechanisms and shoot yourself in the foot, so here's another bullet for you.
On my machine  libflashplayer.so  is in  /usr/local/lib/opera/plugins/. Of course I did not put it there,
I let the perfectly good  getFlash10.tcz  extension install it for me.

[grandma]

Hi Rich - thank you - I will try it. I did find the firefox plugin folder and saw flash loaded in there. I was running tce-load -i flash10ff - but I will try the flash10 method instead if you think that might help.

The reason I "manually" install extensions was:

a) As Juanito pointed out - some tcz's worked well in onboot.lst - others had to "wait" - the dance between Alsa, Flash and Firefox is still (after 8 months?) elusive for me. It works sometimes - other times does not. I tried loading it all into onboot.lst - and never did get that to work. Tried the on-demand feature, never got that to work/play videos etc. - or sound would have to be re-done, plus had to write a script to raise levels for Alsaconf etc. - so it all just loads there, raises levels - done.

There are a few extensions in onboot.lst (lemme check)

jwm.tcz
kmaps.tcz
setproxy.tcz

b) Loading by "onboot.lst" also meant a static environment - or editing that to change - then rebooting. Depending on conditions/purpose/session objective - and PC RAM (I have a traveling thumb drive to boot from), I can go to a nice, clean, colorful (ok, eye candy) menu after a boot, fire off a script, and get abi, gnumeric, whatever...easily on the fly - and the system can work in TC or in theory - any other Linux - since it is SH based.

c) Most of the utilities I am using were developed to get around problems I found in TC - whether it was "appearance" (gray boxes) - which my clients would never accept - or performance - inconsistent from one PC to another - so the scripts create "patches" to get things to work.

The system ran fine - 3 months - great good looking desktop - except for the Firefox crashes - then frustrated - I tried Opera - modified a few scripts - and now can't even get Firefox to come up by script (other post) - and have seen Opera play a flash video twice after a lot of mucking around.

I would think it should be rather easy to:

1. Load a program/ap
2. Or load its supporting aps first - or afterwards
3. Then run an ap

...and am finding it isn't that simple or easy.

The only reason I am online now is spending 30 minutes "manually" getting firefox to even run - hunting down the /usr/local/firefox-official directory (which for some reason, firefox can't find it), and manually running a wifi utility I wrote (because wifi-radar can't get me online - another reason a std extension isn't enough).

Since I am new to Opera - I figure - yes - eventually I will get flash working...and will try the /usr/local/lib/opera/plugins folder -

Big question:

ALSA
FLASH
OPERA/FIREFOX

What is the proper sequence to LOAD them?

I typically load alsa first, then assume flash (flash10 or flash10ff), then the browser.

Is that the right order? I believe Juanito once suggested

Alsa, then the browser, then Flash10(ff) and then light up the browser.

Any thoughts?

[Rich]

Hi grandma
I think that's the correct order. I do want to point out that the latest version of  Flash10  does not
work with  Opera10, so you should consider  Opera11  or maybe  Opera12. If you search the
forum there is a recent thread (August) concerning  Flash10  and  Opera. I suggest you look for
it and read it.

On a side note, considering the amount of time you've spent bypassing the way Tinycore is
designed to work, to try to force it to work the way you think it should, you probably could have
completed the Linux From Scratch tutorial and built what you wanted to begin with. Just my two
cents, but you might want to take a look at the  LFS  website anyway.

[grandma]

Tried Opera 11 - still no flash...(once or twice - yes - consistent - no)

and it kept bombing on some sites - like the godaddy email login - "big security risk" (hate when browsers do that)

at any rate - spent several days "trimming ram" - boot loads etc. - and FF still crashes, but not as often - may be RAM related as I believe Curaga (or Rich) first suggested.

FF "crashes less" now - that's a good thing.

As for writing linux from scratch - as I "entered the world of TC" - yes - absolutely - I considered it - and after writing a few small utilities - getting them to work - yes - absolutely - I guess I could develop "a new distro" - or a "Svolli style version" of TC - thought about all of that.

...but my "gig" has never been systems programming - hated it - hats off to all of you who do it - my "fun" rests in delivering aps for users (usually custom aps) - and watching their wish list turn into something that bumps their bottom line. As a friend says "I asked what time it was, not how the watch worked".

It is what allows clients to take a scratched "wish it could" and make it a reality - and makes them smile.

Few of them will recognize the advantages of a TC platform - fast, tight, robust. I did and said "Hmmm...if you were going to write a suite for lawyers (something I did ages ago), wouldn't this be a nifty platform for them - or anyone - IF (big IF) - they didn't have to configure it the way techs do here - at this forum."

You go to a puppy forum - blissfully happy users - aside from the bugs in that distro - but for the most part, whether by "marketing" or "somewhat based in reality" - they have "this fear" of being a TC user...same with Knoppix users and most others - and every once in awhile someone in one of those forums will try TC and it usually knocks their socks off - "WOW - ya  should'a seen how fast it ran - etc."

And then someone else will say "Yeah, but ya gotta spend hours configuring it."

And I know RobertS and the rest are trying really hard to cure that image.

And I just had a feeling you would. I said "Why write a new OS - this one has 3000+ repoz and growing, a nice, smart tech base to draw from - about a million $ plus in talent - and was based on a philosophy I do adore - tight - toss out the bloat - (although I am so so sick of Busy Box bugs - but I'll live) and if I could just "tame the beast" while re-learning sh scripting - well I might get something really neat.

I did - and have something really neat that runs in TC - or any Linux - and am going to keep polishing that. Since the FF and Opera bugs are pretty much OS independent, its not as if those issues will disappear no matter where I park my hat.

So...why not write a new one? Rich - silly wabbit - do ya really think I could write something as nice as TC? For all its bugs, its still the best game in town.

[grandma]

Yeah team

I was using the "Adobe recommended" method - get their GZ - and go extract and stuff it in etc.

I found the README file in /usr/local/lib/opera-11/plugins - and tried putting libflashplayer.so in that folder - then adjusted Opera path to find plugins - poof - got sound and video

now I have "scripted" it so it does that before running Opera

Rich had mentioned "Grandma - ya'all are shootin yerself in the foot by doing these things manually" - and to some extent - absolutely true...but by mapping out key components that "don't always load as expected" (results often vary by PC / Laptop etc) - I can run a QC check to verify something happened - is working - and if not, I can go hammer it into place.

Anyway - Opera played Flash videos - twice in a row (rebooted - worked again).

If it does it three times in a row - then I can stop using Firefox to browse the web - having something that crashes every 3 minutes is sorta like - ummmmmmm - windows?!?

[Rich]

Hi grandma
If your scripts are loading or running things asynchronously by backgrounding them that might
explain why sometimes things appear to work and sometimes they don't. For example, if you are
loading flash backgrounded and then launch the browser there is no guarantee that flash will be
there when the browser checks to see if it's available.
I only mention this because you seem to have written scripts to do everything and may have created
some race conditions. If you are running things in parallel there are no guarantees on the order
they will complete in from one day to the next.

[grandma]

I noticed that - for example scripts that start on load now wait until the see JWM show up in the PS command. So scripts that have "dependencies" typically I sit and wait for a file to "show up" - then even sleep for 1 or 2 seconds to let the dust settle - then go on.

So far though - I have to say for me anyway - the system I have built is 1000 times more reliable than my Windows was (not hard to do with even bubble gum and paperclips) and has become far easier for me to "customize" than the original TC was (ahem - I know I am slow but you may recall it was several months before I could even get a background to stick - ouch).

Onward with this topic:

Opera does play flash now - reliably - and in addition to setting the preferences (stuffing into /home/tc/,opera-11/operaprefs.ini) I also set the PLUGIN PATH - which goes to the folder mentioned in prior post. Opera has a pluginpath.ini file - so I set that (keep a copy) and stuff it into the dot folder before running Opera (with a SH script). The result is consistent home page, consistent flash availability and contrary to  the TC README file in the /usr/local/lib/opera-11 folder suggestion... ooops - Opera does NOT look there unless you TELL it to go look there.

I am sure a straight boot/TC method might get around this, but this is another example of having to "write a patch" (the script) to do what Opera won't do.

Another thing Opera will not do - flash video autoplay - not sure how to get around that. I get a big giant ARROW (play button) in the middle of the flash video - and was reading that it has to do with the conversion to html5 etc. - which would mean (pain) I'd have to go through all my sites and revamp the code rather than using the good old youtube embed feature that always worked - and still works in Firefox....most of the time.

Speaking of Firefox, though this might go to the other post on Firefox crashing...I did find a work-around that stops that crashing, but so as not to "double post" here, I'll go put it in that other post.