thelinuxlink.net

http://www.kaourantin.net/2005/12/flash ... pdate.html
Emmy Huang, Product Manager of the Flash Player, explains what the plans concerning the Linux version of Flash Player 8 are. Instead of releasing a 8.0 version we will directly move to 8.5 on Linux. This will avoid even more delay after we ship Flash Player 8.5 for Windows and Mac. That will also make sure that the new virtual machine works using gcc from start. I see that as a big benefit as gcc is a more strict and standards compliant compiler than Visual Studio or CodeWarrior.

The good news is that we have a few very good engineers working on the Linux version right now in parallel to the work we do for 8.5. 64bit versions will take a little longer, there are no definite plans just yet. Just recompiling will not work unlike what you might think. The main issue here is the x86 JIT in the virtual machine and the mark&sweep garbage collection which are not 64bit aware right now, work on 32bit pointers only. Adding and testing this is not a small task as anyone who ever worked on this type of low level infrastructure might be able to attest. I can really only ask for patience here, we are aware that we need to offer a solution here as soon as possible.

Looks like the Gentoo users will soon be able to use a 64-bit version of Firefox

Good news, indeed!

Tsuroerusu wrote:Looks like the Gentoo users will soon be able to use a 64-bit version of Firefox

I found a way around using the 32bit binary firefox, use the nspluginwrapperp. Its worked great so far. But yeah good news about the flash 8.5 coming. Also there have been different inturpretations about wether it is the 64bit for linux. In the digg comments someone said to me it wasn't the 64 for linux and they said the same at the gentoo forums. Although the comments seem to all believe it is.

CptnObvious999 wrote:Also there have been different inturpretations about wether it is the 64bit for linux. In the digg comments someone said to me it wasn't the 64 for linux and they said the same at the gentoo forums. Although the comments seem to all believe it is.

Let's hope that it is, and maybe they'll be nice this time and also do a version for PPC Linux.

Tsuroerusu wrote:Let's hope that it is, and maybe they'll be nice this time and also do a version for PPC Linux.

Yeah, but I doubt it. Those people will probly have to wait for gplflash2 to play Flash 7 and below. Maybe the slowness of Macromedias porting will lead to flash becoming an open standard...I hope

CptnObvious999 wrote:

Tsuroerusu wrote:Let's hope that it is, and maybe they'll be nice this time and also do a version for PPC Linux.

Yeah, but I doubt it. Those people will probly have to wait for gplflash2 to play Flash 7 and below. Maybe the slowness of Macromedias porting will lead to flash becoming an open standard...I hope

Flash CAN NEVER become an open standard, because we don't have any software to create Flash stuff with, and the specs. is under a very restrictive license, and Macromedia holds a handful of patents on Flash.

Tsuroerusu wrote:

CptnObvious999 wrote:

Tsuroerusu wrote:Let's hope that it is, and maybe they'll be nice this time and also do a version for PPC Linux.

Yeah, but I doubt it. Those people will probly have to wait for gplflash2 to play Flash 7 and below. Maybe the slowness of Macromedias porting will lead to flash becoming an open standard...I hope

Flash CAN NEVER become an open standard, because we don't have any software to create Flash stuff with, and the specs. is under a very restrictive license, and Macromedia holds a handful of patents on Flash.

Yeah I ment it will use opensource software to play it, but hopefully someone will come up with some Flash creation software.
BTW: I forgot but it is no longer Macromedia because Adobe bought them out which *may* be the reason they are porting Flash 8

CptnObvious999 wrote:

Tsuroerusu wrote:

CptnObvious999 wrote: Yeah, but I doubt it. Those people will probly have to wait for gplflash2 to play Flash 7 and below. Maybe the slowness of Macromedias porting will lead to flash becoming an open standard...I hope

Flash CAN NEVER become an open standard, because we don't have any software to create Flash stuff with, and the specs. is under a very restrictive license, and Macromedia holds a handful of patents on Flash.

Yeah I ment it will use opensource software to play it, but hopefully someone will come up with some Flash creation software.
BTW: I forgot but it is no longer Macromedia because Adobe bought them out which *may* be the reason they are porting Flash 8

Who knows, Novell bought Ximian before they bought SuSE, which might be the reason they choose GNOME as the default desktop.

Gnash (open version of flash)released:
http://www.gnu.org/software/gnash/
http://www.tectonic.co.za/viewr.php?id=783

Currently it flash 7 compliant.

Yeah I saw that, I guess Dann's prayers finally came true regarding Flash for PPC

Awesome! When I get home I can uninstall macromedia flash and install the (hopefully better) open source version.

CptnObvious999 wrote:Awesome! When I get home I can uninstall macromedia flash and install the (hopefully better) open source version.

I wouldn't call it an open source version version that imply that it's actually Macromedia's player, I would call it "a free software/open source implementation of Flash"

I tried various attempts to get it installed by source when I realized it was in Portage so now I have it installed however it is in very early development. Havn't been able to get anything to work with it yet though I havn't tried many different .swf's. Its nice to see good alternatives to a very largely used proprietary file format. Its on high priority so hopefully it will be able to play most by the end of the year.