No Sound with Flash in Firefox

[Jim Kronebusch]

> So you're running 64-bit Ubuntu with 32-Bit Firefox on the server and
> presumably a 32-bit thin client system.  I've personally never run flash on
> 64-bit ubuntu.

I am running 64-bit edubuntu feisty.  I have tried 32-bit flash under 64-bit firefox 
via nswrapper, I tried 32-bit firefox with 32-bit flash and I also tried the 
Automatix2 install of 32-bit swiftfox with 32-bit flash.  All have the same error.

> To be honest, for a multi-user desktop system, I'd recommend you use 32-bit
> Ubuntu, not 64-bit.  The 64-bit is fine in my experience, except when it
> comes to proprietary stuff like flash and java.  The 32-bit should install
> fine and you can just run 32-bit versions of all the apps, rather than
> having to use nswrapper.  It's not exactly clear to me why libflashplugin
> doesn't work, but I'd guess it may be to do with it being a 32-bit library
> trying to access the sound card via 64-bit alsa infrastructure.

I need to use 64-bit in order to recognize the 16GB of RAM (maybe more in the 
future).  Also the machine is Dual Quad Core Xeon machine so I want to be sure I get 
the most out of the processors.  I will be serving 110 clients from this server so I 
need all the horsepower I can get. 

> > Oh, I also tried configuring firefox and plugins as a local app, but I
> > ran into speed issues with firefox starting up (takes 2 minutes or so to
> > start) so I haven't even gotten to flash troubleshooting yet.
> 
> Are you running Gutsy?

Funny you should ask.  Not at first.  I have been trying to get local apps working 
with LDAP on the server, the /opt/ltsp/i386 configured as an LDAP client and /home 
mounted on boot and openssh server running on the client and a local firefox and flash 
installed into /opt/ltsp/i386.  Then the server accessing firefox via ssh from the 
client.  My testing has firefox running and checking processes confirms it is running 
from the client, but the start time for the app is simply unacceptable.  So until I 
can get that figured out local apps aren't an option.

So I read that local apps are a goal in Gutsy and I was looking for a desperate fix 
for the sound issue, so yesterday I changed all references to feisty 
in /etc/apt/sources.list to gutsy and did an apt-get update and followed it with an 
apt-get dist-upgrade.....I successfully (take that word with a grain of salt) upgraded 
a stand alone workstation to Gutsy to play with, but it appears that the Edubuntu 
efforts must not be as far along.  Apt broke all over with dependancy errors and I 
have been screwing around trying to fix that.  From what has loaded so far my clients 
still have the same sound issues.

I have read success stories all over on running 32-bit Firefox w/Flash under 64-bit 
OS, but I just can't get it to work with sound.  I hate flash.  All other apps I need 
work perfectly and are stable.  If I could just get sound working on flash I would be 
set.  This is a major holdup up however and this is the year I am making a 100% 
changeover to Linux at the student level and no flash will look pretty poor on my 
part.  I might try building a secondary server dedicated to running 32-bit apps next 
and tunnel them to the main server via ssh....in fact I'll start that tomorrow.

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