Adobe to End New Installs of Flash on Android as of August 15

[Amazing Iceman]

Whoa, what's wrong with Javascript? Linx?

Javascript is great and very useful, but it's being abused by developers, just like Flash has been abused (For example, a few years ago, the www.anandtech.com website had Flash content almost everywhere. At that time I was using Windows, and it was impossible to navigate due to the lag it was causing).

As an example, monitor your available RAM, then open Safari to http://forum.xda-developers.com
Open a few links on separate tabs, and you will see what I mean.
Then, do the same after you disable Javascript, and you will see the huge difference in allocated RAM.
It's unconceivable for a handful of web pages to consume over 500MB of RAM!

Is this a Javascript problem? Maybe with the page code, but in this case the Javascript engine should have a way to detect defective code. On the other hand, web developers should be more careful and make sure their code doesn't have any infinite loops, memory leaks or memory hogs.

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Huh? JavaScript is one of the core technologies of HTML5. It's what really gives HTML5 the edge to make Flash obsolete. Are you sure you're not confusing Javascript with Java applets and Java ME?

Please see post #127. This is based on my recent findings.

 

[rmwebs]

This will be problematic for companies like the BBC reliant on Flash for their products.

We're not going to see the death of flash any time soon. There's no real alternative to it for protected video streaming (other than Silverlight, which is just Microsoft's version of Flash, so hardly different in concept - closed-source browser plugin.).

BBC use mp4 on mobiles, so no - wont be a problem at all...they just update the app to use the sale feed as the iOS version...the same will apply to everyone else.

 

[Daveoc64]

BBC use mp4 on mobiles, so no - wont be a problem at all...they just update the app to use the sale feed as the iOS version...the same will apply to everyone else.

Android doesn't support the necessary technology to do that, hence why their current Android App depends on Flash Player.

 

[Jynto]

We'll still hear it, but only from RIM fans (does Blackberry run Flash? I don't know. I don't care).

RIM has fans??

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It's about time. So does this mean Flash will be completely dead for desktop computers as well? I can't stand Flash and hope it rots in hell where it belongs.

Flash for mobile never really got started properly, and so people never rely on it. For the millions (no exaggeration, I bet there really are millions) of websites that people use on their computers, it will take a long time for them to switch.

 

[rmwebs]

Android doesn't support the necessary technology to do that, hence why their current Android App depends on Flash Player.

Android supports the same (and more) video formats than iOS. It's perfectly capable of running MP4 in h.264 standards.

 

[NIKKG]

I don't get what the big deal is with the flash hating, I never had issues on my many computers. Oh well, maybe with it gone on Android, than web sites will adapt html5 faster since the developers will have no choice but to satisfy a combined market share of Android and iOS users.

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What they really need to do is get rid of is Quicktime. I don't know anyone who actually uses it. Its like an old relic from the 90's.

 

[Daveoc64]

Android supports the same (and more) video formats than iOS. It's perfectly capable of running MP4 in h.264 standards.

It's the lack of support for HTTP Live Streaming (in Android 2.x) that is the problem.

Apple makes using HTTP Live Streaming mandatory for video streaming in Apps, which is quite the opposite of what they've done with Android.

 

[StrudelTurnover]

Use the Flash Luke

...as if millions of Adobe Certified Experts cried out in terror, and were suddenly silenced.

 

[Asclepio]

html5 sucks

 

[Lindenhurst]

LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL

I know my fanboy side is showing, but this is going to create soooo much butthurt for fandroids.

Well, I couldn't care less whether flash us dead our not as long as my phone plays videos when I try to play them.

 

[the8thark]

(does X run Flash? I don't know. I don't care).

That about sums up how I feel on this.

 

[rei101]

Cool, maybe they can now use the resources they have freed up to fix Flash for desktops? The current version keeps crashing doing relatively simple tasks such as streaming radio.

Yes in porn sites

 

[kdarling]

According to some other headlines in this forum, HTML5 isn't always the answer either:

Facebook Abandoning HTML5 to Speed Up iOS App

 

[Sensation]

Shame ive always had an excellent experience with flash on my HTC Sensations. Videos were always smooth.

 

[VulchR]

Because of this: http://www.apple.com/hotnews/thoughts-on-flash/ and the impact it's had.

SJ's note about Flash was about running it on iOS, not on Android. Nothing for iOS has changed. Just sayin'.

 

[BaldiMac]

I have Flash installed on my Android, and I didn't notice a decrease in battery life. Additionally, Flash was an optional install for everyone, so nobody would be forcing you to have Flash on your phone. That is how it should have stayed. According to the Google Play store though, Flash has been downloaded for Android on over 100,000,000 million devices, so I don't think the majority of users share your concerns.

When did 25% become the majority?

According to some other headlines in this forum, HTML5 isn't always the answer either:

Facebook Abandoning HTML5 to Speed Up iOS App

Who's been arguing for HTML5 to replace native code?

 

[KnightWRX]

It can't.

Web Standards are - by definition, completely open. Any system that is open can be modified.

Safari and Firefox or whatever might choose to abide by any requests by the licence holder (e.g. no copying), but there's nothing to stop someone making an application that simply ignores that protection.

SSLv2, SSLv3 and TLSv1 disagree. Open standards are completely open. But that doesn't mean that if you fail to properly implement them, they will still work.

 

[notabadname]

...as if millions of Adobe Certified Experts cried out in terror, and were suddenly silenced.

Thank you for the laugh! Well played.

 

[mentaluproar]

OK, so why does this MATTER so much to you?

Tony

Because my android friends will have to stop crowing about how their phone is better than mine because they have flash. Seriously, you have swype and think FLASH is something to brag about?

 

[nickgri]

Flash in the pan

I for one wish the interactive part of Flash would remain-I don't really care about the video transmission part-that can be HTML5 via h.264 or whatever-but the layers of vector interactivity has not been replaced by anything even close to what Flash could do. Even for non-programmers -simple action scripts-modifiable by designers was wonderful-so big shot programmers-where is the GUI interface for that? Why has no one even Adobe made a simple replacement? (that actually works) Go to actions and play-layers of interactivity is SO needed in new books and web sites on pads now that it boggles my mind that there is so little and that little does so little compared to Flash.

 

[petsounds]

hopefully this is the death of flash!!!

Right. Well, the alternative in Safari is HTML5, and as we saw from the Facebook app (which is all built in HTML5), its performance on mobile devices is terrible.

Adobe may have needed a kick in the pants to optimize Flash (because Adobe has always prioritized features over bug-fixes across their whole product line), but Flash is still a great technology. It unfortunately lost the marketing war and Adobe's CEO is too clueless.

 

[BaldiMac]

Right. Well, the alternative in Safari is HTML5, and as we saw from the Facebook app (which is all built in HTML5), its performance on mobile devices is terrible.

Terrible compared to native code. Seriously, is anyone arguing that HTML5 should replace native code these days?

 

[eleven59]

Does this mean we no longer have to hear: "No flash? Yeah, that's a deal-breaker right there." from the anti-iOS folks?

Oh well, at least they'll still have: "No removable battery? Yeah, that's a deal-breaker right there."

I have an android phone- lg Optimus and it can't do flash either (or html5 apparently). It's one of those never talked about hypocrisies from android fans. And yeah a removable battery is important when your android phone crashes or freezes every week!

 

[petsounds]

Terrible compared to native code. Seriously, is anyone arguing that HTML5 should replace native code these days?

No, terrible for interactive experiences in general. But that FB app is a good example, because it's basically running in a browser window in a native shell. I've written HTML5 apps for mobile browsers; animation and other things are just SLOW. I guess we'll never know if Flash would've been fast on iOS, but from my experiences with it on Android devices, it's certainly faster than HTML5.

 

[BaldiMac]

No, terrible for interactive experiences in general. But that FB app is a good example, because it's basically running in a browser window in a native shell. I've written HTML5 apps for mobile browsers; animation and other things are just SLOW. I guess we'll never know if Flash would've been fast on iOS, but from my experiences with it on Android devices, it's certainly faster than HTML5.

It's a terrible example, because it is being rewritten in favor of native code, and it was running without the benefit of Apple's Nitro javascript engine.

(And saying that Flash is "certainly faster than HTML5" is just silly without context. There are plenty of obvious situations where HTML5 is going to be more efficient.)