Gnash

Gnash is a free and open-source media player for Adobe Flash multimedia files. It is part of the GNU Project and is designed to be a replacement for the proprietary Adobe Flash Player. Gnash supports many of the same features as Adobe Flash Player, including the ability to play SWF files, but it is developed under the GNU General Public License (GPL).

Development

Gnash was initially developed by John Gilmore and Rob Savoye in 2005. The project aims to create a free software alternative to Adobe Flash Player, which was widely used for multimedia content on the web. The development of Gnash is managed by the Free Software Foundation (FSF).

Features

Gnash supports a variety of features, including:

• Playing SWF files up to version 7, with some support for versions 8 and 9.
• Integration with popular web browsers such as Mozilla Firefox and Konqueror.
• Support for ActionScript 1.0 and 2.0.
• Compatibility with YouTube and other video-sharing websites.
• Hardware-accelerated rendering using OpenGL.

Compatibility

Gnash is compatible with several operating systems, including GNU/Linux, BSD, Microsoft Windows, and macOS. It can be used as a standalone player or as a plugin for web browsers.

Limitations

Despite its many features, Gnash has some limitations:

• Incomplete support for ActionScript 3.0.
• Limited support for newer versions of the SWF format.
• Performance issues compared to the proprietary Adobe Flash Player.

See Also

• Adobe Flash Player
• Lightspark
• SWF
• GNU Project
• Free Software Foundation

Related Pages

• Adobe Flash
• GNU Project
• Free Software Foundation
• Mozilla Firefox
• Konqueror
• OpenGL
• ActionScript