Problems with Adobe Flash player on the XO.

[Carlos Nazareno]

Hi Stan!

> I'm having problems:  Adobe FlashPlayer doesn't detect the XO's built-in
> webcam so it can't transmit video out to the Internet on Flash-enabled
> web sites,

I've documented this problem as well at
http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Adobe_Flash -> The XO's webcam is not
interfacing properly with Adobe Flash 9 & 10. Adobe's done a lot of
work towards getting cameras in various Linux distros working with
webcam enabled-Flash apps, and they finally got V4L2 running last
year, but apparently the XO is using some kind of not-as-common
chipset/software combo (in 8.2.0 I think the OS is using a weird
mishmash of old & new software/drivers because of problems with the
cam in the webcam activity on newer drivers?).

I got in touch with some Adobe guys last year before Flash Player 10
final launched about Flash's webcam interfacing problems on the XO,
filed the bug report, followed their instructions and submitted the
hardware info gathered from the data-gathering tool at Penguin.swf's
(Adobe's official Linux Flash dude) blog:
http://blogs.adobe.com/penguin.swf/2008/07/paparazzi_v2_1.html

Anyway, I haven't heard a word from the Adobe folks yet as I guess
that was a very busy time for them with Flash 10 final release going
out the door at the time, the report probly got lost in all the
hubbub. Anyway, I'll try following up with them as I'd like to play
with writing some Flash webcam toys that would work on the XO myself.

>I can't get Flash to activate the
> XO's camera... ...This was while running on the XO's Browse activity.

The camera works with the Browse Activity, just not properly (the
camera turns on and it displays red & green static that reacts to
objects waved in front of the camera)

>  I thought
> that maybe Opera for the XO would do better.  No luck.

Yup, Same as with the Browse Activity. XO's weird camera
chipset/software combo interface still hasn't been fixed with the
linux Adobe Flash 10 plugin.

> Opera as installed from the wiki.laptop.org/opera instructions does not even play
> the Flash on the Adobe web site nor any other Flash embedded in a web page.   All that Opera shows is a
> gray rectangle where the Flash should be, no text saying to click to
> play the Flash.

As documented in the Adobe Flash wiki:
http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Adobe_Flash and Adobe Flash
The official Opera Activity is based on Opera 9.12 and it isn't
compatible with Flash 10. The newest Adobe Flash plugin compatible
with it is an older version of Flash Player 9.

Newer non-Sugarized Linux desktop versions of Opera like 9.63  latest
work fine and dandy with latest Flash Player 10 final. Again, you're
going to have to use the Terminal (type "opera" at the prompt) to
launch Opera.

> I submitted a comment to the Opera programmer who maintains the Opera
> blog about the OLPC version, but that blog has had very little activity
> in the past year so I'm not hopeful of any results from the Opera
> people.

Ditto. I've tried Sugarizing newer versions of Opera myself, but we're
out of luck because of the Rainbow Security implemented in newer XO OS
builds don't allow writing of files by Activities to certain
directories that Opera installs to. The Opera dudes will have to
create a special OLPC Opera Activity for us like with 9.12 since Opera
is not open sourced and we won't be able to do the proper
modifications for Rainbow Security compatibility ourselves.

> Has anyone here tried to run a recent release of Opera on the
> XO, not the very old version that was customized for the XO according to
> our wiki?

Runs fine and dandy, you just have to launch it via terminal :) ->
Launch Terminal Activity, type "opera" at the prompt (assuming of
course that you'd already installed Opera). That instance of terminal
will then be inaccessible until you exit Opera. Once you exit Opera,
you regain control of the terminal prompt.

(Yeah Skier, the Opera wiki entries are next on my hit list for
editing: they're due for massive updates :P)

> Even without the 2-way video streaming, www.vyew.com is a nice
> application for collaboration over the Internet.  Try it.

Thanks for the link Stan! I was looking to build a Flash app just like
that, only less ambitious (crud, someone beat me to the punch! ;P)

Cheers!

-Naz

-- 
Carlos Nazareno
http://www.object404.com
--
interactive media specialist
zen graffiti studios
http://www.zengraffiti.com
--
Philippine Flash ActionScripters
http://www.phlashers.com