What is Flash actually?

[Dr.Gee]

Bottom line for me.

Pain in the ass not to be able to view a flash site or video when needed.

My ipad 1 & 2 crash several times a day so that is not an issue.Nor,is battery life.

I await a good all around flash option more than the latest untethered jb.
Not visiting a flash site because it is one is not a reasonable option.There are several suppliers/financial flash sites I have to use and they happen to be the best from a financial prospective. I am not going to get rid of my accounts because of it. Im also not going to get rid of my ipad.it sucks having to log in thru my home pc when using my ipad.it would be nice if i didnt have to. there should be a toggle switch for the haters. wifi sucks more battery than flash.

 

[DrHouse]

This thread is about Flash. And its use on Apple iPad. Most people have trouble with Flash, because someone (Steve Jobs, probably), has said no Flash on his product. This is a freedom issue, as far as I am concerned... it is like waving a red flag in the face of a bull. It is a challenge. Steve says you can't do that... I say I bought it, I darn well WILL do it!!

The shape of the future.. whose future? My future is what I make of it. Apple provides the tools (I like Apple tools), I use them the way I want.

Ever since I was little, it was never a good idea to tell me I can't do something. Reverse psychology always worked well on me.

Maybe someday Flash will disappear, and Steve will have been proven right. Maybe Flash will evolve into a more mobile friendly tool. Maybe Android will be strong competition for Apple products and force Apple to provide more features that consumers appear to want. Maybe not. I am not willing to wait, I prefer to do what I want NOW.

I read my original post again, and nowhere I am talking about flash support on the iPad but about issues related to the wide use of Flash in websites. It's not about personal freedom, or personal future...

But I like your point of view as it represents a vast majority of users complaining about the lack of Flash support in the forums. And that's exactly I wrote this post, for users like you. Not to show off my "mighty" knowledge and to prove that "I am right!" but to explain some technical issues about Flash technology. I am a professional software Developper and consultant, so I think I have some skills and knowledge that are worth sharing for the benefit of all. I try to see the bigger picture and think outside the box, my job requires it.

There is no pride in being right or wrong, or having an opinion. I use my iPad as I see it fit my needs and surely nobody cares. All of this reminds me of the old age OS war between Windows and Linux... Everybody talks about freedom, but only a few understand what that it really means. You surely know about that...

VicoPad addict!

 

[NickHillUK]

What I find weird is this underlying message that almost makes it sound like you were duped 'Steve Jobs is not going to tell me what i can do with my property'

It is no secret that flash is not supported, we all knew that when we bought our iPad's didn't we? I think the reasons for not supporting it are well documented, and the arguments (for me) are strong.

It sounds a bit like buying a car, glueing some wings on it and then driving it off a cliff whilst saying 'nobody can tell me i can't fly in my car, it's MY property'. Why not just buy a plane (in this metaphor, the plane is a flash supporting device, and the stuck on wings are your iPad JB)

Sent using iPF on my first gen iPad, sadly.

 

[NickHillUK]

Ps, sig is wrong, now updated.

Sent using iPF on my 64GB wifi iPad 2 - w00t!

 

[pawnslinger]

What I find weird is this underlying message that almost makes it sound like you were duped 'Steve Jobs is not going to tell me what i can do with my property'

It is no secret that flash is not supported, we all knew that when we bought our iPad's didn't we? I think the reasons for not supporting it are well documented, and the arguments (for me) are strong.

It sounds a bit like buying a car, glueing some wings on it and then driving it off a cliff whilst saying 'nobody can tell me i can't fly in my car, it's MY property'. Why not just buy a plane (in this metaphor, the plane is a flash supporting device, and the stuck on wings are your iPad JB)

Sent using iPF on my first gen iPad, sadly.

I am not sure this was addressed to me, but it sounds like it was. So I will reply.

I was not "duped". I knew exactly what and why Steve Jobs made his decision about Flash. Quite simply, it didn't matter to me. If the Home Depot says what kind of nails to use with their hammers, I use the hammer with the nails I need to use! I don't know why that is hard for Steve to understand. But apparently it is. Yes, maybe Flash isn't the best, maybe it is a resource hog -- maybe it is a security risk. Maybe it shouldn't be used anymore because it is too old school. I wouldn't argue any of that. I don't particularly care about Flash one way or another. Just like I don't care what kind of nails Home Depot recommends for their hammers. I buy a hammer and I use it for the nails as needed. I don't go looking for the nails that fit my hammer.

Same thing with the iPad. I want to use it to browse the internet. This is a basic function of this tool. There are lots of websites with Flash. So this is a basic problem to be overcome. I don't want to have a different hammer for each kind of nail. I want a more general purpose tool... and there is no inherent reason why the iPad is not perfectly capable of handling Flash, except that Steve said no.

So I plan to mold my iPad to my need. Whether Steve wants me to do such or not, he doesn't have any say how I use the hammer he sold me.

 

[DrHouse]

Same thing with the iPad. I want to use it to browse the internet. This is a basic function of this tool. There are lots of websites with Flash. So this is a basic problem to be overcome. I don't want to have a different hammer for each kind of nail. I want a more general purpose tool... and there is no inherent reason why the iPad is not perfectly capable of handling Flash, except that Steve said no.

So I plan to mold my iPad to my need. Whether Steve wants me to do such or not, he doesn't have any say how I use the hammer he sold me.

To keep with your metaphor of hammers... Your hand is the iPad, your browser is the hammer and the websites are the provided nails. Then you realized that you need a specific hammer for some nails... What is wrong, the hammer or the culprit nails?

Who would be so stupid to create nails that require a specific hammer? That's the problem with Plugins in general...

VicoPad addict!

 

[Mtnmedic]

To keep with your metaphor of hammers... Your hand is the iPad, your browser is the hammer and the websites are the provided nails. Then you realized that you need a specific hammer for some nails... What is wrong, the hammer or the culprit nails?

Who would be so stupid to create nails that require a specific hammer? That's the problem with Plugins in general...

VicoPad addict!

Nicely said.

Michael "Spam, spam, bacon, eggs and spam. Hold the bacon and eggs." Sent from my iPad 2 using iPF

 

[Seadog]

And if you use a professional nail gun, you use a specific nail with it. It is no difference. If you own a car, you have to use specific replacement parts, oil, fuel, etc. If you own an airplane, every part you use must be FAA certified. Every single device we use has restrictions on what is allowed by the manufacturer. Apple does not say you cannot use Flash. Just that they do not support it's use, and you will have to jailbreak the device to use it. Why the vocal few here have to whine and curse Steve Jobs over something that has absolutely nothing to do with personal freedom, is beyond me.

From day one, Apple has said that the iPad will not replace the home computer. If you own an iPad, you have access to a computer. That gives you access to Flash sites. Get over it. You have choices, and nothing legitimate to gripe about.

 

[pawnslinger]

To keep with your metaphor of hammers... Your hand is the iPad, your browser is the hammer and the websites are the provided nails. Then you realized that you need a specific hammer for some nails... What is wrong, the hammer or the culprit nails?

Who would be so stupid to create nails that require a specific hammer? That's the problem with Plugins in general...

VicoPad addict!

True. But sometimes you do have specialized nails, roofers use different hammers than framers, for example. But I wouldn't buy such, I would want the more general purpose tool.

As time passes, as tablets and other so called "mobile" devices become more powerful, they become more like general purpose tools. And should handle a wider array of websites. When they were much weaker devices, we had to have "mobile" websites for them. Because they weren't powerful enough or big enough to handle full websites.

I submit that the modern tablet, like the iPad2 or Xoom, and others, are more general purpose than old school mobile devices and are capable of handling regular desktop websites. So, as long as Flash based websites exist, the pressure to access them will only increase over time.

Also, one final note... many people believe that HTML5 will replace the need for Flash. This may be true, but it is also open for argument. There are some things done in Flash that have no equivalence in HTML5. I am sure that FLV will fade to be replaced by h.264 and WebM... of this there is little doubt. It is just a matter of time. What isn't picked up by those 2 formats will probably go to something like Silverlight -- as Netflix converted from FLV to Silverlight (which may have had something to do with the servers they use). But Flash has few peers when it comes to graphic animation. This was the original reason Flash became popular, and remains one of the key reasons for its continued popularity. I doubt that HTML5 has the needed tools to replace Flash in this arena. But maybe I am wrong... it is debatable.

 

[pawnslinger]

And if you use a professional nail gun, you use a specific nail with it. It is no difference. If you own a car, you have to use specific replacement parts, oil, fuel, etc. If you own an airplane, every part you use must be FAA certified. Every single device we use has restrictions on what is allowed by the manufacturer. Apple does not say you cannot use Flash. Just that they do not support it's use, and you will have to jailbreak the device to use it. Why the vocal few here have to whine and curse Steve Jobs over something that has absolutely nothing to do with personal freedom, is beyond me.

From day one, Apple has said that the iPad will not replace the home computer. If you own an iPad, you have access to a computer. That gives you access to Flash sites. Get over it. You have choices, and nothing legitimate to gripe about.

Actually, I don't think I am griping about it. Firstly, I believe that the decisions that Mr Jobs has made will be tested in the marketplace. As a shareholder in Apple, I will have something to say, if he fails. And really Mr Jobs answers to his shareholders, not to anyone else.

The only problem I have with the iPad, or any other tablet, is the need to perform the jailbreak (or "root" for Android devices). It seems that this was done by the tablet manufacturers for greedy reasons. They want to lock us, the customer, into their framework, into their market. I don't like that. If Apple just left it at -- we don't support Flash -- there would be no problem whatsoever. But when they lock Flash out, and say it is for your own good... that I object to... and rebel against it. It is arrogant and paternalistic.

 

[Mountainbikermark]

And yes, as someone else wrote above, "live free or die". I fought for this country, and would do so again, if the need arose. I fought for my freedom... and the freedom of every other person who enjoys the liberty that this country provides. To me these are not just words... "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness". They are ideals worth fighting and dying for.

Thank you for serving


Support Our Troops!
This post was Tapatalk approved
Sent from my iPad

 

[richsadams]

Adobe Caves on Flash...Sort Of

Interesting development regarding Flash content on iOS devices...

Adobe throws in towel, adopts HTTP Live Streaming for iOS

...instead of trying in vain to persuade Apple to build Flash into iOS, or losing potential Flash Media Server customers to some other iOS-compatible solution, Adobe seems to be implicitly acknowledging that content publishers need Flash-free video streaming.

 

[SweetPoison]

I realize that some of these posts are over a week old ~ but since this was just bumped and Flash topics can be argumentative ~ let us all remain calm and breathe.

And be respectful please.

 

[col.bris]

Interesting development regarding Flash content on iOS devices...

Adobe throws in towel, adopts HTTP Live Streaming for iOS

...instead of trying in vain to persuade Apple to build Flash into iOS, or losing potential Flash Media Server customers to some other iOS-compatible solution, Adobe seems to be implicitly acknowledging that content publishers need Flash-free video streaming.

It was only amount of time and Adobe is doing the right thing by offering support for iOS devices not that it concerns me as I really don't care. It will be interesting to see how long it takes to implement on the web. It is a win win situation and I admire Adobe doing it.

 

[Thphilli]

Interesting development regarding Flash content on iOS devices...

Adobe throws in towel, adopts HTTP Live Streaming for iOS

...instead of trying in vain to persuade Apple to build Flash into iOS, or losing potential Flash Media Server customers to some other iOS-compatible solution, Adobe seems to be implicitly acknowledging that content publishers need Flash-free video streaming.

I lost a lot of respect for Ars with their 33% less battery life claim that they make in that article. What a bs number. Of course sitting on pages with flash content will burn up battery faster than a page with static images. Who leaves their laptop on a page for 4 hours letting flash ads run? So Adblock Plus can now claim they increase battery life 33% for the macbook air? Nonsense.

Interesting development though with the flash streaming.