Installing Plugins

Plugins are programs which let your browser handle content other than HTML and graphics, such as animations, streaming audio, Javatm applets, and more. Mozilla's plugins are stored in the /usr/lib/mozilla/plugins directory and installing plugins requires root privileges.

We will look at the procedures to install Javatm, Flash® and Real plugins. If you own a Mandrakelinux –– PowerPack Edition™, installation is greatly simplified and all the needed packages are on the CDs.

[Note]Note

If you have a Mandrakeclub user name and password, you may be able to install even newer versions of the software mentioned here.

Javatm

Install the jre RPM package. See Chapter 19, Package Management through Rpmdrake, for information on how to install RPM packages.

You can obtain the Java plugin on the Java Plug-in Home Page. Follow the links to J2SEtm (Java 2, Standard Edition) and download the JRE for Linux. Choose the RPM file for the Linux Platform, make it executable once the download is finished (chmod 700 j2re*.rpm.bin) and execute it. Accept the license and a “realRPM will be created.

Flash®

Install the FlashPlayer RPM package (see Chapter 19, Package Management through Rpmdrake for more information).

You can retrieve the Flash plugin on the Macromedia® web site. Follow the link to the Flash Player and click on the Download Now button. Extract the tar.gz file into a temporary directory and follow the instructions given in the included Readme.txt file to complete the plugin installation. Test the plugin by opening the Flash web site URL in the browser.

Real

Install the RealPlayer RPM package (see Chapter 19, Package Management through Rpmdrake for more information).

You can get the Real plugin on the Real dot com site. At the time of writing, the latest Real player available for GNU/Linux was version 10. Click on the Download RealPlayer button and save the .bin file. Make it executable once the download is finished (chmod 700 Real*.bin), su to be root and execute it.

It is better to install the plugin in a system-wide location, for example /usr/local/RealPlayer, and to answer Y to the Configure System Wide Links? question. This way all users of your system will have access to the plugin.