Plugger


Plugger 3.2

Streaming Multimedia Plugin for Unix Netscape

Written by Fredrik Hubinette.


Tired of getting teased by Windows users because your Netscape isn't as |<()()|_ as theirs? Well, your problems are almost solved. Plugger is a multimedia plugin for Unix Netscape 3.0 or later that handles Quicktime, MPEG, MP2, AVI, SGI-movie, Tiff, DL, IFF-anim, MIDI, Soundtracker, AU, WAV and Commodore 64 audio files. And now, with Plugger 3.2, MPEG audio and video can be played streaming. No more waiting! Plugger is a very small plugin, because plugger uses external programs to show/play the different formats.

Changes since version 3.0

  • Fixed an annoying bug which caused $file to contain the path twice.
  • Compiled plugger for many more platforms.
  • Cleaned up make file to make it easier to compile on more platforms.
  • Plugger now has a logo (in the top right corner of this page). Thanks to Paul Lowe.

Changes since version 2.2

  • There is now a config file, now you don't need to re-compile plugger to change which applications are used.
  • Plugger is now better at preventing infinite loops because of corrupt data and/or buggy helper applications.

This is what you need:

HomepageBinariesComment
Plugger 3.2 Linux-x86-glibc2.0 tar.gz or rpm
Solaris 2.7 sparc or x86
HP-UX 9
IRIX 6.3
AIX 4.2
SRPM
Source
Plugger version 3.2
Please select the binary that closest to your operating system.
Xanim Linux-x86-glibc20
Linux-x86-libc5
Solaris 2.5.1 (sparc)
Solaris 2.5.1 (x86)
You need xanim to play Quicktime, WAV, AVI and MPEG files. If you have any troubles with this, make sure you have the latest version 2.70.6.4 or later of xanim. Please note that xanim isn't very good at showing MPEG video, so I would recommend getting mpegtv (see below) to view MPEG files.
MpegTvN/AThis will enable you to view smooth MPEG video in streaming mode.
TiMidity++Linux-x86-glibc2.0You need Timidity to play MIDI files.
Patch filesAll platformsTimidity needs these instruments to play MIDI files.
mpg123Linux-x86-glibc2.0mpg123 is used to play MPEG audio files in streaming mode.
XMPLinux-x86-glibc2.0XMP is used by plugger to play Soundtracker/Protracker/Noisetracker and plenty of other MOD files.
SidplayLinux-x86-glibc20Sidplay emulates the Commodore 64 SID chip - only for nostalgia.
All of the external programs above can also be used as Netscape helpers, but you need Plugger to handle the <EMBED> tag. With Plugger your animations will show up in your Netscape window exactly as it would in windows. With plugger you will also see streaming MPEGs, which in my experience, is an entirely cool feature.

Note that you don't actually need all the programs above to use Plugger. If you don't have all the tools above, just edit the config file to fit your needs. The config file is normally installed in /etc/pluggerrc or $HOME/.netscape/pluggerrc.

Installation procedure

  1. Download and untar the archive.
  2. Change directory into the plugger directory.
  3. If you have root access, do 'make install' as root. Otherwise, do 'make localinstall'.
  4. done!

    Test your plugin

    Now that you have Plugger installed you might want to test that it works. Proceed to the Plugger testing grounds.

    If for some reason your plugin doesn't work, proceed to the troubleshooting page. You may also want to try older versions of plugger which are available here.

    What else should I get for my UNIX Netscape?

    You can also get the source for plugger and compile it yourself. If you do so, you also need the Netscape Plugin SDK.

    I am currently working on plugger binaries for more platforms. Don't hesitate to email me if your particular platform is missing. However, I do not have access to every possible platform, so if you compile Plugger or any of the plugger applications and think it would be nice to have the binaries on this page, then please send me the executable.

    Problems? Questions? Suggestions? Don't hesitate to email me: hubbe@hubbe.net.


This page has been accessed 11358 times since April 2000
Last modified: April 2000 - Design by Monica Hübinette