How to install the most common plugins?

The easiest way is to install the package ubuntu-restricted-extras by clicking the button below:

This will install a bunch of useful stuff, because it is a meta-package, like Flash, MP3 capability, mscorefonts etc.

Connect to the internet. Open the software center and search for ubuntu-restricted-extras and install it.

You will have to accept some licences for non-free stuff.

First step read this from Ubuntu RestrictedFormats.

Then go to ubuntuguide. This is for Maverick - there are different guides for older versions of Ubuntu.

To install Flash search for 'Flash' in the Software Centre and install it or install the package: flashplugin-nonfree

sudo apt-get install flashplugin-nonfree

For Flash Player, try installing flashplugin-installer and flashplugin-nonfree

For the MP3 stuff, support to listen to MP3 media files should already be loaded into the system, as was my experience with 10.04 and 10.10.

If you want only free and open-source package (without enabling Multiverse) then following helps you which are available on Universe repository

For supporting MP3 most common audios & videos:-

• gstreamer1.0-fluendo-mp3: This GStreamer 1.0 plugin permits decoding of MPEG 1 audio layer III streams.

• gstreamer1.0-plugins-bad and gstreamer1.0-plugins-ugly : gstreamer plugins

• gstreamer1.0-libav: This GStreamer plugin supports a large number of audio and video compression formats through the use of the libav library. The plugin contains GStreamer elements for encoding 40+ formats (MPEG, DivX, MPEG4, AC3, DV, ...), decoding elements for decoding 90+ formats (AVI, MPEG, OGG, Matroska, ASF, ...), demuxing 30+ formats and colorspace conversion.

Flash player & plugin:-

• gnash :GNU Shockwave Flash (SWF) player
• browser-plugin-gnash : GNU Shockwave Flash (SWF) player - Plugin for Mozilla and derivatives

On every new install of Ubuntu I always use Medibuntu in addition to the restricted extras.