[URGENT] Adding Flash plug-in to Chromium - Ubuntu 19.10(aarch64) + MATE on RPi4

[graf_eberstein]

As the subject line says, I urgently need to incorporate Adobe Flash support on the Pi 4 that I've built for my partner. It is running the 64-bit build of Ubuntu 19.10 (and the MATE desktop, in case it matters).

She is an educator and able to carry out all of her professional responsibilities, as well as all but one of her teach-from-home ones. That lone holdout is an old, district-designated web site from which she is required source material for her K-2 Special Education students. Unfortunately, that site uses Adobe Flash objects for everything. That's not an issue under normal circumstances because she has a Windows-based desktop in her classroom; she cannot get to it due to COVID-19 based closures and restrictions. Furthermore, this specific resource is being dropped outright at the end of this academic year, when it will be replaced by one of several that are under consideration and won't be named until then.

Anyway...

I have spent the better part of a week trying to add Adobe Flash support to Chromium to no avail. Although Adobe does offer a Flash plug-in (last updated 20.01.22, as of this writing), it is only built for 32 and 64-bit i386 processors. Since the Pi uses an ARM processor, that obviously won't work! There is a plug-in called PepperFlash, but that project appears completely abandoned. Another plug-in, gnash was last updated in 2012 and therefore seems abandoned as well. As for Adobe? They're discontinuing Flash at the end of 2020 (not that it matters), and they never supported ARM in the first place.

Needless to say, I've tried repeatedly to install PepperFlash and GNASH by following directions on a number of web sites. Likewise, I've followed far too many additional guides for adding Flash support to Chromium. Not one of those has worked. And all those attempts have come at a very great cost, including (on one occasion) wiping the SD card and starting from scratch.

At this point I am all out of ideas for how to get this running. It is imperative that the matter be resolved very soon, as her Pi is the only way she'll be able to meet her work obligations without preventing me from meeting my own.

I need help desperately!

Thank you in advance

[Imperf3kt]

I'm surprised any website is still using Flash., considering the entire internet has been trying to purge it for security issues for half a decade now.
https://lifehacker.com/you-really-shoul ... 1829721122

Most major internet browsers removed flash support several years ago.

Is there really no alternative?

[klricks]

Use Raspbian instead. The flash player is included in chromium-browser.

[Botspot]

Use Raspbian instead. The flash player is included in chromium-browser.

Yes, default Raspbian includes a flash player by default. Also, browsing in Raspbian is usually faster since it's HW accelerated.
But if you must keep using 64-bit Ubuntu, then it's possible you could copy over /usr/lib/chromium-browser/libpepflashplayer.so from Raspbian to the Ubuntu OS, and then add a command-line switch to chromium to run with that flash player.

[bomblord]

Doesn't Chromium have a built in flash player? Should be disabled by default but if you click next to the address bar you can enable flash on individual sites from the permissions settings.

[Botspot]

Doesn't Chromium have a built in flash player? Should be disabled by default but if you click next to the address bar you can enable flash on individual sites from the permissions settings.

Yes it does. Raspbian Does. Ubuntu does not IIRC.

[echmain]

Keep in mind there is no “urgent” in these forums.

All posts have equal priority, that is, none.

[bomblord]

Doesn't Chromium have a built in flash player? Should be disabled by default but if you click next to the address bar you can enable flash on individual sites from the permissions settings.

Yes it does. Raspbian Does. Ubuntu does not IIRC.

Really? I just assumed it was part of Chromium since every build of it I've used (including Google's Chrome) had the option.

[Botspot]

Really? I just assumed it was part of Chromium since every build of it I've used (including Google's Chrome) had the option.

Yes. In fact, chromium will even tell you where its flash player is located at chrome://version. In "Command Line:", you will see this:

Code: Select all

--ppapi-flash-path=/usr/lib/chromium-browser/libpepflashplayer.so --ppapi-flash-args=enable_stagevideo_auto=0 --ppapi-flash-version=32.0.0.330

So yes, flash is separate from the rest of the browser, and I remember beck to when raspbian's chromium didn't have flash.

[graf_eberstein]

I'm going to respond to all these replies in one sitting, so please bear with me...

1) Raspbian is not an option for that Pi.
2) Chromium is required by the district.
3) The resource uses Flash, no way around it.
4) Deadlines beget urgency; to say "nothing is urgent" is unhelpful and asinine.

Regarding the serious suggestion of "borrowing" files from a Raspbian image: Does it have to be off the Buster release, or can it come from an older one? Asking because I'm running short on SD cards currently (more are on order, but they won't be here in time). I do have one working Raspbian setup, but it is the previous release.

[W. H. Heydt]

4) Deadlines beget urgency; to say "nothing is urgent" is unhelpful and asinine.

That makes it urgent for *you*, but not for anyone else here. Urgency is relative.

[fruitoftheloom]

I'm going to respond to all these replies in one sitting, so please bear with me...

1) Raspbian is not an option for that Pi.
2) Chromium is required by the district.
3) The resource uses Flash, no way around it.
4) Deadlines beget urgency; to say "nothing is urgent" is unhelpful and asinine.

Regarding the serious suggestion of "borrowing" files from a Raspbian image: Does it have to be off the Buster release, or can it come from an older one? Asking because I'm running short on SD cards currently (more are on order, but they won't be here in time). I do have one working Raspbian setup, but it is the previous release.

This forums is run on an entirely voluntarily basis, therefore as already stated there is no urgency for anyone but yourself, demanding will win no favours.

As an aside this should of been posted in the Ubuntu Section, have reported to Moderators to be moved.


Regards PepperFlash Player in Raspbians chromium-browser that is a build which was compiled by RPT / RPF specifically for their build of chromium-browser......

[Botspot]

1) Raspbian is not an option for that Pi.
2) Chromium is required by the district.
3) The resource uses Flash, no way around it.
4) Deadlines beget urgency; to say "nothing is urgent" is unhelpful and asinine.

I like your concise writing style!

Regarding the serious suggestion of "borrowing" files from a Raspbian image: Does it have to be off the Buster release, or can it come from an older one? Asking because I'm running short on SD cards currently (more are on order, but they won't be here in time). I do have one working Raspbian setup, but it is the previous release.

I have no idea. To stay on the safe side, I would suggest you copy the files from a Buster release. Actually, you don't need to flash it to an sd card to grab the file. If you have ~7 GB free space, you could download a Raspbian Full image, mount it using something like PPT, and snatch the file out.

Or, to save you some effort, I've attached my Raspbian's libpepflashplayer.so right here.
So after downloading it, copy it to /usr/lib/chromium.
And then to run chromium with flash, use this command:

Code: Select all

chromium --ppapi-flash-path=/usr/lib/chromium/libpepflashplayer.so --ppapi-flash-args=enable_stagevideo_auto=0 --ppapi-flash-version=32.0.0.330

Now there's a good chance this won't work, since Raspbian is 32bit but your OS is 64bit. But it's worth a shot.

[graf_eberstein]

I like your concise writing style!

Hehe... thanks!

I have no idea. To stay on the safe side, I would suggest you copy the files from a Buster release. Actually, you don't need to flash it to an sd card to grab the file. If you have ~7 GB free space, you could download a Raspbian Full image, mount it using something like PPT, and snatch the file out.

Or, to save you some effort, I've attached my Raspbian's libpepflashplayer.so right here.
So after downloading it, copy it to /usr/lib/chromium.
And then to run chromium with flash, use this command:

Code: Select all

chromium --ppapi-flash-path=/usr/lib/chromium/libpepflashplayer.so --ppapi-flash-args=enable_stagevideo_auto=0 --ppapi-flash-version=32.0.0.330

Thank you SO MUCH for this! I just grabbed that file and moved it over. The only thing I'm (understandably) uncertain about is the mask and ownership the file should have. I'm going out on a limb and guess 644 and root:root respectively (there are .so files in other directories with a different mask, otherwise it'd be a no-brainer), so I set them as such for testing. If this works, I'll leave it be and move on.

Now there's a good chance this won't work, since Raspbian is 32bit but your OS is 64bit. But it's worth a shot.

I'm well aware that this is just a shot that has a 50/50 chance of working and do appreciate the effort.

Aside from the 32 vs 64 bit business: You said to park it in /usr/lib/chromium, but the (snap) install created /usr/lib/chromium-browser so I put the file in there. On the surface, it doesn't require a genius to say that the path in the invocation command would have to be modified to reflect that path difference. Alternately, I created a symlink to cover it:

Code: Select all

sudo ln -s /usr/lib/chromium-browser /usr/lib/chromium

Nevertheless: Any thoughts about that? Mind you I'm just taking a "the only dumb question is the one that isn't asked" approach with this one

[graf_eberstein]

Now there's a good chance this won't work, since Raspbian is 32bit but your OS is 64bit. But it's worth a shot.

Update: I just got done getting everything set up, and there's some progress! Gone is the "This site requires Adobe Flash" failover message that's been plaguing me. It's been replaced with the blank page displaying the grey puzzle-piece and "Right Click to run Adobe Flash Player". But when I right click as instructed and select "Run this plugin", nothing happens.

I surmise that the 32 vs 64bit question has been answered (otherwise I would still be seeing the failover message), and that the plugin is indeed running after a fashion. I invoked the browser with:

Code: Select all

chromium --ppapi-flash-path=/usr/lib/chromium/libpepflashplayer.so --ppapi-flash-args=enable_stagevideo_auto=0 --ppapi-flash-version=32.0.0.330 2>errors.txt

The errors.txt file captured the following:

Code: Select all

Gtk-Message: 12:01:27.660: Failed to load module "appmenu-gtk-module"
Gtk-Message: 12:01:27.662: Failed to load module "canberra-gtk-module"
[11988:11988:0428/120127.773241:ERROR:edid_parser.cc(102)] Too short EDID data: manufacturer id
[11988:12134:0428/120127.848143:ERROR:object_proxy.cc(632)] Failed to call method: org.freedesktop.DBus.ListActivatableNames: object_path= /org/freedesktop/DBus: org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.AccessDenied: An AppArmor policy prevents this sender from sending this message to this recipient; type="method_call", sender=":1.148" (uid=1002 pid=11988 comm="/snap/chromium/1131/usr/lib/chromium-browser/chrom" label="snap.chromium.chromium (enforce)") interface="org.freedesktop.DBus" member="ListActivatableNames" error name="(unset)" requested_reply="0" destination="org.freedesktop.DBus" (bus)
[11988:11988:0428/120128.043139:ERROR:browser_switcher_service.cc(238)] XXX Init()
[12136:12136:0428/120128.298317:ERROR:viz_main_impl.cc(159)] Exiting GPU process due to errors during initialization
[11988:12117:0428/120133.078289:ERROR:udev_watcher.cc(96)] Failed to begin udev enumeration.
[13072:1:0428/120304.359521:ERROR:ppapi_thread.cc(310)] Failed to load Pepper module from /usr/lib/chromium/libpepflashplayer.so (error: /usr/lib/chromium/libpepflashplayer.so: cannot open shared object file: Operation not permitted)

I'm not sure if it's permissions or something else. I've been looking at this for far too long now to distinguish the forest from the trees...

[Botspot]

Aside from the 32 vs 64 bit business: You said to park it in /usr/lib/chromium, but the (snap) install created /usr/lib/chromium-browser so I put the file in there.

Oh, the directory is /usr/lib/chromium-browser in Ubuntu as well? OK my bad. Go ahead and put it there then.
(I had thought that it was /usr/lib/chromium, since the command to run the browser was simply, chromium.)

The errors.txt file captured the following:

Code: Select all

[13072:1:0428/120304.359521:ERROR:ppapi_thread.cc(310)] Failed to load Pepper module from /usr/lib/chromium/libpepflashplayer.so (error: /usr/lib/chromium/libpepflashplayer.so: cannot open shared object file: Operation not permitted)

That above error looks to be the only relevant one.

Operation not permitted sounds like a permission error to me. I went ahead and checked the file permission of my libpepflashplayer.so, and its permissions are:

Code: Select all

pi@raspberrypi:~ $ ls -l /usr/lib/chromium-browser/libpepflashplayer.so
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 20150608 Mar 27 17:24 /usr/lib/chromium-browser/libpepflashplayer.so
pi@raspberrypi:~ $ stat -c '%A %a %n' /usr/lib/chromium-browser/libpepflashplayer.so
-rw-r--r-- 644 /usr/lib/chromium-browser/libpepflashplayer.so

So see if yours matches. If it does match, then I'm not sure what else to try.

[graf_eberstein]

Oh, the directory is /usr/lib/chromium-browser in Ubuntu as well? OK my bad. Go ahead and put it there then.
(I had thought that it was /usr/lib/chromium, since the command to run the browser was simply, chromium.)

No worries; I did so. I think the path and package names are chromium-browser because there's a game called Chromium, and that would cause confusion... LOL! I know from experience that filepaths can differ from distribution to distribution (even within distribution families like Debian, or releases thereof). I encountered this when I added the libraspberrypi-bin package (/opt/vc to /usr) and couldn't get HPLIP to install plugins (/usr/lib/aarch64-linux-gnu to /usr/lib/sane). In other words, nothing new (or is that, GNU? ). By the way, this particular HPLIP issue occurs with all architectures, and creating the aforementioned symlink as tailored to the architecture-specific directory on your machine fixes it; it's not the only long-standing bug in HPLIP by the way.

Operation not permitted sounds like a permission error to me. I went ahead and checked the file permission of my libpepflashplayer.so, and its permissions are:

Code: Select all

pi@raspberrypi:~ $ ls -l /usr/lib/chromium-browser/libpepflashplayer.so
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 20150608 Mar 27 17:24 /usr/lib/chromium-browser/libpepflashplayer.so
pi@raspberrypi:~ $ stat -c '%A %a %n' /usr/lib/chromium-browser/libpepflashplayer.so
-rw-r--r-- 644 /usr/lib/chromium-browser/libpepflashplayer.so

So see if yours matches. If it does match, then I'm not sure what else to try.

I get:

Code: Select all

-rw-r--r--   1 root root 20150608 Apr 28 10:57 libpepflashplayer.so
-rw-r--r-- 644 /usr/lib/chromium-browser/libpepflashplayer.so

...so they match.

This may sound dumb, but do I need more than the .so file on the system?

[Botspot]

This may sound dumb, but do I need more than the .so file on the system?

At this point, I'm googling my way around.
Here's something to try:

Code: Select all

sudo ldconfig -v

There's a small chance that a flash player package is available. Post the output of these commands:

Code: Select all

apt search pepper
apt search flash

And if that doesn't work, have a look at this webpage.

[graf_eberstein]

At this point, I'm googling my way around.
Here's something to try:

Code: Select all

sudo ldconfig -v

There's a small chance that a flash player package is available. Post the output of these commands:

Code: Select all

apt search pepper
apt search flash

Here are the results:

apt search pepper

Code: Select all

Sorting...
Full Text Search...
burgerspace/eoan 1.9.2-3 arm64
  Avoid evil foodstuffs and make burgers

libjs-jquery-ui-theme-pepper-grinder/eoan 1.12.1+dfsg-1 all
  Pepper Grinder theme for jQuery UI

libwebkit2gtk-4.0-37-gtk2/eoan-updates,eoan-security 2.28.1-0ubuntu0.19.10.1 all
  Transitional dummy package

pepper/eoan 0.3.3-3 arm64
  Source code repository statistics and report tool

salt-pepper/eoan 0.5.5-1 all
  Library and stand-alone CLI tools to access a salt-api instance

apt search flash

Code: Select all

Sorting...
Full Text Search...
0xffff/eoan 0.8-1 arm64
  Open Free Fiasco Firmware Flasher

air-quality-sensor/eoan 0.1.4.2-1 arm64
  user space driver for AppliedSensor's Indoor Air Monitor

airspy/eoan 1.0.9-3 arm64
  Tiny and efficient software defined radio receiver - utilities

amideco/eoan 0.31e-3.1build1 arm64
  Decompress flashfiles equipped with an AMI BIOS

anki/eoan 2.1.8+dfsg-1ubuntu1 all
  extensible flashcard learning program

avrp/eoan 1.0beta3-7build1 arm64
  Programmer for Atmel AVR microcontrollers

awardeco/eoan 0.2-3.1build1 arm64
  Decompress flashfiles equipped with an AWARD BIOS

bilibop/eoan 0.5.6 arm64
  run Debian GNU/Linux from external media - metapackage

bilibop-common/eoan 0.5.6 arm64
  shell functions for bilibop scripts

bilibop-lockfs/eoan 0.5.6 arm64
  lock filesystems and write changes into RAM

bilibop-rules/eoan 0.5.6 arm64
  device management rules for OS running from external media

bilibop-udev/eoan 0.5.6 arm64
  minimal udev rule for Debian GNU/Linux running from external media

bleachbit/eoan,now 2.2-3 all [installed]
  delete unnecessary files from the system

bmap-tools/eoan 3.5-2 all
  tool to flash image files to block devices using the block map

bossa/eoan 1.3~20120408-5.1build1 arm64
  Atmel SAM ARM microcontroller flash programming GUI

bossa-cli/eoan 1.3~20120408-5.1build1 arm64
  Atmel SAM ARM microcontroller flash programming utility

budgie-countdown-applet/eoan-updates 0.10.1-0ubuntu4 all
  Applet providing a countdown capability on the Budgie Desktop

budgie-dropby-applet/eoan-updates 0.10.1-0ubuntu4 all
  Applet to popup when a USB device is connected

busybox-syslogd/eoan 1:1.30.1-4ubuntu4 all
  Provides syslogd and klogd using busybox

byzanz/eoan 0.3.0+git20160312-3 arm64
  small screencast creator

cbootimage/eoan 1.8-1 arm64
  Tools to dump and generate boot config table on Tegra devices

crtmpserver/eoan 1.0~dfsg-5.5 arm64
  High performance RTMP/RTSP streaming server

crtmpserver-apps/eoan 1.0~dfsg-5.5 arm64
  base applications for the crtmpserver platform

crtmpserver-dev/eoan 1.0~dfsg-5.5 arm64
  Development files for the crtmpserver platform

crtmpserver-libs/eoan 1.0~dfsg-5.5 arm64
  shared libraries for the crtmpserver platform

cryptmount/eoan 5.3.1-1 arm64
  Management of encrypted file systems

dell-recovery/eoan 1.63 all
  Dell Recovery Media Creation Package

dfu-programmer/eoan 0.6.1-1build1 arm64
  device firmware update (DFU) based USB programmer for Atmel chips

diskscan/eoan 0.20-1build1 arm64
  scan storage media for bad or near failure sectors

duktape/eoan 2.4.0-1 arm64
  embeddable Javascript engine

esptool/eoan 2.6+dfsg-1 all
  create and flash firmware files to ESP8266 and ESP32 chips

f2fs-tools/eoan 1.11.0-1.1 arm64
  Tools for Flash-Friendly File System

f2fs-tools-dbg/eoan 1.11.0-1.1 arm64
  Tools for Flash-Friendly File System (debug)

f3/eoan 7.1-1 arm64
  test real flash memory capacity

faifa/eoan 0.2~svn82-1build2 arm64
  manage HomePlug 1.0/AV devices via ethernet frames

falkon/eoan 3.1.0-0ubuntu1 arm64
  lightweight web browser based on Qt WebEngine

fastboot/eoan 1:8.1.0+r23-5 arm64
  Android fastboot tool

firmware-microbit-micropython/eoan 1.0.1-1 all
  MicroPython runtime for the BBC micro:bit

firmware-microbit-micropython-dl/eoan 1.2.4+dfsg-1 all
  micro:bit MicroPython runtime downloader

firmware-microbit-micropython-doc/eoan 1.0.1-1 all
  MicroPython runtime for the BBC micro:bit (documentation)

flash-kernel/eoan-updates,now 3.98ubuntu5.3 arm64 [installed,automatic]
  utility to make certain embedded devices bootable

flashbake/eoan 0.27.1-0.1 all
  automated snapshots with git

flashbench/eoan 62-1build1 arm64
  identify flash storage properties

flashproxy-client/eoan 1.7-4 all
  Pluggable transport to circumvent IP address blocking - client transport plugin

flashproxy-common/eoan 1.7-4 all
  Pluggable transport to circumvent IP address blocking - common library

flashproxy-facilitator/eoan 1.7-4 all
  Pluggable transport to circumvent IP address blocking - facilitator

flashproxy-proxy/eoan 1.7-4 all
  Pluggable transport to circumvent IP address blocking - browser proxy

flashrom/eoan 1.1-1 arm64
  Identify, read, write, erase, and verify BIOS/ROM/flash chips

flasm/eoan 1.62-10 arm64
  assembler and disassembler for Flash (SWF) bytecode

flvstreamer/eoan 2.1c1-1build1 arm64
  command-line RTMP client

fotoxx/eoan 18.07.2-1 arm64
  easy-to-use digital photo editor

fotoxx-common/eoan 18.07.2-1 all
  easy-to-use digital photo editor - common files

ftdi-eeprom/eoan 1.4-2 arm64
  Tool for reading/erasing/flashing FTDI USB chip EEPROMs

get-flash-videos/eoan 1.25.99.03-1 all
  video downloader for various Flash-based video hosting sites

gnome-flashback/eoan-updates 3.34.0-1ubuntu1.1 arm64
  helper application for the GNOME Flashback session

gnome-flashback-common/eoan-updates 3.34.0-1ubuntu1.1 all
  GNOME Flashback helper application - common data files

gnome-panel/eoan 1:3.34.0-1ubuntu1 arm64
  traditional panel, used in GNOME Flashback

gnome-panel-data/eoan 1:3.34.0-1ubuntu1 all
  common files for GNOME Panel

gnome-session-flashback/eoan-updates 1:3.34.0-1ubuntu1.1 all
  traditional desktop session based on GNOME technologies

gnome-twitch/eoan 0.4.1-3 arm64
  GNOME Twitch app for watching Twitch.tv streams without a browser or flash

golang-github-gorilla-sessions-dev/eoan 1.1+git20170802.7.b61c93c-3 all
  save cookie and filesystem sessions and allow custom session backends

gplanarity/eoan 17906-7 arm64
  simple puzzle game involving untangling planar graphs

granule/eoan 1.4.0-7-9 arm64
  flashcard program for learning new words

granule-docs/eoan 1.1.0+dfsg-3 all
  flashcard program for learning new words -- documentation

grub-customizer/eoan 5.1.0-1 arm64
  GUI to configure GRUB2 and BURG

hackrf/eoan 2018.01.1-2 arm64
  Software defined radio peripheral - utilities

hdmi2usb-fx2-firmware/eoan 0.0.0~git20151225-2 all
  FX2 firmware for hdmi2usb board development

hdmi2usb-mode-switch/eoan 0.0.1-2 all
  Configuration and firmware tool for HDMI2USB devices

heimdall-flash/eoan 1.4.1-2 arm64
  tool for flashing firmware on Samsung Galaxy S devices

heimdall-flash-frontend/eoan 1.4.1-2 arm64
  tool for flashing firmware on Samsung Galaxy S devices - Qt GUI

hexedit/eoan 1.4.2-5 arm64
  viewer and editor in hexadecimal or ASCII for files or devices

imagination/eoan 3.4-1 arm64
  DVD slide show maker

jasper/eoan 0.69 all
  Configure a preinstalled ext2/3 system image

konqueror/eoan 4:19.04.3-0ubuntu1 arm64
  advanced file manager, web browser and document viewer

kubuntu-restricted-extras/eoan 67 arm64
  Commonly used media codecs and fonts for Kubuntu

kwordquiz/eoan 4:19.04.3-0ubuntu1 arm64
  flashcard learning program

libclaw-tween1v5/eoan 1.7.4-2 arm64
  C++ tweeners

libdancer-plugin-flashmessage-perl/eoan 0.314-2 all
  Dancer plugin to display temporary, so called "flash messages"

libf2fs-dev/eoan 1.11.0-1.1 arm64
  Core library for Flash-Friendly File System - Development files

libf2fs-format-dev/eoan 1.11.0-1.1 arm64
  Core library for Flash-Friendly File System - Development files

libf2fs-format4/eoan 1.11.0-1.1 arm64
  Format library for Flash-Friendly File System

libf2fs5/eoan 1.11.0-1.1 arm64
  Core library for Flash-Friendly File System

libfaifa-dev/eoan 0.2~svn82-1build2 arm64
  manage HomePlug 1.0/AV devices via ethernet frames - devel library

libfaifa0/eoan 0.2~svn82-1build2 arm64
  manage HomePlug 1.0/AV devices via ethernet frames - library

libfreehep-graphicsio-swf-java/eoan 2.1.1+dfsg-3 all
  FreeHEP SWF (Flash) Driver

libhal1-flash/eoan 0.3.3-3 arm64
  Compatibility library to allow playback of Flash DRM content

libimage-size-perl/eoan 3.300-1 all
  module for determining image sizes in several common formats

libjs-gordon/eoan 0~git20101011-3 all
  Open source flash runtime written in pure javascript

libjs-mediaelement/eoan 2.15.1+dfsg-1 all
  HTML5 <audio> or <video> player with Flash and Silverlight shims

libjs-soundmanager2/eoan 2.97a.20150601+dfsg2-2 all
  cross-platform audio player API

libmime-lite-html-perl/eoan 1.24-3 all
  Transform HTML page into MIME email

libnxt/eoan 0.3-9 arm64
  utility library for talking to the LEGO Mindstorms NXT brick

libpanel-applet-dev/eoan 1:3.34.0-1ubuntu1 arm64
  library for GNOME Panel applets - development files

libpanel-applet-doc/eoan 1:3.34.0-1ubuntu1 all
  library for GNOME Panel applets - documentation files

libpanel-applet3/eoan 1:3.34.0-1ubuntu1 arm64
  library for GNOME Panel applets

libpiano-dev/eoan 2019.02.14-1build1 arm64
  library to interface with Pandora radio -- development

libpiano0/eoan 2019.02.14-1build1 arm64
  library to interface with Pandora radio -- runtime files

libploticus0/eoan 2.42-4 arm64
  script driven business graphics library

libquvi-0.9-0.9.3/eoan 0.9.4-0ubuntu1 arm64
  library for parsing video download links (runtime libraries)

libquvi-0.9-dev/eoan 0.9.4-0ubuntu1 arm64
  library for parsing video download links (development package)

libquvi-0.9-doc/eoan 0.9.4-0ubuntu1 all
  library for parsing video download links (documentation package)

libquvi-scripts-0.9/eoan 0.9.20131130-1.1 all
  library for parsing video download links (Lua scripts)

librocksdb-dev/eoan 5.17.2-3 arm64
  persistent Key-Value Store for Flash and RAM Storage (development)

librocksdb5.17/eoan 5.17.2-3 arm64
  persistent Key-Value Store for Flash and RAM Storage

librudecgi-dev/eoan 5.0.0-1.1ubuntu1 arm64
  C++ parser library for CGI applications - development libraries

librudecgi5v5/eoan 5.0.0-1.1ubuntu1 arm64
  C++ parser library for CGI applications - runtime

libstlink-dev/eoan 1.5.1+ds-1 arm64
  OpenSource ST-Link tools replacement.

libstlink1/eoan 1.5.1+ds-1 arm64
  OpenSource ST-Link tools replacement.

libtk-tablematrix-perl/eoan 1.23-6.1build5 arm64
  Table/matrix widget extension to Perl/Tk

libvdpau-va-gl1/eoan 0.4.2-1build1 arm64
  VDPAU driver with OpenGL/VAAPI backend

libwebkit2gtk-4.0-37-gtk2/eoan-updates,eoan-security 2.28.1-0ubuntu0.19.10.1 all
  Transitional dummy package

lm4flash/eoan 3:0.1.3-1 arm64
  Command-line firmware flashing tool to communicate with the Stellaris Launchpad

lpctools/eoan 1.07-1 arm64
  interface to NXP LPC Microcontrollers ISP serial interface

lubuntu-restricted-extras/eoan 67 all
  Commonly used media codecs and fonts for Lubuntu (Transitional)

lxpanel/eoan 0.10.0-2 arm64
  LXDE panel

m16c-flash/eoan 0.1-1.1build1 arm64
  Flash programmer for Renesas M16C and R8C microcontrollers

minitube/eoan 3.1-1 arm64
  Native YouTube client

mnemosyne/eoan 2.6.1+ds-1 all
  spaced repetition flash-card program

mongrel2-core/eoan 1.12.2-1 arm64
  programming language agnostic web server (binaries)

mongrel2-run/eoan 1.12.2-1 all
  programming language agnostic web server

mtd-utils/eoan,now 1:2.0.1-1ubuntu3 arm64 [installed,automatic]
  Memory Technology Device Utilities

myrescue/eoan 0.9.8-1 arm64
  rescue data from damaged disks

node-flashproxy/eoan 1.7-4 all
  Pluggable transport to circumvent IP address blocking - nodejs proxy

node-policyfile/eoan 0.0.6+ds-1 all
  Flash Socket Policy File Server for Node.js

nxt-firmware/eoan 1.29-20120908+dfsg-7 all
  Improved firmware for LEGO Mindstorms NXT bricks

openwince-jtag/eoan 0.5.1-7build1 arm64
  allows programming jtag capable devices such as CPUs or FPGAs

parley/eoan 4:19.04.3-0ubuntu1 arm64
  vocabulary trainer

phnxdeco/eoan 0.33-3build1 arm64
  Decompress flashfiles equipped with a PHOENIX BIOS

pianobar/eoan 2019.02.14-1build1 arm64
  console based player for Pandora radio

pictor-unload/eoan 2.38-0ubuntu2 all
  tool for unloading and renaming pictures from flash media

pithos/eoan 1.1.2-1 all
  Pandora Radio client for the GNOME desktop

ploticus/eoan 2.42-4 arm64
  script driven business graphics package

policykit-1-gnome/eoan 0.105-7ubuntu2 arm64
  authentication agent for PolicyKit

pt-websocket/eoan 0.2-8 arm64
  WebSocket pluggable transport - server

pxfw/eoan 0.7.2-4.1 arm64
  Plextor firmware updater

python-olefile/eoan 0.46-1 all
  Python module to read/write MS OLE2 files

python3-mbed-host-tests/eoan 1.4.4-1 all
  module and utilities to flash, reset and test Mbed Enabled devices

python3-mbed-host-tests-doc/eoan 1.4.4-1 all
  module and utilities to flash, reset and test Mbed Enabled devices (docs)

python3-olefile/eoan,now 0.46-1 all [installed,automatic]
  Python module to read/write MS OLE2 files

python3-pyocd/eoan 0.13.1+dfsg-1 all
  ARM Cortex-M programming tools (Python3)

python3-streamlink/eoan 1.1.1+dfsg-1 all
  Python module for extracting video streams from various websites

python3-streamlink-doc/eoan 1.1.1+dfsg-1 all
  CLI for extracting video streams from various websites (documentation)

python3-uflash/eoan 1.2.4+dfsg-1 all
  module and utility for flashing the BBC micro:bit

python3-uflash-doc/eoan 1.2.4+dfsg-1 all
  module and utility for flashing the BBC micro:bit (documentation)

python3-websockify/eoan 0.8.0+dfsg1-16ubuntu1 arm64
  WebSockets support for any application/server - Python 3

qemu-skiboot/eoan 6.5-1 all
  OpenPower firmware component

quvi/eoan 0.9.4-1.1build1 arm64
  command line program to extract video download links

r-cran-animation/eoan 2.6+dfsg-1 all
  GNU R gallery of animations and utilities to create animations

r-cran-fastcluster/eoan 1.1.25-2 arm64
  Fast hierarchical clustering routines for GNU R

r-cran-flashclust/eoan 1.01-2-2 arm64
  Implementation of optimal hierarchical clustering

r-cran-googlevis/eoan 0.6.4+dfsg-1 all
  GNU R Interface to Google Charts

reminiscence/eoan 0.2.1-2build1 arm64
  free implementation of Flashback game engine

rhythmbox-ampache/eoan 0.11.1+svn43-1 all
  play audio streams from an Ampache server

rkflashtool/eoan 0~20160324-2 arm64
  Tools for flashing Rockchip devices

rocksdb-tools/eoan 5.17.2-3 arm64
  persistent Key-Value Store for Flash and RAM Storage (tools)

ruby-rack-flash3/eoan 1.0.5-2 all
  Flash hash for Ruby Rack applications

ruby-rails-assets-fine-uploader/eoan 5.13.0-1 all
  Official bower build for FineUploader/fine-uploader

ruby-rails-assets-jquery-fullscreen-plugin/eoan 0.5.0+dfsg-1 all
  jQuery fullscreen plugin for rails applications

ruby-responders/eoan 2.4.0-3 all
  set of Rails responders to dry up your application

seabios/eoan 1.12.0-1 all
  Legacy BIOS implementation

stlink-gui/eoan 1.5.1+ds-1 arm64
  OpenSource ST-Link tools replacement.

stlink-tools/eoan 1.5.1+ds-1 arm64
  OpenSource ST-Link tools replacement.

stm32flash/eoan 0.5-1build1 arm64
  STM32 chip flashing utility using a serial bootloader

streamlink/eoan 1.1.1+dfsg-1 all
  CLI for extracting video streams from various websites to a video player

swfmill/eoan 0.3.6-1 arm64
  xml2swf and swf2xml processor

texlive-latex-extra/eoan 2019.20190710-1 all
  TeX Live: LaTeX additional packages

tiemu/eoan 3.04~git20110801-nogdb+dfsg1-2 arm64
  Texas Instruments calculators emulator (without GDB)

tilem/eoan 2.0-3 arm64
  GTK+ TI Z80 calculator emulator

tilem-data/eoan 2.0-3 all
  GTK+ TI Z80 calculator emulator (data files)

tilp2/eoan 1.18-3 arm64
  Texas Instruments hand-helds <-> PC communication program for X

tk-table/eoan 2.10-3 arm64
  Table extension for Tcl/Tk

u-boot-menu/eoan 4 all
  u-boot menu update

u3-tool/eoan 0.3-3 arm64
  tool for controlling the special features of a U3 USB flash disk

ubuntu-restricted-extras/eoan 67 arm64
  Commonly used media codecs and fonts for Ubuntu

udiskie/eoan 1.7.7-2 all
  automounter for removable media for Python

uefitool/eoan 0.26.0-2 arm64
  UEFI firmware image viewer and editor

uefitool-cli/eoan 0.26.0-2 arm64
  UEFI firmware image viewer and editor - CLI version

uget/eoan 2.2.2-1 arm64
  easy-to-use download manager written in GTK+

unburden-home-dir/eoan 0.4.1.1 all
  Remove or move cache files automatically from user's home

unmass/eoan 0.9-4 arm64
  Extract game archive files

urjtag/eoan 0.10+r2007-1.2build2 arm64
  JTAG programmer for various flash parts and boards

usb-modeswitch/eoan,now 2.5.2+repack0-2ubuntu1 arm64 [installed,automatic]
  mode switching tool for controlling "flip flop" USB devices

usb-modeswitch-data/eoan,now 20170806-2 all [installed,automatic]
  mode switching data for usb-modeswitch

videoporama/eoan 0.8.1-0ubuntu7 all
  Make and export image slideshows

websockify/eoan 0.8.0+dfsg1-16ubuntu1 arm64
  WebSockets support for any application/server

wipe/eoan 0.24-4 arm64
  secure file deletion

xc3sprog/eoan 0+svn795+dfsg-1 arm64
  JTAG flashing tool for FPGAs, CPLDs and EEPROMs

xmms2-plugin-flv/eoan 0.8+dfsg-18.2 arm64
  XMMS2 - Flash Video plug-in

yamdi/eoan 1.4-3 arm64
  utility for adding metadata to flash video files

I tried to put myself into your thought-shoes and reran the second using apt search flash | grep lug (to catch uppercase and lowercase 'plugin' and 'plug-in' since the list is so long). That yielded but one hit:

xmms2-plugin-flv/eoan 0.8+dfsg-18.2 arm64
XMMS2 - Flash Video plug-in

However, when I looked into details about it, it's a plugin for XMMS, and therefore doesn't apply.

And if that doesn't work, have a look at this webpage.

I was looking at the Ubuntu Forums page referenced in the first link previously; it was shortly thereafter that I had to start from scratch... It's old (2016) and no longer applies. There's a newer (2018) version, but that's out of date as well. My concern is the dpkg statement: What would the net effect of that be long-term? Following the test on the Debian Multiarch Wiki, dpkg --print-foreign-architectures does not return anything. I'm guessing that means dpkg is multiarch aware, but I would have to add the architecture to get feedback. But I can't afford to start over at this point so I'm holding off till I know more.

Please note that although I know my way around *nix to some extent, this is now deep in unfamiliar territory for me...

[Botspot]

Please note that although I know my way around *nix to some extent, this is now deep in unfamiliar territory for me...

Yeah, I'm far out of my comfort zone too...

The way I see it, you have these options:

• Use Raspbian. Chromium + flash is included, and with the new raspbian-nspawn-64 package, you can run 64-bit apps if you so desire.
• Uninstall chromium:arm64 from your ubuntu, and afterward try to install chromium:armhf. All that to make use of an armhf flash .so file.
• Similar to the above option: Run chromium:armhf in a Raspbian VM inside your Ubuntu to run flash. Maybe use the systemd-nspawn technique my Pi Power Tools uses to boot.
• Find some other way to do it which we haven't considered yet.

So I suggest we work on the top one: Why do you insist Raspbian is not an option?

[graf_eberstein]

And if that doesn't work, have a look at this webpage.

Addendum to my last posting:

I was able to locate the following collection of .deb files earlier today, based on yet something else I found online:

Code: Select all

browser-plugin-freshplayer-pepperflash_0.3.4-3_arm64.deb
libavcodec-extra57_3.4.2-2_arm64.deb
libavcodec57_3.4.2-2_arm64.deb
libavutil55_3.4.2-2_arm64.deb
libevent-pthreads-2.1-6_2.1.8-stable-4build1_arm64.deb

...and for good measure:

Code: Select all

browser-plugin-freshplayer-pepperflash_0.3.5-1ubuntu7_arm64.deb

The lib* files are dependencies which need a manual install, last to first, but using dpkg starts throwing further dependencies on at least one of them (nature of the beast, I suppose).

In doing an apt search <pattern>, I find:
[*]libavcodec-extra58/eoan 7:4.1.4-1build2 arm64
[*]libavcodec58/eoan,now 7:4.1.4-1build2 arm64 [installed,automatic]
[*]libavutil56/eoan,now 7:4.1.4-1build2 arm64 [installed,automatic]

Except for libavcodec-extra* (not installed) and libevent-pthreads (installed), the above appear to be newer releases of those packages. Would installing libavcodec-extra58 suffice, or would I still have to install the older releases? This is the type of thing that puts me waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay out of my element...

[Botspot]

[I was able to locate the following collection of .deb files earlier today, based on yet something else I found online:

Code: Select all

browser-plugin-freshplayer-pepperflash_0.3.4-3_arm64.deb
libavcodec-extra57_3.4.2-2_arm64.deb
libavcodec57_3.4.2-2_arm64.deb
libavutil55_3.4.2-2_arm64.deb
libevent-pthreads-2.1-6_2.1.8-stable-4build1_arm64.deb

Except for libavcodec-extra* (not installed) and libevent-pthreads (installed), the above appear to be newer releases of those packages. Would installing libavcodec-extra58 suffice, or would I still have to install the older releases? This is the type of thing that puts me waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay out of my element...

I have no idea.

What happens when you run this?

Code: Select all

sudo dpkg -i browser-plugin-freshplayer-pepperflash_0.3.4-3_arm64.deb

[graf_eberstein]

• Use Raspbian. Chromium + flash is included, and with the new raspbian-nspawn-64 package, you can run 64-bit apps if you so desire.
• Uninstall chromium:arm64 from your ubuntu, and afterward try to install chromium:armhf. All that to make use of an armhf flash .so file.
• Similar to the above option: Run chromium:armhf in a Raspbian VM inside your Ubuntu to run flash. Maybe use the systemd-nspawn technique my Pi Power Tools uses to boot.
• Find some other way to do it which we haven't considered yet.

So I suggest we work on the top one: Why do you insist Raspbian is not an option?

Re. Raspbian:
The Pi 4 (4 GiB) is replacing my partner's 3B+, which has finally shown what it can handle in relation to her needs (I've run everything she does on the 4 without IOWait going through the roof and locking the machine). If it were even 1% up to me, I wouldn't care whether it runs Raspbian or something else, but that's not the case.

It boils down to this: My partner cannot work with Raspbian on account a visual disability and something about the GUI makes it impossible for her to visualize much on the screen. Thanks to the bare bones tuning capability, there is little with which to sort it all out. I used Raspbian when I first put the 3B+ together for her, and spent quite some time trying to overcome the hurdles. Having worked with several distributions prior to that (I own multiple Pi boards for different purposes), I decided to let her try several of them, unmodified to varying degrees of success; Ubuntu-MATE presented the fewest problems in that vein. It took very little in terms of tweaking, to address the four or five outstanding concerns that "out of the box" didn't cover. I went with unmodified because that allowed us to figure out what parts would have to be adjusted.

What I do find interesting is that until this academic year, the Windows desktop PC sitting in her classroom at school ran Windows 7 and she had very few disability-related issues with it's GUI. The district upgraded the OS over the summer, and she's had disability-related issues with the Windows 10 GUI as well.

The assistive technology tools bundled in Windows, Raspbian, and Ubuntu, only address a small portion of her disability. Of the three, what's available out of the box in Ubuntu is more complete and easier to use than in Windows (metaphorically speaking, you need a PhD to work with Raspbian's or a two-year diploma for Windows and Ubuntu MATE). All of the other adjustments are a lot easier and quicker to manage in Ubuntu.

I also think that the underlying Display Manager has a role to play. Ubuntu and Raspbian use different ones. I forget what image I created for her to take for an unmodified test drive with; I have 12 on-hand and not all have been updated for the Pi4 yet. That's something I did between the time we ordered the Pi4 and the time it arrived. Whatever the distribution it was, it used yet another DM and, while the GUI was better than Raspbian's, it wasn't as functional as Ubuntu's. By functional I mean ease of tweaking/adjusting. There were other issues as well, not related to the "look" (eye candy) or adjustment options too (which is where my DM notion comes in).

[graf_eberstein]

What happens when you run this?

Code: Select all

sudo dpkg -i browser-plugin-freshplayer-pepperflash_0.3.4-3_arm64.deb

Here's a copy-paste from the TTY:

Code: Select all

$ sudo dpkg -i browser-plugin-freshplayer-pepperflash_0.3.4-3_arm64.deb
Selecting previously unselected package browser-plugin-freshplayer-pepperflash.
(Reading database ... 263690 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to unpack browser-plugin-freshplayer-pepperflash_0.3.4-3_arm64.deb ...
Unpacking browser-plugin-freshplayer-pepperflash (0.3.4-3) ...
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of browser-plugin-freshplayer-pepperflash:
 browser-plugin-freshplayer-pepperflash depends on libavcodec-ffmpeg56 (>= 7:2.4) | libavcodec-ffmpeg-extra56 (>= 7:2.4); however:
  Package libavcodec-ffmpeg56 is not installed.
  Package libavcodec-ffmpeg-extra56 is not installed.
 browser-plugin-freshplayer-pepperflash depends on libavutil-ffmpeg54 (>= 7:2.4); however:
  Package libavutil-ffmpeg54 is not installed.
 browser-plugin-freshplayer-pepperflash depends on libevent-2.0-5 (>= 2.0.10-stable); however:
  Package libevent-2.0-5 is not installed.
 browser-plugin-freshplayer-pepperflash depends on libevent-pthreads-2.0-5 (>= 2.0.10-stable); however:
  Package libevent-pthreads-2.0-5 is not installed.
 browser-plugin-freshplayer-pepperflash depends on libssl1.0.0 (>= 1.0.0); however:
  Package libssl1.0.0 is not installed.
 browser-plugin-freshplayer-pepperflash depends on libva-x11-1 (>= 1.0.3); however:
  Package libva-x11-1 is not installed.
 browser-plugin-freshplayer-pepperflash depends on libva1 (>= 1.2.0); however:
  Package libva1 is not installed.

dpkg: error processing package browser-plugin-freshplayer-pepperflash (--install):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
Errors were encountered while processing:
 browser-plugin-freshplayer-pepperflash

[Botspot]

Code: Select all

dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of browser-plugin-freshplayer-pepperflash:
 browser-plugin-freshplayer-pepperflash depends on libavcodec-ffmpeg56 (>= 7:2.4) | libavcodec-ffmpeg-extra56 (>= 7:2.4); however:
  Package libavcodec-ffmpeg56 is not installed.
  Package libavcodec-ffmpeg-extra56 is not installed.
 browser-plugin-freshplayer-pepperflash depends on libavutil-ffmpeg54 (>= 7:2.4); however:
  Package libavutil-ffmpeg54 is not installed.
 browser-plugin-freshplayer-pepperflash depends on libevent-2.0-5 (>= 2.0.10-stable); however:
  Package libevent-2.0-5 is not installed.
 browser-plugin-freshplayer-pepperflash depends on libevent-pthreads-2.0-5 (>= 2.0.10-stable); however:
  Package libevent-pthreads-2.0-5 is not installed.
 browser-plugin-freshplayer-pepperflash depends on libssl1.0.0 (>= 1.0.0); however:
  Package libssl1.0.0 is not installed.
 browser-plugin-freshplayer-pepperflash depends on libva-x11-1 (>= 1.0.3); however:
  Package libva-x11-1 is not installed.
 browser-plugin-freshplayer-pepperflash depends on libva1 (>= 1.2.0); however:
  Package libva1 is not installed.

dpkg: error processing package browser-plugin-freshplayer-pepperflash (--install):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured

Yeah I don't think dpkg auto-installs dependencies. Maybe apt does, but IDK.

Code: Select all

sudo apt install browser-plugin-freshplayer-pepperflash_0.3.4-3_arm64.deb