PepperFlash .PETs

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Mike Walsh
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PepperFlash .PETs

#1 Post by Mike Walsh »

PepperFlash .PETs


Hi, everyone.

As a follow-on from my method for manually updating Pepperflash in the older Chrome/Chromium-based browsers, I've decided to venture into the world of .pet manufacturing. For the 'techies' among us, the manual method is a breeze as it is, but we have a fair number of ex-Windows newcomers, for whom it's probably best to make things as easy as possible.

OscarTalks has covered the Flashplayer .pets. Geoffrey's developed a marvellous auto-updater for the same. You can't develop an auto-updater for PepperFlash, simply because the data is not publicly available before Google decide to make it available, when they release their next 'stable' version of Chrome.....and they don't provide a 'public' URL where it can be obtained, because it's a closed arrangement between Google & Adobe.

However, my discovery about the update mechanism 'sort-of-working' in the newer Linux versions of Chrome has proved to be an invaluable source for the libpepflashplayer.so module. It downloads it.....it just doesn't put it where it's supposed to go! Recent SlimJets also provide this download, too.

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Anyway; here are some PepperFlash .pets..! I've covered Chrome, Chromium, and Slimjet (which is Chromium-based). The 32- and 64-bit Chromes have Pepper in the same place as it's been in for the last 30-odd versions, so it's an easy one. One of each covers the lot.

Chromium's a wee bit more awkward. Since version 36, the location of Pepper has changed at least twice, so.....there's no easy 'one-size-fits-all' version for this. Up to and including 36, it was in /usr/lib/chromium-browser/plugins. From 37 up to 42, it moved to /usr/lib/PepperFlash. And from 43 onwards, it finally moved into the Chromium directory, a là Chrome itself, at /usr/lib/chromium/PepperFlash.

Accordingly, I've had to make a few different .pets for Chromium, including the more modern 64-bit versions.

SlimJet, on the other hand, is nicely generic. Invariably to be found at /usr/lib/slimjet/PepperFlash.....with the exception of TahrPup. In Phil's masterpiece, for some reason, Oscar's placed it in the /opt directory, same as Chrome.....at /opt/slimjet/PepperFlash.

This explains why there's so many different versions..! They do work (at least they do for me, on my hardware). Like every new concept, it will need some testing, please. The first of these will simply overwrite the existing data. Subsequent releases, I'm not sure if the previous one ought to be uninstalled, followed by installing the new version......or whether they can simply continue to overwrite the previous version. I'll have to figure that one out, so bear with me.

These will all work in any Puppy where you have Chrome/Chromium/Slimjet operational. In that respect, they're totally generic, as there's nothing here that is specific to any particular Pup, or kernel; nothing that has to be compiled.

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TBH, I'm surprised nobody's thought of this one before. It could, of course, have a lot to do with the fact that until recent years, FireFox has always been the browser of choice for most Linux distros. Chrome/Chromium (and the new rash of Chromium-based browsers) are relative newcomers into this field.....but they're rapidly gaining in popularity. NetFlix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, etc., as well as the advent of the ChromeCast, might just have something to do with this!

We've covered the WideVine modules recently, but it goes without saying that PepperFlash still needs to be kept up-to-date, even if NetFlix et al are in fact using HTML5. Flash is still a high-risk attack vector.....and many websites still insist on it.

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My MediaFire account is hosting these, so here goes:-

Edit:- In order to simplify matters for me, instead of separate links for every individual PepperFlash .pet, I'm going to be lazy! I'm providing the share link for the PepperFlash .pets folder, so.....just navigate through, and help yourselves to the one you need.

https://www.mediafire.com/folder/6sy2y7 ... lash_.pets

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In all cases, after installation, if you visit http://www.adobe.com/uk/software/flash/about/ for the UK, and http://www.adobe.com/software/flash/about/ for elsewhere, Adobe's Flash-checker tool will tell you which version you have installed. This is by far the easiest way to check, as going to 'chrome://plugins' will not always show the updated version. This is one thing I haven't yet quite figured out..!

There's also a more basic 'checker' tool, here:-

https://www.adobe.com/swf/software/flas ... _small.swf

Hope everyone finds these useful. I will be keeping these updated from now on, all things being equal.....like as not within 24-48 hrs of release (maybe sooner!)

Feedback would be appreciated. Let me know whether or not these work for you, please. If not, we'll try and get to the bottom of things.


Mike. :wink:
Last edited by Mike Walsh on Sat 13 Jan 2018, 12:43, edited 48 times in total.

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smokey01
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#2 Post by smokey01 »

Mike it would be nice if pepperflash worked in Seamonkey. Have you tried it?

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Mike Walsh
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#3 Post by Mike Walsh »

Hiya, smokey.

Mm. I don't know whether it would. As far as I can tell, there would be two ways to achieve this; either making a .pet that would replace the standard FlashPlayer at the location where SeaMonkey expects to find it (and if you're running any other Mozilla-based browsers, what then?), or, as I understand it, there's another one floating around the forum somewhere, which uses the 'freshplayer-plugin wrapper'.....which is supposed to be the accepted way of using Pepper with FireFox, etc.

I'll have to look into that. Leave it with me; I'll need to do some experimenting.....and I don't have as much time to myself as I'd like, these days!


Mike. :wink:

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Mike Walsh
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#4 Post by Mike Walsh »

Hi again, smokey.

Have a look here, and see if this works for you. The only snag with FreshPlayer, as far as I can see, is that it kind of assumes that you already have a Chromium-based browser installed on the system.....it will then hunt around the browser directory locations until it finds a PepperFlash folder.

I can't, off-hand, think of a way you could do it if you don't have one up-and-running. I suppose you could have a 'stand-alone' Pepper directory in the appropriate location where FreshPlayer will look for it, perhaps. Can't think of a good reason why that shouldn't work, in fact. You'd still need to have the 'freshplayer-plugin.pet' installed,....

Have to have a think about this one. Leave it with me.


Mike. :wink:
Last edited by Mike Walsh on Sun 10 Apr 2016, 16:09, edited 2 times in total.

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#5 Post by smokey01 »

Thanks Mike.

mplsvpn
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#6 Post by mplsvpn »

Hi Mike,

I installed Chromium 34 for Precise and works. After I installed the PepperFlash pre-37 pet, Chromium does not recognize the installed PepperFlash. Please advise. Thanks.

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#7 Post by Mike Walsh »

Hi, mplsvpn.

In all likelihood, the reason why it doesn't work is because, as far as I know, that particular version is set up to still recognise the 'standard' Linux flashplayer.....the old 11.2.202.616, as it currently is.

Which version of Chromium 34 are you using? Is it Oscar's?

http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=86501

.....or peebee's?

http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... 972#777972

Oscar's works with 'Standard' Flash; peebee's was the first one in his thread that was bundled with PepperFlash. It would help to know which version you've installed. I'm going to hazard a guess, and say it's Oscar's version. Am I right?


Mike. :wink:

mplsvpn
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#8 Post by mplsvpn »

Hi Mike,

Your guess is right. A lot of web sites do not accept old version of Adobe Flash player nowadays. Latest Google Chrome crash in Precise 5.7.1. Your attention is much appreciated. Thanks.[/list]

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#9 Post by Mike Walsh »

Hi again, mplsvpn.

Hm. I run Precise 571 myself, on both my elderly Compaq desktop, and my even older Dell laptop. I've used Oscar's Chromium 34 in the past.....that's how I know it uses the standard Flashplayer. Nowadays, on the Compaq, I run Oscar's Chrome 48 .pet (from here.) There's an SFS available, too, if you prefer those.

On the Dell laptop, I, too, find that Chrome 48 is a wee bit much for it.....but Oscar's slightly older version 45 of Chrome runs happily. 45 has been removed from Oscar's repo, since with stuff like browsers, he tends to keep just the newest versions around.....unless somebody requests a particular version for an older Pup, and it's a popular one. However, you're quite welcome to d/l it from my MediaFire account, and see how you get on with it.

http://www.mediafire.com/download/6j8n3 ... 5-i386.pet

Let me know if it works for you. You'll need to use the appropriate .pet to update Pepperflash, of course.....


Mike. :wink:

mplsvpn
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#10 Post by mplsvpn »

Hi Mike,

I installed your Chrome 45 and the appropriate Pepperflash. The flash player is shown at 21 now. Thank you very much for your assistance. Since many web sites do not accept old flash player, latest Pepperflash should be included in the distribution.

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Mike Walsh
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#11 Post by Mike Walsh »

mplsvpn wrote:Hi Mike,

I installed your Chrome 45 and the appropriate Pepperflash. The flash player is shown at 21 now. Thank you very much for your assistance. Since many web sites do not accept old flash player, latest Pepperflash should be included in the distribution.
Good to hear it's sorted things out for you. Always glad to help.

With regard to including Pepperflash in the distribution, well; Chrome's very much a personal decision. FireFox tends to be the standard browser of choice in many Linux distros, but if you want a different one, it is of course up to you. There's lots of different ones available, and that's one of the things I love about Linux.....the fact that it gives you that choice.

And there's still the same problem, anyway. The fact that Adobe don't provide a public URL where you can obtain Pepperflash for Linux, means that that you cannot build an updater the way Geoffrey has for standard Flash. Since Chrome should update Pepper automatically, it's usually the only option for people like you and me who choose to run Linux..... Until recently, the Linux versions haven't done this; but it seems that from about 48 onwards, there's an updated Flash folder at /root/.config/google-chrome/Pepperflash/xx.x.x.xxx (whatever the current version happens to be.) This is now where Chrome looks for the Pepper plug-in.

It's easy enough to 'fix' things manually if you're that way inclined.....but for so many people, it's easier to just click on a .pet, and it's taken care of for you. That's why I put these together.


Mike. :wink:

mplsvpn
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#12 Post by mplsvpn »

Hi Mike,

Your contribution on Chrome and Pepperflash is invaluable. Since Chrome is leading on html5 development, both Chrome and Pepperflash should be kept up-to-date. .pet is the easiest way for installation. Keep up with the good work. I look forward for your future contribution. Thanks.

mplsvpn
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#13 Post by mplsvpn »

Hi Mike,

I installed your Chrome 45 on tahr6.0.5 successfully but Pepperflash was rejected at the beginning of the installation. Please advise. Thanks.

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#14 Post by Mike Walsh »

Hm.

When you say 'Rejected', what happened, exactly? Remember, I have to rely on you to be my eyes & ears; I'm not there, looking over your shoulder, don't forget! :lol:

Incidentally, are you running a 'full' install, or a 'frugal'? I will confess, I have zero experience of 'full' Puppy installs, so there may well be pitfalls that I'm not aware of.....although as far as I know, Chrome still installs to the exact same location.

This will hopefully turn out to be something easily overlooked... :P

BTW, you did install Chrome before trying to install Pepperflash? (Silly question, I know, but I have to ask...!)


Mike. :wink:

mplsvpn
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#15 Post by mplsvpn »

Hi Mike

Thanks for your response. The tahr6.0.5 was a frugal install from usb flash. The Chrome 45 with the embedded flash 18 was installed successfully. When the Pepperflash 21 .pet was installed using PPM. An error message was shown at the beginning of the installation "Chrome-PepperFlash-21.0.0.213-x86_64.pet is named ChromePepperFlash-21.0.0.213-x86_64 inside the pet file. Will not install it!"

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#16 Post by Mike Walsh »

Curiouser and curiouser.

I've downloaded the 32-bit Chrome Pepperflash .pet, using my own link, and attempted to install it into Tahr 6.05 myself. You're right. It won't install.

When I then extract the contents of the pet for examination, I'm getting two folders.....one of which I very definitely didn't put into the .pet. Yet if I extract this same .pet in any of my other Pups, I only get one; the one I expect to see.

Thanks for drawing my attention to this. I'll need to investigate further, and figure out what's causing it.

BTW: According to your own post, it looks like you're trying to install the 64-bit Pepperflash .pet! The Chrome 45 I let you have is a 32-bit version ( I've used it in Tahr 6.05 myself, so I know that's right. I've only very recently started using Tahr64 6.05, and anyway, I've never had the 64-bit version of Chrome 45.)

Leave this with me, please. I need to get to the bottom of this, but I'm not going to be around for a couple of days, I'm afraid. Should be back in the saddle late Sunday, or Monday..!


Mike. :wink:

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#17 Post by peebee »

mplsvpn wrote:Hi Mike

Thanks for your response. The tahr6.0.5 was a frugal install from usb flash. The Chrome 45 with the embedded flash 18 was installed successfully. When the Pepperflash 21 .pet was installed using PPM. An error message was shown at the beginning of the installation "Chrome-PepperFlash-21.0.0.213-x86_64.pet is named ChromePepperFlash-21.0.0.213-x86_64 inside the pet file. Will not install it!"
That occurs when a .pet is renamed after construction.....in this case the rename has been from ChromePepperFlash to Chrome-PepperFlash
ImageLxPup = Puppy + LXDE
Main version used daily: LxPupSc; Assembler of UPups, ScPup & ScPup64, LxPup, LxPupSc & LxPupSc64

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Mike Walsh
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#18 Post by Mike Walsh »

Hi, peebee.

That explains it. I remember now; it was the first one I'd constructed, and I had to rename it after I discovered it required hyphens in the title for trio's 'Pet Maker'.....

http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=40457

.....to function correctly. It was expecting them, and I hadn't quite got the hang of using it at that point; it does function perfectly making .pets....that was just me!

After that, I then re-named it again.....adding another hyphen, because I thought it read better.....

Cheers, mate! I'll sort that one out.


Mike. :wink:
Last edited by Mike Walsh on Sun 22 May 2016, 16:28, edited 5 times in total.

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#19 Post by Mike Walsh »

Evening, all.

32-bit Chrome Pepperflash .pet repaired, and re-uploaded. Should now install in 32-bit Tahr 6.05 without issue.


Mike. :wink:

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#20 Post by Mike Walsh »

Afternoon, all.

Just discovered a small problem with the repaired 32-bit Chrome Pepper that I re-uploaded night before last. Not at home at the moment, so I don't have access to my personal files. Shall be home by tonight, so will re-repair (!) said file, and re-upload again. Bear with me..!

FYI, the .pet currently appears to create a second Pepperflash folder, instead of overwriting with the new one, as it should do.


Mike. :wink:

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