Flash

[ousoonerjoe]

Has anyone found a way to view Flash with iPod Touch, iPhone, or the iPad?

Maybe another browser that supports it or a Safari plug-in? I read that Adobe created a plug-in, but Apple is refusing to approve it for the devices. Apple's blockade of Flash is really getting the way of a lot of websites out there and it's just plain getting old.

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“Crash programs fail because they are based on the theory that, with nine women pregnant, you can get a baby a month.” --Wernher von Braun
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[fisheromacse]

maybe this:

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/11/skyfire-ios-app/

 

[ousoonerjoe]

At least it's something, I'll try it this weekend, and post my findings, if any....

unless someone here already has it and can post their reviews of it???

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“Crash programs fail because they are based on the theory that, with nine women pregnant, you can get a baby a month.” --Wernher von Braun
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[SYQUEST]

You might want to look for something else. I don't think "Jobs the control freak" is going to change any time soon, and he will only get worse!!!

Control freaks don't want to let go!!!

....JIM....

 

[spamjim]

http://www.pcworld.com/article/202887/flash_for_iphone_now_available_thanks_to_jailbreak.html

 

[fisheromacse]

LOL
i would want control too if an fancified video player can cut battery life by over 50% and is in need of uber-frequent updates to keep it 'secure'
Flash is a sub-standard product that achieved market penetration by default...much like wmv several years ago.

 

[ousoonerjoe]

fisheromacse, I didn't say flash was great. It is however the market majority out there on the web. Psycho-Jobs can say he doesn't want to support it, but he's only limiting the capabilities of the devices. Which oddly enough is counter to his business model for those devices. It could also be argued that it's an anti-trust action for Quicktime.

NOTE: didn't get a chance to use skyfire this weekend. Will post as soon as I do.

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“Crash programs fail because they are based on the theory that, with nine women pregnant, you can get a baby a month.” --Wernher von Braun
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[fisheromacse]

the market changes based on the demand. Flash didn't get to be the leader by having a great product and market share is changing. Now-a-days, Flash is used mostly to display ads and to track users.

Which is more of a limit, being unable to view ads/play web-games/view a few videos, or have the processing power of your device hogged by a single process and at the same time, even if flash is idle, having your battery life seriously impaired.

I maintain many computers and we ban flash for those exact reasons, plus the necessity of frequent updates to fix (what seem like) constant security holes.
We also do not use Acrobat Reader for similar reasons.
I understand that people want Flash, but there are very few cases where it is a business necessity.

 

[ousoonerjoe]

In business, I agree, but that is not Apple's target market with these devices.

I'm a developer, so I'm very familiar with the issues that come along with Flash. It's not my favorite, but most sites I visit do not support anything else. A lot of sports sites (for example) still require flash to view core content. It's irritating and frustrating.



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“Crash programs fail because they are based on the theory that, with nine women pregnant, you can get a baby a month.” --Wernher von Braun
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[vacunita]

I have to agree with fisher here, Flash is nothing but a headache, the fact that it is over used, and overpowering in most sites is a constant annoyance.

Fortunately the time when its omnipresence meant you had to have flash support or else you could not access many many sites is happily winding down.

Many sites that offer content now are iPhone/iPod/iPad compliant by offering Quicktime versions of their videos.

Jobs did a good job of positioning his devices in the market share. With iDevices now taking up more and more mobile market, web site developers will have to move away from Flash based sites which really just offer nice animations for those with A.D.D.

I have yet to see a flash based website offer something that really requires and cannot be done without Flash.

With HTML 5 up and coming, Flash will hopefully start to fade out.

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Phil AKA Vacunita
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Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.

Behind the Web, Tips and Tricks for Web Development.

http://behindtheweb.blogspot.com/

 

[drlex]

Worth noting that Flash is also important in serving up D.R.M.'d video, which is a pretty good business case.

soi là, soi carré

 

[ousoonerjoe]

To also add to the business argument, one that most people like to neglect, is the adult industry. A great deal of those sites are flash. Adult sites make up Billions in the global economy as well as here in the states. It is also known for being the forerunners in technologies and tends to be the biggest pusher of those new technologies. I know Apple wants to steer people away from there, but Apple's prudish approach is cutting out a major industry money maker both with Flash and its App Store.

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“Crash programs fail because they are based on the theory that, with nine women pregnant, you can get a baby a month.” --Wernher von Braun
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[fisheromacse]

drlex - true, it is used to attempt to prevent people from saving online videos (and anyone with a bit of google-fu can find ways around it)


ousoonerjoe - the 'adult industry' does not make a business argument for flash.

It demonstrates a business model that has used flash.

I honestly doubt there are many/ANY/ CEO's out there that will refuse to purchase an ipad because it won't allow their staff to access flash adult videos.

As Vacunita intimated, and I 100% agree, with the rise of HTML5, flash is on the decline.

 

[ousoonerjoe]

I was referring to Apple's business model and how they're shooting themselves in the foot. How business savvy is it to cut out the largest money making area of internet business?

It would make more since to enable Flash with a disclaimer that Flash will be retired in future releases, and give the web time to adjust their sites accordingly.

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“Crash programs fail because they are based on the theory that, with nine women pregnant, you can get a baby a month.” --Wernher von Braun
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[vacunita]

I was referring to Apple's business model and how they're shooting themselves in the foot. How business savvy is it to cut out the largest money making area of internet business?

Evidently to Apple its irrelevant, and judging by their iDevice sales figures its a pretty savvy decision. 7.5 million iPads sold from release to September. at 500 bucks at the cheapest: 3.75 billion dollars. I think their business model is pretty good without the adult industry.

It would make more since to enable Flash with a disclaimer that Flash will be retired in future releases, and give the web time to adjust their sites accordingly.

Not really, Enabling Flash is not just like flipping a switch. The main reason behind not allowing flash on their devices, was the requirement of Flash to access the devices file system directly. Which was a big no no even since the first iPod touch. Apple designed the OS so that direct file system manipulation was not possible. You could only pass data to the OS interface to store, and it would store in in a specific area for the app in question, and the app would not be able to access any other areas of the device.

Flash for some reason wanted direct access which opens up vulnerabilities. Apple would have to go in and modify their file system just so Flash could have access. Its like Castrol forcing Chevrolet to change their engines to make use of their oil.

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Phil AKA Vacunita
----------------------------------
Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.

Behind the Web, Tips and Tricks for Web Development.

http://behindtheweb.blogspot.com/

 

[ousoonerjoe]

Ok... valid point on the business model.

My understanding is that the new plug-in Adobe created no longer required access to the file system, and accommodated the requirements set before them?

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“Crash programs fail because they are based on the theory that, with nine women pregnant, you can get a baby a month.” --Wernher von Braun
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[vacunita]

I'm sorry I haven't read about that. Tried to google, but came up empty.



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Phil AKA Vacunita
----------------------------------
Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.

Behind the Web, Tips and Tricks for Web Development.

http://behindtheweb.blogspot.com/

 

[ousoonerjoe]

Interesting.

Apple finally caved and is now allowing flash development for iOS. Packager for iPhone

I tried to find that message on Adobe's site again, but it's gone. Probably took it down in response to Apple opening up a little. Statement by Apple on App Store Review Guidelines

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“Crash programs fail because they are based on the theory that, with nine women pregnant, you can get a baby a month.” --Wernher von Braun
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[vacunita]

Interesting indeed, however that only applies to apps.

As per Adobe's article in your link:

We do want to point out that Apple’s restriction on Flash content running in the browser on iOS devices remains in place.

Which is what they are really after. Because unless you know the source url of the Flash video you want to see, an external flash player app is not going to be very useful.


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Phil AKA Vacunita
----------------------------------
Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.

Behind the Web, Tips and Tricks for Web Development.

http://behindtheweb.blogspot.com/

 

[ousoonerjoe]

Skyfire works, but it is slow and a bit cumbersome. Is it worth the $2.99 ?? Depends on the user. If you need flash occasionally, then maybe, but from my test runs, we can wait til another version is released... hopefully one that isn't so clunky.

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“Crash programs fail because they are based on the theory that, with nine women pregnant, you can get a baby a month.” --Wernher von Braun
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