General Linux Question
NWCCTV
Posts: 3,629
So I am running Raspian on my Raspberry Pi. However, I understand this to be more geared towards newbies and has several programs I do not need. What I want to know is which Linux version is best on a Raspberry Pi if all I want to do is load a web browser and have the capability of playing Flash video. That is it. Nothing more.
Comments
Mint has good support for flash . however the Pi is ARM and there for you need to compile or find a pre made distro . and only debain comes to mind for odd CPUs . PPC MIPS Ect
So the actual question you want to ask is not in the thread title or the opening post. This sort of thing is very time wasting for those who like to answer.
I have no experience of IP cameras on the Pi or anywhere else. Seems to be a lot of people doing it according to a Google search. For example: https://github.com/EnigmaCurry/RaspberryPi-IP-Camera-Viewer
But Linux distributions certainly are NOT all the same. Mint doesn't support Asian languages in the default configurations, so it is smaller than Ubuntu in overall storage demands.
But what is more interesting is that the Red Hat/Fedora distribution is a resident corporation of the USA, so you MAY have to separately install Flash video drivers due to Microsoft's legal dominance in the USA. On the Debian side, the Flash drivers come installed in most cases and there are more alternatives.
If you desire a 'full service' web Motzilla's Firefox or Iceweasel are very popular, but there are a list of alternatives.
If you go to Distrowatch at www.distrowatch.com you may be able to find a tiny version of Linux that is idea for what you want in performance. But you may have to compile it yourself for the Raspberry Pi. It is always easier to start out with something that just is ready to load if you are new to Linux. Compiling from source code is a steep learning curve if you have never done it. And it may tie up your desktop computer for hours if you run a bit slow or short on memory.
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Android may actually perform better for what you desire on the Raspberry Pi. It exploits a lot of proprietary features and code that Linux has not been able to use.
By the way, what FLASH video drivers? I have used FLASH on Linux for ages and never installed or even heard of any special video drivers provided with FLASH or by Adobe. Hugh? Which Debian packages are you talking about exactly. Certainly it has never been installed by default on any Debian system I have ever set up. Still it easy enough to install on a PC Debian. Great, somebody wants to view an IP camera on a Raspberry Pi and the solution is to spend a month or two compiling a whole new Linux distribution. Not to mention the half year or so it might take to learn how to do it. I think not. Android does not run on the Raspberry Pi.
If I were you, I would reconsider the merits of starting any forum posting with "nonsense".
FYI, in the USA anyone can file a civil lawsuit without proving merit. It is only when the case comes to trial some 10 years later that the issue of the merit of the law suit is addressed.
So Red Hat/Fedora does have to bend to the whims of MS or pay out years of legal fees for a pending law suit.
OpenSUSE also has some exposure to this legal dilemma as they acquired Novell licenses, a US corporation.
I am simply reporting experience. When I last installed Fedora some years ago, it advised me that I had to install Flash drivers on my own AND that it would be best if I paid for the versions licensed by Microsoft.
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You may know more about programing in general, but these legal issues are real and at least the OpenSUSE issue has been mentioned in Wikipedia.
I don't know what Microsoft has to do with Flash, but these firms are constantly suing each other or threatening to sue. At this point the particular issue may be resolved, but the fact that Fedora/Red Hat delivers something that bends to the will of bullies and suggest buying proprietary software to have full support, whiile Debian seems to be unconcerned with such, is a very valid consideration.
I suppose that Red Hat/Fedora also has to bend to the whims of the NSA, but that too is not openly mentioned anywhere. Linux's european roots are strongly independent. I'd like to stay with that.
I also don't use the boot loader. I manually switch boot drives in bios because, again, I don't trust the fine Redmond product and I rarely boot anything but Fedora. Kind of a pain, I know, but if windows barfs and takes out its drive, I've lost nothing important and it doesn't affect my daily routine.
Amanda
Nonsense
Sorry yes, perhaps that was not totally polite.
What I was fishing for is some pointer to a story about this Microsoft/Adobe-FLASH/RedHat situation you describe.
Similarly for those mysterious, and unlikely, FLASH drivers from Microsoft for RedHat Linux.
As it is I'm left here not knowing what you are talking about. A quick google around has not enlightened me yet. Sounds like a good plan.
Anyway, as I said, it'd take a bit more work to get running, but it is very lightweight.
Ohh, and as for flash... Good luck with that. If you do get a half workable solution, I'd be more than happy to hear about it. I've always had a bit of trouble with flash support on linux.
-John
I have only played with some things, one that is fun is the Canny function. I am using Raspbian and these are the commands for the command line to set it up -
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade
sudo apt-get install libopencv-dev python-opencv
and after that you can run this python program to simply display video from the USB video camera on your Pi monitor. You can explore online for more info for using opencv with Python.
#color usb camera video display import cv2 cap = cv2.VideoCapture(0) while(True): ret, frame = cap.read() if ret == True: cv2.imshow("Video", frame) if cv2.waitKey(10) == 27: #escape key stops program breakWell, if you are not using a boot loader such as Grub2 and you are switching between two hard disks you have to rely on constantly rewritting the BIOS EEPROM. These EEPROMs can fail and are more difficult to replace because the manufacturer will NOT provide you with a binary image to create a new one.
On the other hand, if you study how a hard disk boots from a Master Boot Record (the MBR), this can be rewritten to just as often as any sector on a hard disk.
In sum, it is generally considered safer and wise to use a boot loader. And Linux has created Grub2 specifically to safely survive along side of Window XP, Vista, 7, 8, or any other OS on the same hard disk... but in separate partitions.
I don't trust Windows either, but this is really a case of not trusting the boot loader software that has been worked up by open source coders. You can use one of several Linux boot loaders -- LILO, Grub1, or Grub2 are the main choices. (But there are cetainly a lot of other ones, including what Microsoft and Apple try to assert.)
LILO, Grub1, and Grub2 call Windows NTLDR to start a Windows partition.
The trick here is to let the Windows OSes think that they have complete control of the hard disk, even though that is not what is reality. So you have to install Windows first, then create the vacant Linux partitions from within Windows so that Microsoft has a record of the number and size of all the partitions that it checks every time it boots.
If you get that right, you can then install Linux on the empty partitions and format them anyway you want. Grub2 with sort out everything and you have Windows not shutting out Linux due to NTLDR finding a record of the number and sizes of partitions that doesn't match what it sees.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_boot_record
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_boot_loaders
This was way back when I first discovered Ubuntu 10.04. I was just beginning with Linux and trying various distributions. So the situation may be changed. But I guess it is the Video Codecs for Fedora, not actually Adobe Flash. Win32 Codecs in particular.
The truth is I have no idea what these Codecs are or why I need them, but they come included with the Debian side of Linux, and are a thorny issue on the Fedora side. It is more a perception that all video on the internet these days is Adobe Flash. But there are quite a few reminants that still use Microsoft Codecs.
You can NOW download and install free ones, but it is just one more detail in the Fedora installation.
http://voices.yahoo.com/how-free-legal-multimedia-codecs-linux-2153175.html
Take a look here for discussion on having to buy these for Fedora. People still think they have to do so. Fluendo actually sells propreitay Codecs right now.
http://www.fluendo.com/shop/product/oneplay-codec-pack/
http://forums.fedoraforum.org/showthread.php?t=292348
Actually it is. I felt after the first two replies that I should explain what I am trying to do. The underlying question is STILL which Linux version is best on a Raspberry Pi if all I want to do is load a web browser and have the capability of playing Flash video. That is it. Nothing more.
No, it turns out that the problem you are trying to solve is nothing to do with web browsers or playing FLASH video.
You said it's all about viewing video from an IP camera.
I hope the links provided help.
I had already viewed the link you provided. The problem with hat is the hardware is wired to the Pi.
To indirectly answer your question about flash players, I would make sure you have the model B RPI (Raspberry Pi) and make sure you overclock the processors. That will allow you to have faster processing so you will have a greater "window" for options.
Does this help?
I do admit I can't be sure as I have its cousin, a Cubieboard. I don't actually own a Raspberry Pi. But the Cubieboard has twice the DRAM and still provides cleaner video in Android.
http://www.intorobotics.com/raspberry-pi-android-guides-resources/
Interesting, I had not seen that site before. I have not really been following the progress of Android on the Pi but according to the Android thread on the Raspi forums there is no such thing. Or perhaps some old versions that run very slowly.
http://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/viewforum.php?f=73
These guy seems to be making good progress with Android 4.4 but as of the 30th April it is still not booting:
http://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=73&t=75190
It does seem that Broadcom have a working Android for the Pi but I can't make out if you can actually get hold of it.
For best playback, you need to unlock the hardware by purchasing it over the email... about 2 pounds if memory serves...
Then it can do 1080 no prob!
ftp://ftp.freebsd.org/pub/FreeBSD/snapshots/arm/armv6/ISO-IMAGES/11.0
Edit: There's even an image, you going to try any of these suggestions out? I'm interested in finding out but not enough to buy one...
I'm wondering if there is another output mode that would be more suitable for viewing on low power devices? I have some cheap IP cams that can output jpegs once per second, the frame rate sucks but it's great for low power devices. You could probably set it up to stream JPEG to ftp and then write a small HTML page to refresh the image if not.
If you don't have a monitor keyboard or mouse hooked up to it, how would you watch the video lol?