Bugzilla Bug 127200

There is a good chance this is Gentoo related as only Gentoo users have
complained about Opera refusing to play flash stream-movies.

Personally I have no clue as to what is causing it. It could be related to file
permissions or temporary file permissions or their location, group settings or
something else.

I am filing this as a bug in Gentoo in the hope that whoever is testing this
(links below) will find out more and be able to fix the problem.

Test sites: Google video, Gamespot,  and YouTube. Normally Opera 8 and 9 using
the most recent Macromedia flash plugin will handle these. FireFox will, too.

   http://www.gamespot.com (frontpage flash video player)
   http://video.google.com/
   http://www.youtube.com/

Gentoo side discussion:
   http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-443875.html

Opera side discussion:
   http://my.opera.com/community/forums/topic.dml?id=129106

AMD64 (32 bit) users have reported on the Gentoo forums that they have
encountered this problem as well.

This dosn't seem to be more gentoo related than the placement of the plugin.
See http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-p-3200373.html#3200373

If someone could test this to be sure this bug could be closed and we could
file one with Opera or Macromedia.

Confirmed! Thanks so much Slegge!

Bug can be closed.

http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-p-3642815.html#3642815

As more and more people stumble upon this problem - Opera developers included -
I believe it's save to say that we need a more permanent solution to this
problem.

I reopen the bug in the hope that the necessary changes can be applied to Opera
ebuilds or the flash plugin ebuild (some symlinks are needed, please read the
Forum thread linked below).

A temporary fix for the www-client/opera ebuild would be to make 2 symlinks
(whether net-www/netscape-flash is/will be installed or not):
# ln -s /opt/netscape/plugins/flashplayer.xpt
/opt/opera/lib/opera/plugins/flashplayer.xpt 
# ln -s /opt/netscape/plugins/libflashplayer.so
/opt/opera/lib/opera/plugins/libflashplayer.so

"Assigned To:   Heinrich Wendel (RETIRED) <lanius@gentoo.org>"
Maybe nobody will read this bug anymore. Someone with appropriate permissions
should reassign the bug...

I was able to "fix" this bug by (illegally!) hacking net-www/netscape-flash
like so:

sed -e 's|netscape|foobarzz|g' -i /opt/netscape/plugins/libflashplayer.so

On a system that had this issue playing video through the Flash plugin in
Opera, the above fixed it completely, as a few Flash Video tests showed.

The problem is not in Opera, but in Macromedia's Flash Player. I did try the
new net-www/netscape-flash-9* tonight, which works in Firefox, but not in Opera
(yet)[1].

Therefore, I am closing this bug as UPSTREAM: without modifying
libflashplayer.so illegally[2], this bug cannot be fixed, and it is up to
Macromedia, Inc. to fix it.


[1] In Opera, the plugin window stays blank and does not load the Flash
interface at all.
[2] <${PORTDIR}/licenses/Macromedia>, section 3.(e).

*** Bug 176077 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

@Vanya: On the other bug, you said a symlink should be created:
/opt/opera/lib/opera/plugins/libflashplayer.so ->
/opt/netscape/plugins/libflashplayer.so.

If this actually works in all cases, I don't see a reason not to set a symlink.
One important requirement is that Opera keeps working even after netscape-flash
is unmerged (making the symlink a dead link), in case the opera ebuild sets the
symlink. The alternative would be to have netscape-flash set the symlink
instead (yet there is no maintainer to CC on this bug, sadly). Recent changes
are from beandog and armin76, more changes were made by tester.

Created an attachment (id=117310) [edit]
netscape-flash-9.0.31.0.ebuild.patch

Opera works with nescape-flash being unmerged (symlink in place). Just no flash
in this case :)
But why should you bother if this symlink comes with netscape-flash and not
Opera? :)
Please don't forget about the instructions of making use of that 'modified'
plugin in Opera.
Thanks.

Created an attachment (id=117344) [edit]
opera-9.20.ebuild-netscape-flash.patch

We might do it in Opera instead.

Created an attachment (id=117346) [edit]
opera-9.20.ebuild-netscape-flash.patch with added elog hint

(In reply to comment #11)
> Opera works with nescape-flash being unmerged (symlink in place).
> Just no flash in this case :)

Indeed.

> But why should you bother if this symlink comes with netscape-flash and not
> Opera? :)

Ultimately this problem should go upstream, either to Adobe or to Opera. It
seems Opera can't really do anything about the Flash plugin behaving this way.

> Please don't forget about the instructions of making use of that 'modified'
> plugin in Opera.

Modified pluginpath.ini you mean... Here goes.

I am also trying to figure out if that is possible to set this option
systemwide.
http://my.opera.com/community/forums/topic.dml?id=186198&t=1177654855&page=1#comment2020636

The "symlink workaround" is in CVS now in opera-9.20-r1.ebuild.

It will be possible to set plugin path system-wide after fixing Opera's bug
with global pluginpath.ini . We should make all the strings with 'netscape'
word in them and with '=2' . I think some sed command will allow to dot this?
I'm not an expert in sed :)
Also take a look here:
http://my.opera.com/community/forums/topic.dml?id=186198&t=1179126097&page=1#comment2021093

(In reply to comment #16)
> We should make all the strings with 'netscape'
> word in them and with '=2' .

I meant /opt/opera/share/opera/ini/pluginpath.ini

(In reply to comment #17)
> (In reply to comment #16)
> > We should make all the strings with 'netscape'
> > word in them and with '=2' .
> 
> I meant /opt/opera/share/opera/ini/pluginpath.ini

Fixed in opera-9.21-r1. /opt/netscape/plugins is deprecated in favour of
/usr/lib/nsbrowser/plugins anyway, so pluginpath.ini is now patched to turn
that 1 into a 2.

(In reply to comment #18)
> (In reply to comment #17)
> > (In reply to comment #16)
> > > We should make all the strings with 'netscape'
> > > word in them and with '=2' .
> > 
> > I meant /opt/opera/share/opera/ini/pluginpath.ini
> 
> Fixed in opera-9.21-r1. /opt/netscape/plugins is deprecated in favour of
> /usr/lib/nsbrowser/plugins anyway, so pluginpath.ini is now patched to turn
> that 1 into a 2.

If this is considered "fixed" and that path is deprecated, why does opera-9.22
ebuild still install this symlink?
/opt/opera/lib/opera/plugins/libflashplayer.so ->
/opt/netscape/plugins/libflashplayer.so

(I would reopen this bug if I had permission to do so)

(In reply to comment #19)
> If this is considered "fixed" and that path is deprecated, why does opera-9.22
> ebuild still install this symlink?
> /opt/opera/lib/opera/plugins/libflashplayer.so ->
> /opt/netscape/plugins/libflashplayer.so

Because every reasonable software should be able to deal with a simple symlink
and other things still expect the plugin in /opt/netscape/plugins/ and because
binary crap belongs to /opt. 

If opera can't deal with symlinks, go moan to Opera, not to Gentoo.

(In reply to comment #20)

If we do everything this way we'll end up packages entirely broken really
quickly. Please don't be this way, it's rude. Every package has to be dealt
with independently. 

You should make sure to have Opera know what the problem is. But if there's a
temp fix that you can provide to help the users - if it doesn't clash with
something else, then please submit it.

(In reply to comment #19)
> If this is considered "fixed" and that path is deprecated, why does opera-9.22
> ebuild still install this symlink?
> /opt/opera/lib/opera/plugins/libflashplayer.so ->
> /opt/netscape/plugins/libflashplayer.so

Thanks for noticing. Removed that in opera-9.22-r1

> (I would reopen this bug if I had permission to do so)

Wouldn't be the same bug, would it?

(In reply to comment #22)
> (In reply to comment #19)
> > If this is considered "fixed" and that path is deprecated, why does opera-9.22
> > ebuild still install this symlink?

Because the net-www/netscape-flash plugin is installed there, and a symlink is
placed in /usr/lib/nsbrowser/plugins. With our symlink in
/opt/opera/lib/opera/plugins absent, it picks the one in /opt/netscape, which
then causes the plugin itself to somehow limit itself. The plugin only does
this when the web browser is not a Netscape derivative, it seems. The blame
doesn't even lie with Opera because it's the plugin that is misbehaving.

> > /opt/opera/lib/opera/plugins/libflashplayer.so ->
> > /opt/netscape/plugins/libflashplayer.so
> 
> Thanks for noticing. Removed that in opera-9.22-r1

By the way, I cannot get videos to display on Youtube.com after (re)moving
${HOME}.opera/. I guess we really do need the symlink after all. :)

Yeah the symlink needs to stay there, any other rants about this go to
Adobe/Opera.

Actually, I found why I still can't play videos in Opera. Let me explain here,
so other people with same problem can find the solution:

Running "opera" does not work for me.
Deleting ~/.opera/pluginpath.ini and running "opera" still does not work.
Manually setting "/opt/netscape/plugins=2" at ~/.opera/pluginpath.ini (as
described in 9.21 ebuild) works, but I don't think this is a good solution.
Running "opera -personaldir /tmp/p" (with an empty profile) also works.

So, why does a new and empty profile work, and the old one doesn't? Let's try
to find out:

$ diff ~/.opera/pluginpath.ini /tmp/p/pluginpath.ini
They are exactly equal.

$ fgrep '/plugins/libflashplayer' ~/.opera/opera6.ini /tmp/p/opera6.ini
~/.opera/opera6.ini:application/x-shockwave-flash=6,,/opt/netscape/plugins/libflashplayer.so,Shockwave
Flash,swf,|Shockwave Flash
~/.opera/opera6.ini:application/futuresplash=6,,/opt/netscape/plugins/libflashplayer.so,Shockwave
Flash,spl,|FutureSplash Player
/tmp/p/opera6.ini:application/futuresplash=6,,/opt/opera/lib/opera/plugins/libflashplayer.so,Shockwave
Flash,spl,|FutureSplash Player
/tmp/p/opera6.ini:application/x-shockwave-flash=6,,/opt/opera/lib/opera/plugins/libflashplayer.so,Shockwave
Flash,swf,|Shockwave Flash

So, looks like the old opera6.ini inside my profile still points to
/opt/netscape/plugins/, while the new one is created pointing to
/opt/opera/lib/opera/plugins/.

Solution 1: Preferences -> Advanced -> Downloads ->
application/x-shockwave-flash swf -> Edit... -> Select the correct plugin at
"Use plug-in" drop-down. Repeat that for application/futuresplash spl file
type. (no need to restart Opera after this)

Solution 2: Manually edit ~/.opera/opera6.ini while Opera is closed.

I hope this solution can help other people. Maybe "opera" script could be
patched to warn the user whenever "/opt/netscape/plugins/libflashplayer.so" is
found in ~/.opera/opera6.ini. (maybe this is not a good thing to do in a Gentoo
ebuild, but I will try to ask Opera guys to take a look at this bug)

*** Bug 195024 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

*** Bug 198162 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***