.exe files getting downloaded when asked to install `ubuntu-restricted-extras`

I was trying to install Adobe flash plugin for Firefox 24.0 on Ubuntu 12.04 for which I executed sudo apt-get install ubuntu-restricted-extras and I got the following messages:

What suprises me is the packages it is downloading: .exe Is this normal?

Solution 1:

These fonts were originally released by Microsoft as executable installers, and their license only allows "complete copies" to be distributed:

Reproduction and Distribution. You may reproduce and distribute an unlimited number of copies of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT; provided that each copy shall be a true and complete copy, including all copyright and trademark notices, and shall be accompanied by a copy of this EULA. Copies of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT may not be distributed for profit either on a standalone basis or included as part of your own product.

Ubuntu's package doesn't actually contain a copy of the fonts, but rather a script that downloads the original Windows executables from a third-party archive. The script then extracts and installs the fonts without actually running the executables.

It's a convoluted arrangement, but that's what happens when software is released with restrictive licensing.

Solution 2:

Installing the ubuntu-restricted-extras package installs several non-free pieces of software you might be likely to use. One of these is ttf-mscorefonts-installer, which is what's actually downloading these .exe files. These are commonly used for Wine applications.

To install just Flash, use apt-get install libflashplugin-installer. To see which other packages would be installed if you did go with all the restricted extras, you can do a dry-run without actually installing them - apt-get -s install ubuntu-restricted-extras.