How do you guys update flash payer?

[Epikuros]

Hi, this may be a trivial question but how is updating supposed to work for Adobe flash player on the mac?

I ask because every once in a while I get a big ol' popup saying that I need to update flash, it takes me to a url like "get3.adobe.com/flash".
Now in preferences I've explicitly stated that I'll allow adobe to install updates without notifying me. When I still get these pop-ups asking me to download a dmg and install the whole thing all over again I'm almost starting to think that it's a trojan.

It can't possibly work this way can it? I mean even desktop apps get updated in the background and only after it's done are you notified. Flash in chrome updates behind the scenes too as far as I understand.

Am I really supposed to download a file from adobes website, close safari, mount the file and install flash myself every time there is a fix (like this new 15.0.0.189). It must be something wrong with my machine right?

 

[satcomer]

Use the System Preferences->Flash Player pane and use it's upgrade button.

 

[jbarley]

Only when absolutely necessary, and even then very grudgingly.

 

[Epikuros]

Use the System Preferences->Flash Player pane and use it's upgrade button.

Does that update it automatically, letting you skip all the intermediate steps? If so why doesn't it do that on it's own?

I've googled around and apparently this is how flash updates. Frankly I find that unbelievable. I would get rid of it but last time I did that I had to switch to chrome every time someone sent me a youtube link. I wonder when the web is going to get it's html5 stuff together. I'd settle for adobe figuring out how to make software you don't have to reinstall every month though.

I'll try system preferences next time, perhaps it works better there. Unintuitive but it wouldn't surprise me.

 

[satcomer]

Does that update it automatically, letting you skip all the intermediate steps? If so why doesn't it do that on it's own?

 

[Epikuros]

I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be getting from this picture but if I cancel the popup update and instead initiate the update from there, will it then install on its own without taking me to the website to reinstall? Great if that's the case (still leaves you wondering why it wouldn't do it by itself). But at least I know it's not my machine having malware either way.

 

[nope7308]

I'm afraid you'll have to commit to about 5 mouse/trackpad clicks if you want to install the update. I'm not sure why you have to go through the entire install process again, but you do.

Really, it's not that big of a deal.

Flash not playing content correctly is a different matter. I've had nothing but issues on my Retina Macbook Pro from day 1. Videos stutter, Flash freezes, eats ridiculous CPU, etc. etc.

 

[analogika]

I no longer do, at all, on my work machine.

I've uninstalled Flash from the laptop and installed Chrome and the "Eject to Flash" Safari extension.

Works a charm.

 

[Epikuros]

I'm afraid you'll have to commit to about 5 mouse/trackpad clicks if you want to install the update. I'm not sure why you have to go through the entire install process again, but you do.

Really, it's not that big of a deal.

Flash not playing content correctly is a different matter. I've had nothing but issues on my Retina Macbook Pro from day 1. Videos stutter, Flash freezes, eats ridiculous CPU, etc. etc.

OK. It's a little annoying but it's not the end of the world.
I had convinced myself that what I've actually been doing was installing malware, for I remembered that I checked the automatic update button and yet I still got these pop-ups.

Now as far as I can make out from official adobe, if you decline the updates then it will install behind the scenes anyway, as it should... after 30 days. That's what they mean by automatic. Not sure that is the right way to go when fixing a zero-day vulnerability, but to each his own I guess.

It's really a problem of communication. When a layman like me have clicked not to get notified with updates, still gets a pop-up that wants to download a file from '"www3."something', you ought to assume that you've been compromised.
Perhaps they should try to align their descriptions of the service with how the service actually works. Again just a layman but that's how it seems to me.