On 26-Jul-07 20:57:51, Bev Nicolson wrote:

Yes, that's exactly what happens Ted. But what's an xterm? And what's the alternative to a middle click? It's not an option on my mouse. (I am using Firefox btw.) Bev.

Ah, just remembered you're using Ubuntu. I think Ubuntu uses the name "terminal" in its window menu for what's usually called an "xterm" -- i.e. a window in the X display into which you can type commands. [BTW, once you have one of these open, you should be able to enter the command

xterm &

and open another one, even in Ubuntu. The "&" detaches it from the first terminal window so that the first is available again for typing in more commands.]

As to "middle click" etc. Again, I'm not sure about how things are arranged in Ubuntu, but in standard X-windows usage you can use your three mouse-buttons[**] as follows:

[The following is not directly relevant to the BBC video and firefox issue -- see (b) below -- but is given as a generic explanation of what goes on]

Hold down left button and drag mouse pointer over a block of text displayed somewhere, to highlight it. Release left button.

Move mouse pointer to some other window that can accept text input [this could also be the window where you highlighted the text], place the pointer where you want the text you have hightlighted to start being entered.

Click the middle button: the text should be entered as if you'd typed it. --------------------------------------------------------------- [**] Three-button mouse. OK, some mice don't have three buttons (though the wheel on many two-button wheel mice can be pressed as if it were the middle button; just be careful not to rotate the wheel, though, since this would activate the wheel function which you probably do not want).

If your mouse has only two buttons, and the wheel (if any) does not function as a middle button, then there is an option in X-windows setup to "emulate three buttons", usually by pressing the left and right buttons simultanously to generate the "middle button" effect (can also, and a bit more reliably, be done by pressing left button, holding it down while pressing right button, then releasing both simultaneously). If you have a two button mouse, you may find that Ubuntu has already set this up for you -- it's a standard resourcem so I'd be surprised if it didn't. --------------------------------------------------------------- The underlying mechanism is that the act of highlighting a block of text by "dragging the left button" over it, and then releasing the button, writes a copy of the text into the X-windows text buffer. Pressing the "middle" button then copies the contents of the buffer, starting wherever the mouse pointer is at the time. The same text can be copied as often as you like, simply by repeatedly pressing the "middle" button.

The reason I suggested doing it this way for your problem is 2-fold: a) The URL for the BBC video is often long, and you don't want to try to type it (at best you'd see it displayed at the foot of the BBC Player window when you mouse pointer is over the "Launch in stand alone player" text, and you'd probably have to write it down on paper; and you'd very probably type it wrong); b) When you do the "right click on link" and then left click on "Copy Link location", you've already saved the URL in the X-windows text button (similar to "grag left button" above), so to get it out you need the "middle" click.

Hoping this helps. If not clear, please ask more questions! Ted.

...

----- Original Message ----- From: ted.harding@nessie.mcc.ac.uk To: "Bev Nicolson" bnicolson@operamail.com Subject: RE: [ALUG] Real Player Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2007 17:42:50 +0100 (BST)

On 26-Jul-07 16:05:58, Bev Nicolson wrote:

...

I use Ubuntu 6.06 in case that helps. Well, I have Real Player working fine for Listen Again and webcams but if I want to play any of the videos on the BBC news web site I can't. Any ideas why? I'm just curious to know what the reason might be. Bev.

I often find that when I click on the BBC link for a video clip, the BBC Player (with embedded Real Player) opens, but nothing further happens. Is that what's happening for you?

In that case, usually there is an option below the "screen":

"Launch in stand alone player"

If I place my mouse cursor over this, and right-click (Firefox), I get the option to "Copy link location". I then left-click on this, to save it into the X buffer.

Then I go to another xterm, and enter

realplay

followed by a space, then middle-click to enter the URL saved by "Copy link location". Thus I get a line like;

realplay http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/avdb/news/world/ video/108000/bb/108931_16x9_bb.ram

[all one line, no break].

This comand then launches Real Player with the video clip (it may be necessary to first kill the BBC Player since it sometimes "locks onto" the sound).

I don't know why this happens, and it's not entirely systematic. But when it does happen, the above work-round solves it (provided you get the "Launch in stand alone player2 option).

Hoping this helps, Ted.

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