Safari in macOS Sierra Deactivates Flash and Other Plug-ins By Default

[MacRumors]

In Safari 10, set to ship with macOS Sierra, Apple plans to disable common plug-ins like Adobe Flash, Java, Silverlight, and QuickTime by default in an effort to focus on HTML5 content and improve the overall web browsing experience.

As explained by Apple developer Ricky Mondello in a post on the WebKit blog, when a website offers both Flash and HTML5 content, Safari will always deliver the more modern HTML5 implementation. On a website that requires a plug-in like Adobe Flash to function, users can activate it with a click as can be done in Google's Chrome browser.

Most websites that detect that Flash isn't available, but don't have an HTML5 fallback, display a "Flash isn't installed" message with a link to download Flash from Adobe. If a user clicks on one of those links, Safari will inform them that the plug-in is already installed and offer to activate it just one time or every time the website is visited. The default option is to activate it only once. We have similar handling for the other common plug-ins.

When a website directly embeds a visible plug-in object, Safari instead presents a placeholder element with a "Click to use" button. When that's clicked, Safari offers the user the options of activating the plug-in just one time or every time the user visits that website. Here too, the default option is to activate the plug-in only once.

Safari 10 will also include a command to reload a page with installed plug-ins activated to give users additional options for controlling the content that's displayed, and there are preferences for choosing which plug-ins are visible to which websites in Safari's Security preferences.

Apple recommends web developers implement features using technologies built into Safari to avoid forcing users to activate plug-ins.

Plug-ins like Adobe Flash and Java have been problematic for Apple, requiring frequent security fixes and forced updates to patch an unending stream of vulnerabilities. Apple has long had a policy of blocking older versions of web plug-ins from functioning and its change in Safari 10 is another push towards fully retiring the older technology.

Article Link: Safari in macOS Sierra Deactivates Flash and Other Plug-ins By Default

 

[antonis]

Good. About time.

Google has ceased Java plugin entirely, on Chrome. Hope others will follow soon.

 

[konqueror4u]

Appreciate it. HTML 5 should be the standard.

 

[captain cadet]

Thank god! RIP flash!

 

[Yaemon]

This is a GREAT news.

 

[kemal]

!Flash == GOOD!

 

[robertosh]

Finally, good news!

 

[now i see it]

QuickTime bites the dust too. 'Twas a good run. I'll miss you.

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[modemthug]

Good

 

[_mdavenport]

Die, Flash. DIE

 

[2010mini]

Good. I abolished Flash from my Mac years ago. Can't wait for it to die completely

 

[oneMadRssn]

Hulu needs to release a Mac app or switch to HTML5 on their website. Not sure why they have kept flash around so long anyway.

 

[ikir]

Kill flash!!!

 

[jdillings]

 

[Dilster3k]

I always get a kick by going back and reading Steve's open letter to Adobe regarding the future status of Flash. Nailed it.

 

[Rudy69]

I recently reinstalled OSX on my main computer and I decided to not install Flash. So far everything is still working as expected and I didn't run into anything I wanted to see that I couldnt

 

[Carlanga]

Die, Flash. DIE

zoom you will never defeat flash

 

[Mactendo]

QuickTime bites the dust too. 'Twas a good run. I'll miss you.

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Some of the old PowerBooks came with a CD containing some QuickTime videos or VR tours. I remember one such tour of Paris, it's still the best VR experience I've seen. The guys behind it virtually covered the whole city like Google street view these days, but it was better with day and night view, museums, etc. Wondering if there were bundled VR tours of other cities...

 

[mi7chy]

QuickTime malware needs to be banished first then Flash.

 

[CPx]

Flash videos are also not always color managed, which is a problem on wide-gamut Macs. It's time to say goodbye to flash.

 

[VulchR]

I loathe Flash - this is good news.

 

[StevieD100]

I recently reinstalled OSX on my main computer and I decided to not install Flash. So far everything is still working as expected and I didn't run into anything I wanted to see that I couldnt

Try using any of the tutorials for Lightroom and Photoshop from Adobe. Then you run into the Flach block. No flash, then no tutorials.
Die Adobe, die. {or at least get rid of flash}

 

[steve333]

This I can get behind. Sorta like having clicktoflash built in

 

[AppleMad98004]

Ummm the only sites that users will now click "activate flash" will be porn

 

[Andres Cantu]

Once Facebook games go HTML5, Flash will officially be dead.