Add-On / Plugin optimization
Hey,
I have Firefox 35.0.1 installed and last about a week i have noticed my browser being a lot slower than usually. (can not see any notable difference in any other application on my computer). My system is set to fully automatically update applications and system! I heard and read this forum about problems between my current FF version and flash, so decided to check my system regarding to shockwave flash. to be honest, i was surprized. This is what i saw:
ADD-ONS MANAGER: Shockwave Flash 11.2.202.442 Shockwave Flash 11.2 r202 Always Activate
Shockwave Flash 16.0.0.235 Shockwave Flash 16.0 r0 Always Activate
Shockwave for Director 12.1.5.155 Adobe Shockwave for Director Netscape plug-in, version 12.1.5.155 Ask to Activate
PLUGIN CHECK PAGE
These plugins are up to date
Adobe Flash Player Status Up to Date 16.0.0.235 Action Up to Date
Unknown Plugins Adobe Shockwave 12.1.5.155 Research
I am now carefully listening for suggestions such as what to keep, change or remove from my system
Although several sources/users are saying Shockwave Flash 16.0.0.235 is raported out-of-date by firefox and even new out-of-date versions are raported being out, my auto-update system says 235 is up-to-date. How? Why?
My add-ons Manager shows an old Shockwave Flash as well, which is not listed on plugin check page. Might it be involved making 235 listed ok? Why arent 11.2 auto-replaced/removed when 16.0 already exists? should i remove 11.2 or rather keep it over 16.0, which is raported faulty by several users?
Research shows latest adobe shockwave is 12.1.6 over my current 12.1.5. Why isnt that determined by Firefox, showing just questionmark with word research?
PS! are there any explanations for terms: - Adobe Flash - Shockwave Flash - Adobe Shockwave - Which extension does what?
thank you in advance.
edit: added images PS! side-remark: this forum detects my firefox version as 35.0, while 'About Firefox' shows 35.0.1 - seemed imortant to mention
Gewysig op deur tavikas
All Replies (3)
Linux distros often include their own builds of Firefox.
Debian on which Ubuntu is based rebrands Firefox as Iceweasel, your Ubuntu is using a canonical build not Mozilla's build of Firefox. I know there are methods of installing Shockwave 16 (hint Google Chrome uses that) but that's not on topic within the scope of this forum (Your info aside shows it). You will also note you have Iced Tea an open source alternative to Oracle software.
FlashPlayer is old and as far as Firefox is concerned problematic software. Adobe is withdrawing support for Firefox Linux. At present it is still providing security fixes and you should be on version 11.2.202.442. Adobe does not provide install or support FlashPlayer 16 on Linux Firefox. HTML5 players and streaming will be the way forward, and development effort is going in to that.
Firefox's checker for plugins is constantly being reviewed and developed but really is centred on the standard popular plugins. The 'Director plugin is something you may not need. It does sometimes cause Firefox problems having that installed, it is again Adobe software
- https://www.adobe.com/products/director.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adobe_Director#Comparing_Director_to_Flash
The difference Fx35 & Fx35.0.1 is not critical. The version is 35, and the 0.1 indicates a minor update or point release. Your canonical updates will lag slightly behind the Mozilla updates (by a few days), but 35.0.1 is the current latest version for both.
John99 said
Debian on which Ubuntu is based rebrands Firefox as Iceweasel, your Ubuntu is using a canonical build not Mozilla's build of Firefox. I know there are methods of installing Shockwave 16 (hint Google Chrome uses that) but that's not on topic within the scope of this forum (Your info aside shows it). You will also note you have Iced Tea an open source alternative to Oracle software. FlashPlayer is old and as far as Firefox is concerned problematic software. Adobe is withdrawing support for Firefox Linux. At present it is still providing security fixes and you should be on version 11.2.202.442. Adobe does not provide install or support FlashPlayer 16 on Linux Firefox.
thank you for your reply.
There are nowhere in my firefox config mentioned Iceweasel.. well, who knows.. Indeed, i do currently have alternative IcedTea installed because of stability issues of Firefox and mainstream oracle software. I have used IcedTea for 7 months now and are not complaining. Talking about other plugins i do for example have windows media player with WMP Firefox plugin installed as well. All working well.
You say FlashPlayer is old and problematic software and then state that Adobe does not support Flashplayer 16 for linux firefox. From Adobe i hear the opposite: "It is Firefox that no longer supports Flash on Linux, not Adobe. Adobe provides newest flash - Pepper Flash to everyone and Firefox is the only major browser that refuses to use it, for political reasons". well.. it is not my problem to choose sides here....
I do see reasonings from each participants dated back 4..5 years from now and that makes me feel unsecure about the future of flash/web browsers for linux. Hence i do need usable and safe backup. I am now checking PPAPI (non-native Pepper Plugin API) Flash, called Fresh Player, for myself. (PPAPI Fresh player plugin - existing wrapper that allows Linux users to use Pepper Flash from Google Chrome in Firefox, Opera and other NPAPI-compatible browsers.)
I have been dedicated FF user for over a decade.. Within last few years i have several times thought about switching browsers assome major problems occured (both, linux and windows machine). So far everything has been ultimately sorted out. Who knows what will happen on web browser markets when multi-platform Spartan releases from MS..
thanx for pointing out possibility of alternative software
PS! Linux reply:"an Adobe Flash Player Pepper installer has been added to the official Ubuntu 14.04 repositories, imported from Debian."
It is a little bit annoying when everyone point to their partners fault. To be not mistaken, i am not accusing anyone just yet - have to research things more deeply first. But it starts to annoy me..
SO.. in case my current testing does not pass my needs, should i go back to Flash 11 or Flash 16 on my Ubuntu (Canonical)?
tavikas said
<snip> From Adobe i hear the opposite: "It is Firefox that no longer supports Flash on Linux, <snip> are nowhere in my firefox config mentioned Iceweasel.. well, who knows..
<snip> ... From Adobe i hear the opposite: "It is Firefox that no longer supports Flash on Linux, not Adobe. Adobe provides newest flash - Pepper Flash to everyone and Firefox is the only major browser that refuses to use it, for political reasons". well.. it is not my problem to choose sides here....
<snip> PS! Linux reply:"an Adobe Flash Player Pepper installer has been added to the official Ubuntu 14.04 repositories, imported from Debian."
It is Debian distros not Ubuntu distros that use Iceweasel
Must admit I have not followed the story with pepper, but I was under the impression it is proprietary Google software for use with proprietary FlashPlayer software on Google Chrome bowser. I would be surprised if Debian was including this in Iceweasel (Certainly nothing I have seen in my Debian installs.) I would be interested in links to articles or announcements from Debian or Ubuntu regarding
PS! Linux reply:"an Adobe Flash Player Pepper installer has been added to the official Ubuntu 14.04 repositories, imported from Debian."
Rather than only Firefox not using Pepper my understanding is only Chrome uses it
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Native_Client#Pepper
Google's open source browser, Chromium, was the only web browser to utilize the new browser plug-in model.
Adobe effectively stopped development support for Linux Flash Player other than on Google Chrome from FlashPlayer 11.2 Support does however continue on Windows Firefox.
- http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flashplatform/whitepapers/roadmap.html
For Flash Player releases after 11.2, the Flash Player browser plug-in for Linux will only be available via the "Pepper" API as part of the Google Chrome browser distribution and will no longer be available as a direct download from Adobe. Adobe will continue to provide security updates to non-Pepper distributions of Flash Player 11.2 on Linux for five years from its release.
Flash Player will continue to support browsers using non-"Pepper" plug-in APIs on platforms other than Linux.