Getting Gnome Web to display Flash content

[mikeyk]

Hi all.

The topic says it all really.

I am using Debian 9.4, with GNOME and would like to use GNOME Web as my default browser. I do, however, require Flash Player as sadly there are still VERY many sites that have not moved to HTML5 Video.

I have Googled for a way of doing this but cannot find anything that actually "works".

I have tried Flash plugins. I have also tried g**** (can't remeber what it was called - an alternative to other flash plugins. There was another listed.. light****, something.) The former didn't enable flash in GNOME WEB and the latter isn't available in Stretch.

Does anyone have a method that works, please.

Interestingly, Firefox seems able to play Flash out of the box on my system.

Help.

[bw123]

I don't use gnome, but I did search for an app called "gnome web" and could not find it in debian. Do you mean epiphany-browser?

Did you try some quoted web searches? for instance debian+"gnome web"+flash might get you somewhere. Or gnome epiphany flash would probably be a good one.

Going here and searching for "flash" might get you an answer?
https://bugs.debian.org/epiphany-browser

https://wiki.gnome.org/Epiphany

This showed up on a simple search for debian epiphany, but it is a few yrs old. "[SOLVED] epiphany and flash? nspluginwrapper not in repos "
http://forums.debian.net/viewtopic.php?t=77934

Also this... https://wiki.gnome.org/Apps/Web/Docs/Fr ... dQuestions

Another project took the "Epiphany" name! The maintainers of the other project (a boulder-dash clone) agreed to share the name. On Debian systems, the GNOME epiphany binary is renamed to epiphany-browser to avoid name conflict.

okay, that's a my five minute results.

[mikeyk]

Thank you very much for your reply.

Yes Gnome Web is a newer rebranded Epiphany, you're right.

The links you've given are useful but I've been through them all. nspluginwrapper is dead (I believe), the pepperflash stuff has no effect on gnome web.

This is the story... read everything, tried everything. Nothing works.

Any further ideas anyone?

[bw123]

Okay, just to make sure, you did copy the plugin to one of the folders mentioned in the FAQ? Mayb people say they have done everything and searched everywhere, but when someone says that and doesn;t even know the package name, well... I wasn;t trying to talk down, just trying to understand ok?

what about this from the FAQ?

...This means windowed plugins like Flash will not work when running in Wayland

[stevepusser]

Are you sure you have Flash working in Firefox, and not HTML 5 video? If in doubt, right click on the video window.

[mikeyk]

Okay, just to make sure, you did copy the plugin to one of the folders mentioned in the FAQ? Mayb people say they have done everything and searched everywhere, but when someone says that and doesn;t even know the package name, well... I wasn;t trying to talk down, just trying to understand ok?

what about this from the FAQ?

...This means windowed plugins like Flash will not work when running in Wayland

Hi. Thanks for the response.

I understand your suspicion I meant gnash and lightspark. Early Onset Dementia...

Yes I have copied the libflashplaer.so and /usr folder using the exact instructions in the Flash download readme.

The test I am using is the url: http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/about/

Firefox plays the flash fine; gnome web... "missing plugin".

And, I am not using Wayland, just vanilla X Server.

Thanks for the suggestions though.

[mikeyk]

Are you sure you have Flash working in Firefox, and not HTML 5 video? If in doubt, right click on the video window.

Thanks for your response.

Yeah, using: http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/about/

[Wheelerof4te]

While I admire your effort to use Web as your default browser, you have to know that in today's world using insecure browsers is a no-no. That's why none of the distros hadn't switched from Firefox yet. As for Flash, it's pretty much dead in 2018th.

I've tried Web once, it didn't work well on most sites. You won't be able to use Google's services, such as Google Drive and Google Docs. Not to mention that Web in GNOME 3.22 is kinda old now. If you really want to use it, it might be better to switch to Debian Testing or Sid.

[Head_on_a_Stick]

The Debian stretch release notes advise that webkit-based browsers such as GNOME's Web are unsafe and should *not* be used against untrusted websites.

The only "safe" browsers in the Debian stable repositories are Firefox and Chromium.

[bw123]

What about changing user-agent to match the workng browser? I haven't used flash in a few yrs but it always was a hassle. I definitley agree that the whole idea of browsing with these plugins and javascript, wide-open cookies, etc.. is acrazy if you want privacy.

I don't agree that firefox or chrome is any safer whatsoever though. Nobody can 'prove' it either, that I have noticed. Just because they have constant security holes found and patched, doesn't mean they are safe at all, IMO.

If i just HAD to have flash, I'd probably use a throwaway setup, after finding out EXACTLY what browser/flash ver the websites I needed it for supported... I mean, from what I remember, everywhere you go might need a different flash ver? "You need to upgrade your flash player <<CLick Here>>" I recall that was a good trick to get people to trash their computer.

[mikeyk]

To the last three posts.

Thanks for your advice/guidance/warnings...

I think the web browser world at the moment is pure turmoil. Firefox is changing dramatically (some say, into Chrome). I hate Chrome. I like the simplicity of Gnome Web but, yes, I understand the WebKit issues. Having said that, I don't think any browser is "safe" per se.

However, bottom line (and refocussing on the initial problem), I guess Gnome Web is just not going to display Flash and, as much as I hate Flash, it's still there in abundance. Upshot: I'll have to use Firefox and Chrome. It's a shame as I've always been a fan of Gnome since way back when KDE was much better in most people's eyes. I've always loved its simplicity: it lets me use its tools to produce work rather than working to understand the tools, if you know what I mean.

So, thanks to all for your contributions but I'll consider the matter closed now,

[Head_on_a_Stick]

I don't agree that firefox or chrome is any safer whatsoever though. Nobody can 'prove' it either, that I have noticed. Just because they have constant security holes found and patched, doesn't mean they are safe at all, IMO.

You think the Debian developers are wrong and the release notes are erroneous?

All the webkit browsers in Debian stable (except Chromium) use an outdated version of webkit with *known* security holes that every script kiddie in China will be trying, it is clearly nonsense to suggest that they are in any way secure.

OTOH, both Firefox and Chromium are updated by Debian as soon as the new versions are available, usually the same day