Smokescreen Turns Flash into JavaScript
Conversion tool plans to go open source sometime soon.
As the war between Flash and HTML5 wages on, developers are finding all kinds of workarounds to get Flash-based advertising content onto the slew of mobile devices that can't or in some cases won't support Adobe's format. Chris Smoak's Smokescreen skips the Flash plugin and instead uses JavaScript and HTML5 to decode the media.
This is great news for banner ads, but for those of us looking forward to watching Hulu at the gym, Smokescreen is more than lacking, as video is hardly watchable on most mobile devices. What's more, in its current state, Smokescreen is 175KB and about 8,000 lines of JavaScript. There are bugs to be fixed, addition Flash support and improved performance also need to be achieved. To do this, Smokescreen is going open source later this month.
For previews and news on Smokescreen, head to smokescreen.us. We'll update the story when the tool becomes open.
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Rhino Linux Announces Latest "Quick Update"
If you prefer your Linux distribution to be of the rolling type, Rhino Linux delivers a beautiful and reliable experience.
-
Plasma Desktop Will Soon Ask for Donations
The next iteration of Plasma has reached the soft feature freeze for the 6.2 version and includes a feature that could be divisive.
-
Linux Market Share Hits New High
For the first time, the Linux market share has reached a new high for desktops, and the trend looks like it will continue.
-
LibreOffice 24.8 Delivers New Features
LibreOffice is often considered the de facto standard office suite for the Linux operating system.
-
Deepin 23 Offers Wayland Support and New AI Tool
Deepin has been considered one of the most beautiful desktop operating systems for a long time and the arrival of version 23 has bolstered that reputation.
-
CachyOS Adds Support for System76's COSMIC Desktop
The August 2024 release of CachyOS includes support for the COSMIC desktop as well as some important bits for video.
-
Linux Foundation Adopts OMI to Foster Ethical LLMs
The Open Model Initiative hopes to create community LLMs that rival proprietary models but avoid restrictive licensing that limits usage.
-
Ubuntu 24.10 to Include the Latest Linux Kernel
Ubuntu users have grown accustomed to their favorite distribution shipping with a kernel that's not quite as up-to-date as other distros but that changes with 24.10.
-
Plasma Desktop 6.1.4 Release Includes Improvements and Bug Fixes
The latest release from the KDE team improves the KWin window and composite managers and plenty of fixes.
-
Manjaro Team Tests Immutable Version of its Arch-Based Distribution
If you're a fan of immutable operating systems, you'll be thrilled to know that the Manjaro team is working on an immutable spin that is now available for testing.