Opera and flash on linux

Monday, 14. April 2008, 16:22:50

kubuntu, gentoo, ubuntu, debian, gtk, adobe, qt, flash, opera, linux, xembed

You're probably here because flash doesn't work in your Opera installation on linux. The short story is this:

Works:

Opera 9.27 + Flash 9.0.48.0 (with issues, but it works)
Opera 9.5 build >=1823 + Flash 9.0.124.0
Opera 9.5 beta 2 + Flash 9.0.124.0

Does NOT work:

Opera 9.27 + Flash >=9.0.115.0
Opera 9.5 beta + flash >=9.0.115.0

Now for the long story...

On December 4th 2007, adobe introduced a new version of Flash. This version uses a new specification to embed plugin content. csant has a nice writeup about that. The problem here is that Opera's stable branch (9.27 at the time of writing) doesn't support this new way of embedding plugins. Since the stable branch won't get an update to make it work with the spec, people using Opera (and other QT based browsers, like Konqueror) are stuck with Flash 9.0.48.0.

If you want the new flash version to work in Opera, you need to use a 9.5 build with a buildnumber the same or greater than 1823. Note that the beta that was released of 9.5 has a lower buildnumber than 1823 [1] and as a result does NOT support the new plugin. At the time of writing the last available snapshot build is 1904.

The old Flash versions should be available from the adobe kb site. To get the old version working in 9.27:

Extract the appropriate archive
Put the .so file in Opera's plugin dir (most likely /usr/lib/opera/plugins)
Check opera:config#UserPrefs|PluginPath for the paths Opera searches for plugins.
In all those directories, there should only be one flash plugin. Either remove the file from the dir or remove the path from the Plugin Path (keeping the Opera plugin dir whatever you do, and pressing save at the bottom after editing the path). If there are plugins in other dirs you want to keep but they also have a flash plugin, you can create a symlink in Opera's plugin dir to that file.
Restart Opera

If you can't find the old plugin on the adobe site, drop by on irc://irc.opera.com/opera and ask for it. I keep a copy myself but because of limited upstream bandwidth I don't give it out on the web.

For questions and support, I suggest the forums and irc. This is a blog and therefore not really suited for user support.

[1] Yes, I know there are builds below 1823 that work, but putting all of that in would only be confusing. Moreover, why use such an old build in the first place?

Welcome visitor!More speed dials? There you go!

Comments

“You're probably here because flash doesn't work in your Opera installation on linux.”
No: Subscriptions notify!

greetings
the pale guy

By mcd_, # 14. April 2008, 17:20:20

iawtac

By BAMAToNE, # 14. April 2008, 18:57:40

Thanks a lot!
Debian / Opera 9.27 / Flash r48 works perfectly!

By Loolka, # 26. April 2008, 09:42:48

Since two days all flash videos stop working in my opera 9.27 in linux.
I don't change any config file in my machine.
It's only my problem? or someone has the same issue?
Thanks!

By hourus, # 15. May 2008, 12:59:58

It worked for me, but I must clarify something about editing the plugin path.

If I go to opera:config#UserPrefs|PluginPath and just delete all paths except the /usr/lib/opera/plugins the changes are not saved after pressing the save button.

Then I found a file: /home/username/.opera/pluginpath.ini. Edit that file and put 0 on all paths except /usr/lib/opera/plugin, let it with equal to 1

Copy the libflashplayer.so version 9.0.48.0 to that dir and restart opera.

Then flash works fine.

Thanks for the article, Scot.

By Scot-Bernard, # 27. May 2008, 04:35:48