Hello,

I recently updated to the new Firefox ESR, and am using Flashplayer. However, I know there are security concerns about it, and am also interested in going with the default choice for Firefox.

My questions:
1. I also have gnash installed, but my Firefox installation does not show it under 'add-on's'. Should I use it?

2. I also see an OpenH264 add-on, which I am unsure about. What is it for? Can it help?

3. Which plugin do you all use to watch videos? And how do I make sure it is working? Which settings allow me to get it working? My intention is to use whichever video plugin comes by default and is safe to use.

Thanks.

Thwe choice depends upon the site providing the video. Sites like YouTube, Ammazon and the like* will use HTML5 embedded video (in the main, at least) so Flash, or any plugin, isn't needed. However, some sites require Flash and as far as I can tell there is no way around that II because they require Flash for DRM and the like so things like gnash won't work.


*For completeness and in the hope I won't be judged I think the majority of pornographic sites use HTML5 also, nowadays.

A follow-up: I did notice that some sites mention jwplayer? Is that Free to use, and a recommended alternative?

Apparently (I had to google it) it's some kind of video content-distribution system so not something you would watch a video in?
Sorry re you looking at ways to play video to people with Firefox rather than play video in Firefox?

> Sorry re you looking at ways to play video to people with Firefox rather than play video in Firefox?

The latter; simply play video/radio from some websites that still apparently don't go for html5.

If they don't play in HTML5 then you have to risk Flash. Any other player (other than gnash) I wouldn't install, ever.
OK, I'm being tough here but as far as I can see the only ways to play video which aren't actually malware are:
HTML5
Sliverlight (jury still out) Edit: M$ only, so rubbish they dumped it
Flash (probably insecure due to idiocy)

If you have a Java plugin installed some sites may use that but, as far as I can see, they're doing it because HTML5 doesn't allow them to run code you don't want.

Oh, there may be the odd site which just shows you a file like "thenews.mp4" -- that's a file you download or feed to mplayer, VLC, or whatever. I'm sure you knew that but wanted to try to be complete.

I turn flash on and off . JWPlayer plays for me using adobe flashplayer.

Thanks, I'd not seen that. A player within a player? Not good...

word for word at http://forums.debian.net/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=130823 also.
I guess we should assume?

I have an ancient FF and no flash. Youtube (God forbid) "just works" most of the time.

For flash content, I fire up a "current" version of Chrome, (Not Chromium)

AFAIK (from running into it), JWPlayer's main feature is to stream content using something like RTSP which makes the stream difficult for capture software (like flashgot media) to find and use so you can't record it and keep it (unless you're a protocols guru). It's a server side application in support of DRM. They don't provide a plugin, etc. for browsers although browsers do seem to be able to play the content somehow.

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And what about Shockwave Flash? Is it insecure too? I am not a geek and understand barely anything about the video protocols, I only know that some less common video sites were not working for me so I was trying to find a solution and so I also installed, among others, Shockwave Flash. Now I have it in Firefox ESR (Debian) and don't know if it is ever used or completely useless? I also have Adobe Flash installed. Gnash I also tried but don't even know if I still have it installed – and don't know how to find out

OK, so it's the same thing… I didn't know. Sorry for a useless message.