NOTE: This post is a little long so bare with me.

Introduction

I downloaded Eclipse 3.5 RC2, codename Galileo, yesterday to try it out because I was having some problems with the updater in Ganymede not wanting to update subversive because it required datatools 1.6.0 and I had 1.6.2. I solved that problem by uninstalling datatools and subversive completely then tried to reinstall the latest subversive and success, it worked!

But I also thought, hey I know Flex Builder for Linux doesn’t work in 3.4 or in 64 bit Eclipse but I will try solve the problem and get 3.5 and FBL working. So, here is my solution to get Flex builder for Linux installed in a 32 bit version of Galileo. I did all of this in Ubuntu 9.04 x86_64 so I do not know if you will come across any major problems in any other Linux distribution, previously I had written a guide on how to get FBL working with 32 bit Europa in Ubuntu 9.04 x86_64.

First things first – Preparation

We need all the part for this install and it’s much nicer to have them all on hand when you need them so here’s what’s required.

1. Download Eclipse 3.5 32 bit (I like the Classic flavour) from here.
   
2. Download Flex Builder for Linux from here.
3. Download the latest Flex SDK from here. (I currently use the free Flex SDK 3.3)
4. Download the latest AIR SDK from here.
5. Download the required patch components from here.
6. For 64 bit: Install ia32-sun-java6-bin and all its dependencies.
7. For 64 bit: Download my simple eclipse loader script from here.

Stage 2 – Installation

Let’s get this thing installed.

1. For 64 bit: In a terminal window run “sudo update-alternatives –config java” and select ia32-java-6-sun as your jre of choice.
2. Unpack your Eclipse download and place it where you want it to be, I like /usr/local/bin/eclipse-galileo, by running “tar zxf eclipse-SDK-3.5RC2-linux-gtk.tar.gz” to unpack it.
3. Chmod Flex Builder for Linux install so it can be executed by running “chmod a+x flexbuilder_linux_install_a4_081408.bin“.
4. Install Flex Builder for Linux making sure to point it at the right location for Galileo. “./flexbuilder_linux_install_a4_081408.bin“. NB. Do not install over a previous Eclipse installation or Flex Builder installation.
5. Unpack the patch “tar zxf eclipse-galileo-fbl-patch.tar.gz“.
6. Go in to ~/Adobe_Flex_Builder_Linux/eclipse/plugins and delete the directory “com.adobe.flexbuilder.debug.e33_3.0.204732″ and “com.adobe.flexbuilder.editors.derived_3.0.204732.jar”.
7. Copy the eclipse directory in the patch folder to where you installed Flex Builder.
8. For 64 bit: Move the eclipse.sh script into your eclipse install folder and run “chmod a+x eclipse.sh“.
9. For 64 bit: Set java back to the regular 64 bit variety using the same method as step 1 (but obviously selecting just java-6-sun).
10. For 64 bit: Please check out this link to get information on how to install 32 bit FireFox in a chroot environment for debugging. You then have to set up the link to /usr/lcoal/bin/firefox32 in your eclipse preferences as your web browser.

You should now be able to start eclipse and enjoy the Flex goodness (you may have to run “eclipse -clean” if you jumped the gun and have run it before following these steps). But please note, as with any eclipse upgrade, that you should use a new workspace folder and import your projects into it.

Stage 3 – Updating the Flex SDK

I did not try build a project with the included 3.0.0 SDK with flex builder because I want the latest. Latest stable anyway. So here is how you can update the SDK.

1. Move the Flex SDK into a directory, like “3.3.0″, and unpack it “unzip flex_sdk_3.3.0.4852.zip“.
2. Move the AIR SDK into a temporary directory, like “airsdk”, and unpack it also “tar xjf AdobeAIRSDK.tbz2“
3. Go in to the AIR SDK folder then into the bin directory and rename “adl” and “adt” to “adl_lin” and “adt_lin”.
4. Copy all the contents of the AIR SDK on top of the Flex SDK, overwriting and existing files
5. Move the Flex SDK folder into ~/Adobe_Flex_Builder_Linux/sdks/
6. Start Eclipse, then go Window -> Preferences -> Flex -> Installed Flex SDKs and either add 3.3.0 to this list or replace 3.0.0 with 3.3.0 and make it your default.

You should now be able to build Flex/AIR projects.

Final Word

Thanks for sticking with me thus far and hopefully you should have Eclipse Galileo all set up now and running Flex Builder for Linux. I did not come up with all of these solutions on my own, but I did cobble together and add my own flair to what worked for me from these sources:

HOWTO: 32-Bit Chroot on 64-Bit Installs
Flex Builder 3 plugin don’t work with Eclipse 3.4

UPDATE 30/09/2009:
RIA Cowboy James Ward has issued a patch that solves FB-21284 (for him, me and at least one other person). If you find yourself with this problem then please check out his blog post here for the solution. As always, feedback is appreciated. Good work James.