Midi And SWF Files

[lufbra]

Hi there.

I have just recently converted over from Windows XP to Linux Mint (Daryna), and am having problems viewing "embedded" midi files on web pages. These files should show as a "radio" where one can turn the music on, pause the music, or stop the music, but all I'm seeing through Firefox is a plug in warning, the "radio" isn't showing at all. I'm not sure what I'd need to be able to see these "radios", and the "Get Plug In" through Firefox leads to nothing that can be downloaded/installed.

Also, I'm having problem viewing .swf files on webpages, like the one here...

http://www.miniclip.com/games/table-tennis/en/

I just cannot get to play/see/hear this file, and I have no clue as to what I might need for it. I believe I have the latest Flash player installed.

Any help would be muchly appreciated.

[Sunny Rabbiera]

well the midi issue is somewhat easy to fix, under your menu in the administration section select "synaptic package manager"
let it load and search for midi, after the results show up download the following applications:
timidty
timidy interfaces extra
rosegarden data
and kmid
to install a package via synaptic just click on the box next to each one of the apps I listed above and select "mark for installation"
after you select them go up to "apply" now if there are needed files dont worry as the process of installing packages is pretty straightforward in mint, just dont press "cancel" and everything will be cool.
after you are all done installing packages just close the installation window and synptic off.
now the thing is that you cannot really play embedded MIDI in webpages as none of the default players in linux support it initially, so if you need to sample MIDI files you have no large option but to download them directly and use an application like kmid to preview them... this is mainly because we dont have quicktime that usually handles this sort of thing on both windows and apple systems. I know its a bit of a drag not to have embedded midi's play in your favorite web pages but currently the options for this as it stands is kind of limited.

your second issue though is not as easy to fix, I think that is a shockwave flash page, even though regular flash is available shockwave is not.
So far Shockwave has not been ported to linux and I doubt it ever will as adobe is very lazy and lousy at supporting non microsoft systems.
what you will need for shockwave is something called wine, it will enable you to use some windows apps under linux
just download it and afterwards download firefox for windows and through it install shockwave for windows.
I know its a hassle to do all this extra work but there is really no choice, but most of this is no fault of linux as corporate greed is everywhere.

[lufbra]

Thanks for the headsup, I've installed the midi file related programs you suggested.

It's a shame that not all flash files can't be played, and I guess I could install Wine, but I thought the idea of Linux systems was to move away from Windows stuff, or is it a matter of having the best of both worlds.

[Sunny Rabbiera]

well the thing is that certain things are windows only so we have to improvise.
Think of linux like owning a mac, mac can do as many things as windows can but is limited because its not at the top spot...
however there is a shockwave player available for OSX so go figure, but like I said Adobe hates us...

[lufbra]

but like I said Adobe hates us

LOL! I wonder why, since they must surely allow certain file types to be played through a Linux system.

I still can't see the embedded midi files, that sucks cos I have a forum where members upload them in a game we play there, and it's frustrating not to be able to play them through the forum.