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Posted on 01/24/2006 2:12:44 PM PST by N3WBI3
One of the most popular and ubiquitous rich media plug-ins for any browser on almost any platform is the Macromedia (now Adobe) Flash player.
Thanks to efforts of the Free Software Foundation, a Free Software Flash player called GNU Gnash is now in active development. The development is apparently occurring without the help or support of Adobe in any way. An Adobe/Macromedia spokesperson was unable to comment on the development.
Flash player has always been free, but not in the Free and Open Source Software sense, as it is a proprietary application licensed under a closed source license.
GNU Gnash, in contrast, is licensed under the GNU GPL.
There are some significant license difficulties with distributing, and to some extent using, proprietary-licensed applications together with GPL-licensed applications. GNU Gnash would eliminate the difficulty with Flash.
"Gnash is GPL2'd, and the Free Software Foundation has the copyright," GNU Gnash maintainer Rob Savoye told internetnews.com. "So the standalone player can be used by anyone, but the Flash player code can only be used by other free software projects under the terms of the GPL."
The FSF, which is currently undertaking a review of the GPL has actually listed the development of Gnash as one of its top six high-priority projects.
Savoye said in mailing-list postings that Gnash has not reverse-engineered its code from the existing Macromedia player. He claims that he is a "clean developer" and has never, "owned any Macromedia tools, signed any license agreements, nor disassembled any Macromedia products.
"Gnash has been developed only using freely available documentation and tools, so it can be a free implementation of a closed proprietary format," Savoye explained.
Since being formally announced earlier this month, Savoye noted that there is a sizable demand for a GPL-licensed Flash player. While Macromedia's Flash player is available for a number of different platforms, including Windows, Mac, Linux and Solaris, it's not available for others, such as FreeBSD.
"So many people are now excited to have a solution for their platforms," Savoye said. "One of the big advantages of free software is the ability of people that have machines I don't own can help make it truly portable."
Presently the focus of Gnash is on Flash Player (also referred to by its file extension SWF) version 7 and not the latest version offered by Adobe/Macromedia, which is now version 8.
Savoye explained that compatibility for version 8 is on the roadmap, but the current focus is on getting the plug-in working followed by stabilizing the SWF 7 support till it's a fully functional Flash player.
"Most Flash movies on the Net are older Flash formats, which is why that's the current focus for the near term," Savoye said.
GNU Gnash isn't necessarily starting from scratch either. It is using an existing open source project call GameSWF as a base. According to its Web site, GameSWF is "an open source Public Domain library for parsing and rendering SWF movies, using 3D hardware APIs for rendering."
There are a number of big challenges ahead for GNU Gnash, not the least of which is fear of complexity.
"The biggest problem is people realize this is a potentially huge project, as Flash is large and complex," Savoye said. "So I think it scares some people off. Most of the other free Flash players haven't gotten very far because of this."
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Will users be able to selectively not display flash files in the plugin? I'm sick of seizure-inducing "Stune the Beeber and WIN a FREE XBOX" ads.
Amen. Flash is very rude. I used to run Firefox without Flash, but when I upgraded Flash on another browser, it snuck into the Firefox as well. Anyone know how to disable the flash player on a per-browser basis? I can use IE or Mozilla when I really want to see something in Flash, but I don't want the garbage when I'm surfing with Firefox.
get the flashblock extension, it works great
Flash is great. I've designed whole sites and games using it. but I like being able to block it when it is ads.
Agreed, when it is doing something I want it to do. I'll look for the extension and give it a try.
I've designed whole sites and games using it. As long as you give someone a 'click here for non-flash version', that's fine.
Car manufacturers are particularly bad. When I want to look something up on their site, I don't want to sit through what seems like hours of flash garbage.
Thanks, as always, n3wbi3, for posting this.
Crash™ is CPU spiking garbage. A pox on all who use it.
Downloaded and installed. Seems to help. It doesn't seem to stop the initial blast, but then seems to get things under control.
So did they finally make it available for x86_64 systems?
Because unauthorized duplications given away for free somehow lead to a healthy software industry? Please expound.
Gnu Gnash is a simply idiotic name.
Because it's obviously not?
I want to get my hands on the source code and see what makes it tick.
So they're turning you into a cloner yourself. Tisk.
Who said anything about cloning? I want to learn some of the things that make it run. I have no interest in cloning or selling it or anything. It's a quest for knowledge.
They are teaching you well! Knowledge and pride are all that matters, selling = sin.
I don't see why the FSF has this as such high priority.
But then again, Stallman's a whackjob anyways. So whatever.
Not really, I firmly believe in capitalism and Darwinism (strong survive). Having Linux out there can only push MS to make better software, if not, they deserve to fade into oblivion. But, it won't happen MS is strong and will keep a huge marketshare. Those that want freebies can have the penguin, those that are willing to pay for something better can have MS. Or, in my case, can have both. Life is good.
And if a bunch of foreingers and socialists eventually destroy the U.S. Stock Market it deserves to die too? What kind of argument is that? I believe Darwinism is the law of nature as well, but that certainly doesn't mean I support anti-capitalists in their attempts to destroy capitalism, or ever think it's healthy for us that they exist.
People have been predicting the end of America's strength in the global market for many years, and guess what? The old boy is still chugging along. Free software will not be the end of America. Now, a country run by Democrats? There's where I'd really be worried.
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