gnash 0.8.0 + easy-codec-install in gutsy

[Alexander Sack]

Hi,

I am happy to announce that we just made the first important step
towards free-flash in ubuntu [1]. A gnash package baked from the gnash
0.8.0 release branch should now be available in gutsy (universe). This
package features an initial version of easy-codec-install for gnash
(see below).

The version for testing is 0.8.0~cvs20070611.1016-1ubuntu1.

For now, please test and give feedback on:

  + the easy-codec-install feature (does it work for all?)
  + flash content that doesn't work

In order to test gnash, please uninstall your flashplayer-nonfree package or 
remove the libflashplayer.so you might find in your .mozilla/plugins/
directory. Open about:plugins url in firefox to check that you really don't
have any plugin associated with flash content before you go on.

Next step, install the gnash mozilla plugin package
(mozilla-plugin-gnash) and start to use it regularly ... then


Test easy-codec install
========================
Rmove either one or both of the following gstreamer plugin packages before
you visit http://www.youtube.com: 

    gstreamer0.10-ffmpeg
or
    gstreamer0.10-fluendo-mp3

Once those plugins have been uninstalled, try to watch a video on youtube. If
everything works as expected, you should be presented with a dialog that allows
you to install the missing codec(s). As soon as the codec install has finished,
gnash should resume the video automatically.


Report broken flash content
============================
At this stage we prefer bug reports from reporters who develop flash
films and thus can see which flash feature is broken by looking at it.

If you have an idea which specific flash feature doesn't work or
doesn't render correctly, please use the following procedure:

  1. post a bug at https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gnash/+filebug
  2. include a short summary on what flash-feature appears to be broken
  3. name the URL to access the broken flash content
  4. include a screenshot of the broken flash content
  5. include a screenshot done with adobe's flash player


Known Issues: (please don't report these)
=========================================
 + opengl backend doesn't render the video perfectly for all
   video-hardware/-driver setups (e.g. you might see stripes on the
   left side of the video).
 + if you removed both, video and audio codec packages, you will first
   be asked to install the video codec; once that is finished another
   dialog will appear that allows you to install the missing audio
   codec. I am working on a solution to get just one dialog that
   allows you to install *all* missing codecs at once.


Have fun and enjoy free flash (yeah even on non i386 architectures).

 - Alexander

[1] - https://blueprints.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+spec/free-flash


 - Alexander