OLPCXOLPotD: Flash, Java, MP3, MP4 and the XO

One of the things I've seen people concerned about in all my travels through the XOniverse is whether the XO will be like one of the lower-end hand-held devices out there and allow us to surf the web, but without allowing us access to the 'net's multimedia. This is definitely a question I have, as well. The web has got a lot of Flash out there these days and as much as I hate flash used for basic site layout, I have grown fairly addicted to Wixi.com, http://Anywhere.FM, Jooce.com, StartForce.com and a few other sites that use flash to do some pretty cool desktop and multimedia-oriented things. Also, I use MP4s on my iPod and who doesn't listen to MP3s? I use a Java app to manage the songs on my Sony Walkman USB stick, so I'll want to use that on my XO, too.

The added concern regarding these formats, however, is that all of these formats are not open-source and therefore cost money to use. This is against the general philosophy of the XO and therefore one would naturally assume that it means the XO will probably not officially support the formats. Don't worry--I'll get to how this doesn't mean we can't play these formats on the XO in a sec.

Another thing I've noticed that people have complained about is what many call the glaring lack of specific information about the XO. I would beg to differ with these critics. There is a wealth of information on the XO at wiki.laptop.org. However, I think I'm fairly unique in my belief that sometimes wikis can be truly horrible ways to organize information on a project. The way the folks at OLPC have organized their wiki for the XO definitely falls into this description, in my opinion. It took me a long time to find the information I wanted to find. In fact, for the question of battery life I finally had to just ask a question on their "ask a question" page.

That aside, if you're a little dedicated, you can find all sorts of useful info on the wiki, including how the XO will handle Flash, Java, MP3 and MP4 playing. Because of the official wiki being trickily laid out, I can't even tell you how I stumbled across the page where Flash, Java, MP3 and MP4 compatibility on the XO is explained, but I did find it and here's the gist of the info on that page:

Flash: As with most regular computers, Flash is an add-on, so with the XO you'll need to download it. The wiki does explain that "It has been noted that version 9.0.48 runs slower than 9.0.31, so you may want to try that version instead." so bear that in mind.

Java: The wiki suggests that Java runs a little slowly on the XO due to it's larger resource consumption. So, it can be installed, but with mixed results. I'll be giving it a try anyway since I don't mind if it runs a little slow. However, it may be a good idea to wait a bit. Since I only use one Java app to mange my mp3s on my Walkman USB stick, I am not too worried about this, but you may be different.

MP3: Like these other formats, MP3 is owned by someone. As a result, you have to have a decoder that has paid for the license to use the technology. The wiki recommends you use Fluendo.

MP4: Gnash is the way to go here. According to the wiki you can configure it with a single command, though, it looks like you enter it into some sort of terminal interface--I'm not sure how that's going to work, but if it's just the one command that you enter during configuration of Gnash, I think it'll be easy enough.

So, there you have it. The XO will apparently run all of our favorite formats with just a bit of effort on our part. Of course, I'll be sure to post on how easy my time with each format is.

UPDATE 20080226: As it turns out it's a bit different than I described it above. If you've just gotten an XO and are comfy with Terminal, head to: http://thepete.com/xo for instructions on how to do all sorts of cool stuff with your XO!