Need help with Flash in Linux Mint 22.2

[f-117]

This week I am transitioning from Windows to Linux Mint.

I was able to install and run PM OK, but there is one webpage that is giving me problems.

https://www.paint4models.com/ultimate.html

The site needs Flash to display the color database.

When you click on the large, blue, "Launch the Ultimate Paint Conversion Chart" button at the bottom (scroll down) of the page, it looks to load Ruffle then just a blank, green screen.

The page needs Flash to view the paint chart. But I can't get any Flash to work in LM 22.2.

I know Flash is dead, sorta.

Is there a Flash version that works in LM?

Scott

[moonbat]

Search the forum.

[UCyborg]

I'm not sure if this will work on LM 22.2 specifically, forums were useless since forever regarding getting Flash to work properly on Linux.

You can try installing my Flash Player DEB package flashplugin-full_32.0.0.465_amd64.deb.

It kinda works on my KUbuntu 21.10 install, except hardware acceleration makes it crash. If you'll have that problem, it's a bit tricky, it can be disabled by hex editing the configuration file from what I remember, but I'd have to dig into it as I forgot all about it. Though there was also one specific Flash app that didn't crash, so it could be disabled there from settings accessible through the right-click context menu on the running Flash content in web browser. But, I forgot what the app was called...

[UCyborg]

I've reuploaded and renamed, but can't edit original post.

If old one was installed, best to remove it with as new package doesn't specify any relation to old one:

Code: Select all

sudo apt remove flashplugin-full

The new one is named adobe-flashplayer.

Still have to try on some newer distro, but I fixed specified dependencies in DEB, there were some redundant ones before, others were missing and it should handle some differences between library packages that took place between 2016 and now, assuming current versions of glib don't break it. I don't remember how I figured out dependencies before, but I probably did some guesswork from ldd command output (which outputs dependencies' dependencies as well) rather than using readelf, which just looks at the binary in question.

I also added the standalone Flash Player and hopefully got icons right, at least on my old KDE, it didn't show it for preferences application on the application list. Finally, I found some newer implementation of PulseAudio backend on GitHub that may be a bit more correct than the version from 2007. Compiled on Ubuntu 16.04, so in theory works with that and Debian based on it and newer.

Flash is linked to old C library (glibc) from 2006. I wonder what they used to compile it.

[f-117]

Thank you for your help with the Flash player. Your efforts are appreciated!

I recently installed your latest Flash app: flashplugin-full_32.0.0.465_amd64.deb
However it still does not work on the website I mentioned above. I still get a full blank grey screen.

The last version of Flash I had that worked with the site was 32.0.0.270 from 2019.

Thank you for your efforts. Hopefully we can solve this "flash" problem.

Scott

[Mæstro]

I use Linux Mint Debian Edition, but try installing Clean Flash. It is how I have got Flash installed. Feel free to ask me for more information if you need help doing so. I also notice that you like to sign your posts ‘Scott’. You can add a signature to your post in the user control panel.

Off-topic:
Windows XP continues to enjoy Flash updates, but not Linux.

[UCyborg]

Neither the international or China build works out of box on Linux Mint for me. Well, it doesn't on (K)Ubuntu 21.10 either. Though when I messed with Manjaro back then (whatever version was current), it worked there. Something about hardware acceleration being broken.

Do you have some local SWF files? I launched the standalone Flash Player like so through terminal:

Code: Select all

LIBGL_ALWAYS_SOFTWARE=1 flashplayer

That environment variable works with open-source graphics drivers and forces software rendering for OpenGL, don't know if there's equivalent for proprietary. Maybe with some hackery you could get it to load another library, but that's a bit involved and would take a while to figure out. The other option would be turning off HW acceleration through Flash's config file, but again, even if I knew how-to at some point, I forgot by now.

Anyway, I opened one of the SWF files, then after some dancing around, moving window around, resizing and right-clicking on the main window area, at some point Flash's display ended up in a state that wasn't completely unusable, so could access Settings... option from right-click menu, where you can turn off hardware acceleration. A workaround, but at least it works. I haven't a clue how to get it working with hardware acceleration.

https://i.imgur.com/0cX0MHN.png

That was all while using the horrible nouveau driver, even without HW acceleration, it still shows artifacts with some SWF files.

Edit: It seems my issues with standalone Flash Player were connected to trying to load SWF from Wayback Machine rather than from local disk. Hardware acceleration issues with Flash are seemingly more likely to happen in-browser.

[f-117]

What is the screen in your screenshot?

Adobe Flash 100%..?

I also can't find Flash Player settings either.

When I install your .DEB package it only gives me two items in the sound/video menu...
Adobe Flash Player, Standalone projector
Preferences for Adobe Flash Player

In my Add-ons manager, "PlugIns" section I have a listing for:
Adobe Flash 32.0.0.465
Last Updated: 12/27/2021
File: libflashplayer.so
MIME Types: aplication/x-shockwave-flash(shockwave Flash:SWF)
aplication/futuresplash (futuresplash player:spl)

No other options.

Scott

[UCyborg]

Yes, the settings in right-click menu require Flash to be functional to be able to access them. The preferences app has some settings dealing with local storage, access to camera and some others, but nothing for hardware acceleration. You can try disabling hardware acceleration through mms.cfg config file. You can create it like so using the terminal:

Code: Select all

sudo mkdir /etc/adobe
echo -e "DisableHardwareAcceleration=1\n" | sudo tee /etc/adobe/mms.cfg > /dev/null

First line creates the folder /etc/adobe. The second creates mms.cfg with single setting that disables hardware acceleration. This setting is then enforced system-wide. There are more options that are documented in Flash Player Admin Guide.

I also suggest opening about:config page in Pale Moon and setting plugins.always_show_indicator to true, that way, you will always get the indicator on the left of URL bar when any NPAPI plugin (such as Flash) is loaded.

[f-117]

Thanks everyone for the help. I appreciate your efforts...

However, the suggestions mentioned here don't work. I tried them all and Flash just does not work in PM on LM 22 at this point for me.

Any ideas on what else I can try to get Flash to install/work?

Scott

[moonbat]

Any ideas on what else I can try to get Flash to install/work?

Did you search the forum for the last working version of Flash that doesn't intentionally get disabled?

[Mæstro]

I tried them all and Flash just does not work in PM on LM 22 at this point for me.
Any ideas on what else I can try to get Flash to install/work?

I assume that you have properly installed Clean Flash, as offered in my previous post. To confirm this, there should be a hidden directory .macromedia in your home directory and a file .mozilla/plugins/libflashplayer.so. If it has installed correctly, check your system information in Mint. Linux Mint 22 is based on Ubuntu 24·04, which uses version 2·39 of the software glibc. Flash is known to fail with versions 2·35 and higher if you are using Nvidia hardware. Results for the query flash glibc can lead you to discussions with more details and the advanced measures, beyond my own technical knowledge to be able to advise you through them, which some users have used manually to compile glibc version 2·34.

[moonbat]

There's no need for any custom installation when the last working official build has been referenced multiple times on this forum before. Just extract the files in the archive to the paths indicated within it (using sudo as required) and it will show up in about:plugins after restarting Pale Moon.

[UCyborg]

Does the standalone Flash Player work? Can you load any SWF file in it? If you have no idea what to try, here's an example SWF: https://www.ultrasounds.com/test.swf (right-click on the link->Save link as...)

I can't tell what the issue is if I can't reproduce it on any of my systems. Also, when it comes to plugin, are we talking about GTK2 or GTK3 version of Pale Moon? I only tried GTK2, I'm not sure if it's supposed to work on GTK3 version, Flash has ties to GTK2, which might be problematic.

[f-117]

My PM is 33.9.1 and GTK2. (LM Cin. 22.2). Cin Ver. 6.4.8.

I installed the file: adobe-flashplayer_32.0.0.465_amd64.deb

My addons plugins manager says "Adobe Flash 32.0.0.465 (Last updated 12/27/2021)

When I run the site in my first post, I get a blank grey screen with no flash player loaded.

As I mentioned before, the last working Flash/SWF player that worked in (Windows 10) PM was 32.0.0.270. I have a copy of that player (.exe) on my HD as a backup.

I can't remember, what was the last working version of SWF before Adobe canceled Flash? I thought it was .270?

Also, when I run your link below it gives me a blank page.

Scott

P.S.

Some suggest that I should have "libflashplayer.so" in "/usr/lib64/mozilla/plugins"
However, I don't have that. I have "/usr/lib64/libflashplayer.so" (No mozilla/plugins) The installer did not create "mozilla/plugins"....

[Night Wing]

Adobe discontinued Flash in 2020. As far as I know when I was using Mint, Flash no longer works in Mint (Cinnamon, Mate, Xfce). The alternative when I was last using Mint 22.0 in Xfce was the Ruffle emulator. I think Ruffle can be found in the Mint repository. If so, then one can use the Software Manager, find it, install it and see if it works.

I do not know anything about LMDE since I never used it because it comes with the Cinnamon desktop environment and I just do not care for Cinnamon.

[Mæstro]

Perhaps the question of the last working Flash version should be added to the FAQ. Because we are the last significant browser family to support Flash, Flash support questions are effectively Pale Moon support questions now. The last running global, official version of Flash is 32·0·0·371. The Chinese edition remains in support for Windows and Macintosh, and Clean Flash purges these of spyware. The last Chinese (or purged) edition for Linux is 34·0·0·137.

LMDE 4, which is based on Debian 10, was the current version of LMDE when I installed it almost exactly five years ago. The final worldwide editions of Flash were designed by Adobe to break in any operating system from 2021 onwards; this is not a problem, as far as I know, to do with incompatibility with Mint 22. My surviving (Austrian: Buster’s official one had shut down earlier this year) repository for Debian 10 carries nothing to do with Ruffle.

[UCyborg]

I tried GTK3 version of Pale Moon and Flash works in it on Mint.





But, you have to disable its hardware acceleration and you can't do it through the web browser, you either have to use standalone / desktop application version of Flash, load a SWF file in it and disable hardware acceleration through there via right-click menu->Settings...

Or by creating /etc/adobe/mms.cfg file with content:

Code: Select all

DisableHardwareAcceleration=1

That will disable it globally regardless of the checkbox state in the previously mentioned Settings.

The version I posted link to is debombed. When the bombed version otherwise works, it just shows the EOL screen like in the following screenshot:



When it fails generally, NOTHING shows.

[f-117]

Ok, Lot's of info to digest....

I will download/install "palemoon-33.9.1.linux-x86_64-avx2_gtk3.tar.xz" (I did not think there was a significant difference between GTK2 and 3).

Then I will install "adobe-flashplayer_32.0.0.465_amd64.deb" or "flash_player_patched_npapi_linux.x86_64.tar.gz" and see what happens.

This may take some time re-installing PM in LM.

Scott

[UCyborg]

Well, I didn't mean to say you have to use GTK3 version, I just tested to see that it works. Flash itself needs GTK2 and NPAPI parts of Pale Moon may have dependencies on GTK2 specifically. The latter is from skimming discussion on another forum, but, one of the developers may be able to tell if there's any significance. So far, my only impression is, if you're going to use Flash with Pale Moon, you'll just have less clutter loaded if you use GTK2 version of Pale Moon. While with GTK3 version, both GTK libraries will be in use.