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• Launchpad Entry: free-flash

• Packages affected:

Summary

This specification outlines the proposition to include a free flashplayer in ubuntu default install.

Rationale

There are multiple Free Flash projects currently. This includes the [http://swfdec.freedesktop.org Swfdec] and [http://www.gnashdev.org Gnash] Flash players and web browser plugins. For generating Flash movies, [http://ming.sourceforge.net Ming] and [http://www.openlazlo.org OpenLazlo]. Ubuntu should communicate their needs to these projects and find out about their needs.

Use Cases

• Scott wants to watch a [http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2728972720932273543 video about Ubuntu]. He cannot see the video in his browser.

• Stefan wants to use Edubuntu on his school's computer. Unfortunately a lot of the learning tools they use are done in Flash.
• Sarah wants to watch flash-advertisements.

Scope

• main, iso content
  • gnash or swfdec
  • with gstreamer backend
• gnash, swfdec, nonfree-flashplayer packages need to provide alternative for global flash plugin.
• easy codec installation for gnash/swfdec

Implementation

Summary

• include gnash in main
• build with gstreamer backend
• setup alternative for global libflashplugin.so
  • use standard priority for gnash libflashplugin.so
  • use higher priority for non-default nonfree-flashplayer to ensure that user gets what he wants when installing nonfree-flashplayer without removing free alternative from computer

• add easy codec installation support to gnash (See: [http://gstreamer.freedesktop.org/data/doc/gstreamer/head/gst-plugins-base-libs/html/gstreamer-base-utils.html gstreamer-base-utils API]).

Eval and Pointers for "Add easy codec install support to gnash/gstreamer"

Most trivial place to hook this in appears to be NetStreamGst::startPlayback ([http://cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/gnash/server/asobj/NetStreamGst.cpp?revision=1.41&root=gnash&view=markup NetStreamGst.cpp]) for both audio and video.

The gnash gtk frontend uses gtk_main() loop, so using the gstreamer easy codec install api should be possible without hacking gnash core components.

However, there might be issues when going this way:

• we cannot get the main window xid in a clean fashion (which would all the installer to make itself transient to the gnash window)
• retry to start video when previously missing codec has been installed might be tricky.

Both are more or less non-critical and can most likely be resolved with the help of upstream (gnash and gstreamer project).

Outstanding Issues

• implementation details of "add easy codec install support" will evolve during (prototype-)implementation.

• A [http://people.ubuntu.com/~fabbione/irclogs/archived/2007-01/ubuntu-meeting-2007-01-02.html Technical Board meeting] resolution stated that ffmpeg was permitted in main, but could not be shipped on CDs, which seems like a problem for something that might end up in desktop. Are the Flash codecs patent-encumbered? If so, splitting them into a separate binary package would sidestep this issue. --ColinWatson

Their are three Flash codecs, MP3, which is used for audio, FLV, which is used by YouTube and other sites, and the newer VP6, which is based on the ON2 codec. I believe all have patent issues, bug as far as anyone has determined, decoding these codecs isn't an infringing use, just encoding. The idea at the UDS meeting was to only ship the ffmpeg decoders. -- RobSavoye

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