It isn't too complex at all.  Just look around on the web for help files, there are plenty.  Honestly folks, if you want to be a Linux user you are going to have to put in just a little bit of effort.

 There is a fix for the sound to.  You need to put firefox onto the AOSS sound server, that way it isn't knocked off ALSA by system sounds.  Again there are forums that cover this.

 
Using wine should be a last resort.  Wine is good at what it does, but when there is a flash plugin that runs native, why bother?

 So come on folks, take a deep breath and learn to Linux properly.  It takes time, but it is worth it.

 

So, you think linux is only for people who want to spend all day reading forums and blogs and various obscure references of technical details just to get basic functionality like sound or video to work? That is the attitude that will continue to prevent linux from becoming the viable alternative OS that it ought to be.

 If this fix is so easy, why hasn't it been incorporated into the OS or install scripts yet? Why does it just work on Windows and MacOS? 

The aoss fix and other fixes on the forums do not work for everyone so it is not just about effort... I think that is why people bother with wine.

and sign the flash 64 for linux online petition

WINE can play with recursive acronyms as much as it wants to, but as long as windows program is running in a simulated windows and is unable to access any of the native linux resources (say run a linux program) it might as well be called an emulator. "Not elegant" doesn't quite describe it. The only thing your so called "solution" does, is enable users to view those few flash movies which require flash8 (mind you, that flash7 plugin is available natively as a linux plugin). Lets see what the downsides are:

* Windows version of Java would have to be installed to accomodate java applet support (adding WINE overhead to the creepy-crawly pace of JVM)

* Any attempts to open downloaded files from the browser using linux programs fail (windows version of firefox obviously is not aware that it is not running under windows, so you cannot point it to the linux stuff). So things like open a PDF or a torrent go right out, unless of course you install windows programs for that too.

* Any linux plugins such as totem or gxine plugins to watch embeded movies do not work and you have to install yet more windows software to run under WINE.

* E-Mail client integration (unless you are using webmail) doesn't work unless you install a windows mailer

So, by the time you get all your features back, you are running a windows browser, windows mailer, windows movie player, windows version of acrobat, windows music player, windows torrent client, windows JVM and god knows what else. Time to ask yourself why did you leave windows in the first place and all of it just to view some lousy flash movies (and once again I will remind you that most flash content out there will work just fine under flash7 running under linux). So? What did you accomplish?

I agree, at first I thought "oh, this is great", but then I realized the implications of having the run the Windows version of firefox. I wouldn't have a problem if there was a way to have Wine only handle the flash part, and the plugin still worked with the linux version of Firefox.

There seems to be a piece of commercial software that does this, but it's quite expensive, and outdated (it's compatibility list says it only works with Flash 7, so what's the point, we can get Flash 7 natively).

Actually ... the Firefox used in windows running through WINE is NOT running in "simulated windows". Nothing about Windows is "simulated". All it does is convert calls to the native win32 libraries to open source counterpart libraries provided by the WINE software.

There is a BIG difference between "Windows" and SOME of the libraries that are used to run a win32 application.

This is why we say that WINE is not an "emulator". It does not emulate Windows at all .. it just passes on calls for library function.

What ever you do dont go near flickr, they bring the thought police out on you when you bring this topic up.

An i totally agree, flash 7 was fine on windows, why the hell did they have to upgrade it.....planned obselence keep people updating and consuming.

Just when you finished using your code scanning tool to look for comprimises, they expect you to upgrade to a non-existant piece of software or get locked out of the internet fun!!!

If you were ever wondering how big brother society would eventuate, then this is it.....everyone is now expected to use windows and a machine with the fritz chip in it....or so it seems.

Anyone noticed this or have you all got your head in the sand?

Maybe he wanted to point you to gnash

http://www.gnu.org/software/gnash/