Installing Plugins

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

We will look at the procedures to install Java, 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.

JAVA

Install the jre RPM package. See Chapter 20, Rpmdrake: Package Management, 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 J2SE (Java 2, Standard Edition) and download 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 20, Rpmdrake: Package Management 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 to 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 20, Rpmdrake: Package Management for more information).

You can get the Real plugin on the Real.com site. At the time of writing, the latest Real player available for GNU/Linux was version 8. Complete the form and select the Linux 2.x (libc6 i386) RPM, then click on the Download User Supported Player button and download the rpm file.

Follow the instructions on Real's web page to complete the installation.