Flash coming to most smartphones, but not Apple's iPhone

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  • Reply 121 of 223
    cmf2cmf2 Posts: 1,427member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by teckstud View Post


    I wasn't. I was merely stating that I've used streaming Real Player on certain sites that only offer it and was wondering if that too was FLASH! Jeesh!



    And like I said, I din't even realize that those sites still existed. I said flash was the dominant in the streaming world so if you are streaming, you are probably using flash and therefore the streaming problems could probably be associated with flash. To counter that, you are suggesting Real Player. A couple sites requiring real player doesn't change the fact that most streaming sites require flash, and the fact that real player sucks doesn't change the fact that flash on OSX also sucks.



    In another thread, you said you have never owned a Windows PC. If you haven't owned a Windows PC, you can't really compare flash on OSX compared to flash on windows and actually see how bad it is (unless you use a PC at work and have the same surfing habits as at home). The difference between flash on windows and on mac is night and day.
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  • Reply 122 of 223
    teckstudteckstud Posts: 6,476member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DKWalsh4 View Post


    You forgot to somehow or another tie in how hot the ATV is and how it doesn't have an on/off button.



    No need to - you just did.
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  • Reply 123 of 223
    quadra 610quadra 610 Posts: 6,759member
    Flash is horribly unoptimized on OS X.



    Anywhere from 50-90%+ cpu usage, on an '08 MBP with 4mb RAM, running SL. Was the same crap under Leopard. It's gonna wear out my fan soon.



    I don't know why that is, but it's been like that for along time now. And, frankly I don't really care why that is. It sucks. Period. And I can't blame Apple for wanting to stay away from it. It's PC-only optimized garbage code that I want to avoid experiencing. Adobe clearly doesn't give a damn either way, and that's also evidenced by their now bloated, slow, increasingly un-Mac-like software suite.
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  • Reply 124 of 223
    Actually, I will give Flash one thing, and that's cartoons.



    I enjoy the work of the Chapman brothers on Homestar Runner. They use Flash for absolutely everything, aside from stuff like the online merch store. It's a safe bet that if they had to use video to serve up their cartoons, their bandwidth bills would be many times what they are now, and it would be quite a bit more difficult to include the interactivity, such as "easter eggs", that they love to include (unless, perhaps, they used the ? proprietary! ? QuickTime format). And animating Strong Bad's capers using, say, CSS animation every week would be a jazzercise in futility. They did have a video podcast at one point, but subsequently discontinued it with only a partial catalog of (non-interactive versions of) their cartoons.



    Even though the ease of creating animation in Flash has led to a flood of amateur-quality (and worse) content, and thus a perhaps well-deserved bad reputation for Flash animation in general, there are some seriously good animations out there as well. That's just about the only thing I'd miss about Flash.
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  • Reply 125 of 223
    teckstudteckstud Posts: 6,476member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cmf2 View Post


    And like I said, I din't even realize that those sites still existed. I said flash was the dominant in the streaming world so if you are streaming, you are probably using flash and therefore the streaming problems could probably be associated with flash. To counter that, you are suggesting Real Player. A couple sites requiring real player doesn't change the fact that most streaming sites require flash, and the fact that real player sucks doesn't change the fact that flash on OSX also sucks.



    In another thread, you said you have never owned a Windows PC. If you haven't owned a Windows PC, you can't really compare flash on OSX compared to flash on windows and actually see how bad it is (unless you use a PC at work and have the same surfing habits as at home). The difference between flash on windows and on mac is night and day.



    Like I and others have said: We have no problems using Flas on our Macs. Maybe you're not using yours correctly.

    Most sites offer a choice of either Flash or Real Player. Sometime I will choose Real layer if the Flash choice doesn't work.

    BTW- Real Player makes a Mac version - haven't you heard?
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  • Reply 126 of 223
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by TenoBell View Post


    Flash already inherently sucks on the mobile platform. There is no way for Adobe to magically take something that does not work well on the desktop and make it work well on phones.



    Why is there no way? They are already working with ARM to optimize the player.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by TenoBell View Post


    Adobe would essentially have to rewrite flash from the ground up for the mobile platform. I doubt they are investing that much resource towards it.



    Why wouldn't they? Mobile computing is THE future of media consumption and EVERY company knows that, including Adobe. If Adobe needed to develop a completely new tool they would, in fact Adobe, Microsoft, Apple, IBM, Sony, etc etc...will ALL do whatever they have to to be in the mobile world.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by TenoBell View Post


    I think the results of flash does not convince many of us that flash developers are all that great. They are good at making eye candy, but they aren't that great at making anything thats actually useful.



    You probably don't realize it, but most of the websites you LIKE to visit are created by developers who are ALSO developing flash content for other sites. So the idea that the "flash developer" only knows how to make eye candy is inherently flawed because there are very few people who can actually make a living ONLY developing flash. Most developers create sites that use ALL of the available technologies including flash.
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  • Reply 127 of 223
    newbeenewbee Posts: 2,055member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ireland View Post


    Just tried it out. Cannot use it. I'll rephrase that, will not use it now, yet. The video cannot be set to play automatically on YouTube, and you cannot click the video itself to play and pause (and go full-screen) which I have gotten very used to on YouTube.



    Flash is better on the Mac for YouTube until the guy behind this makes those fixes.



    I think you might be having a problem understanding how CTF works. with CTF installed flash is not opened until you click on the flash banner, that's why you tube videos don't open automatically ... as far as full screen goes I don't know why you're having a problem ... works fine for me, same for play and pause.
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  • Reply 128 of 223
    auxioauxio Posts: 2,780member
    Flash development tends to attract programmers who didn't have the attention span to learn proper programming practices in college/university or people who want to pretend they know how to do programming so that they can make a bit more money without actually taking the time to actually learn how to do it properly. That's part of the reason why most Flash applications suck so bad.



    Really, if people just used Flash for what it's best at -- easily creating simple videos out of mixed media sources and then exporting them to a format which is good for web viewing -- rather than trying to create complex games and other large applications which would be much better if developed in programming languages which were designed for those tasks by people who have proper training in how to structure large applications like that, we wouldn't be in this mess.



    Unfortunately, people have just gotten used to a substandard computer experience (ala Windows and bargain basement PCs), and so they don't even notice that Flash apps have horrible usability, non-standard user interfaces, leak memory, cause your computer to bog to a crawl and/or crash your web browser, etc, etc. It just blends in with how everything else looks and feels on their computer. And now, because those people are in the majority, they are demanding the same craptacular experience be replicated everywhere.



    I'm sorry if I refuse to accept that experience, and I'm glad Apple hasn't either. I prefer to support proper software craftsmanship, usability, and design. In a world where people are starting to demand better quality food products and better designed, fuel-efficient automobiles, maybe people should also take a look at their computers and demand the same level of quality?



    I think perhaps someone needs to launch a technology TV channel which promotes technology quality awareness (via people who are passionate and knowledgeable about it) the same way that FoodTV promotes food quality awareness via chefs who are passionate about good food.
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  • Reply 129 of 223
    tenobelltenobell Posts: 7,014member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by alkrantz View Post


    Why is there no way? They are already working with ARM to optimize the player.



    That is one step, I'm essentially saying that everything within the chain of flash content would have to be reworked for it to work on mobile devices. I haven't seen that work being done.





    Quote:

    Why wouldn't they? Mobile computing is THE future of media consumption and EVERY company knows that, including Adobe. If Adobe needed to develop a completely new tool they would, in fact Adobe, Microsoft, Apple, IBM, Sony, etc etc...will ALL do whatever they have to to be in the mobile world.



    Are you saying you know that Adobe is completely rewriting flash? Along with that flash developers would have to optimize content and video to be playable in the mobile space. I'm essentially saying I don't see all of this being done.



    The only company really heavily pushing for industry wide software platform optimized for mobile is Apple.



    Quote:

    You probably don't realize it, but most of the websites you LIKE to visit are created by developers who are ALSO developing flash content for other sites. So the idea that the "flash developer" only knows how to make eye candy is inherently flawed because there are very few people who can actually make a living ONLY developing flash. Most developers create sites that use ALL of the available technologies including flash.



    I cannot say what the people who develop websites I visit do with their time. All I can say is that I cannot see very many examples where I find flash necessary in my everyday web usage.
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  • Reply 130 of 223
    cmf2cmf2 Posts: 1,427member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by teckstud View Post


    Like I and others have said: We have no problems using Flas on our Macs. Maybe you're not using yours correctly.

    Most sites offer a choice of either Flash or Real Player. Sometime I will choose Real layer if the Flash choice doesn't work.

    BTW- Real Player makes a Mac version - haven't you heard?



    Yes I looked it up and it can stream flash too, so who knows what you are getting when they give you the option to use real player. I lost interest in Real years ago and have never come across a situation where I've needed it since then.



    PS. How could you not use flash correctly? It is a plugin, you install the plugin and you are done. I think the plugin actually comes preinstalled too. Maybe you haven't used flash in conjunction with other CPU intensive activities. It will work fine by itself (most of the time). Unless you are suggesting that doing other CPU intensive activities while watching flash video is using it improperly...
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  • Reply 131 of 223
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by teckstud View Post


    The other 2/3 uses Flash. BRING IT.



    What portion of the internet are you browsing? For the most part, sites use Flash for various types of online games and advertising. Amateur sites and some portfolio pages use Flash for more, such as navigation, but using Flash for navigation or important information is one of the web design industry's biggest no-nos. Maybe I'm browsing a more boring internet (I doubt it) but in having used the iPhone since its initial release, I've only encountered one or two scenarios where Flash prevented me from seeing what I wanted to see, and I worked around it easily enough.



    More than a fair trade to keep the advertising off my phone.



    And I have as much faith in Adobe to deliver a lean CPU and battery-friendly mobile version of Flash as I do for them to deliver a Mac version that just works. I depend on Adobe programs to do my job, but at the same time, damn this company really struggles to make lean versions of its software. This is wonderful news to me.



    If Flash is ever enabled, let it be in a form that allows us to activate Flash content by selecting it only. Or something that gives us that choice.
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  • Reply 132 of 223
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Zoolook View Post


    I stream Netflix for hours on end... no issues, ever. Maybe Silverlight should come to iPhone instead!



    True. Silverlight does work better. Downside? No linux support. Oh sure, there is Moonlight, but no site ever wants to admit that it works for their content, so it fails.



    Look, I like stuff like Homestarrunner.com, and stuff like that can live on in Flash. Video however? No way.
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  • Reply 133 of 223
    tenobelltenobell Posts: 7,014member
    Real player?



    I haven't downloaded Real player in years, and have never found a need to use it.





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by teckstud View Post


    Like I and others have said: We have no problems using Flas on our Macs. Maybe you're not using yours correctly.

    Most sites offer a choice of either Flash or Real Player. Sometime I will choose Real layer if the Flash choice doesn't work.

    BTW- Real Player makes a Mac version - haven't you heard?



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  • Reply 134 of 223
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by TenoBell View Post


    That is one step, I'm essentially saying that everything within the chain of flash content would have to be reworked for it to work on mobile devices. I haven't seen that work being done.









    Are you saying you know that Adobe is completely rewriting flash? Along with that flash developers would have to optimize content and video to be playable in the mobile space. I'm essentially saying I don't see all of this being done.



    The only company really heavily pushing for industry wide software platform optimized for mobile is Apple.







    I cannot say what the people who develop websites I visit do with their time. All I can say is that I cannot see very many examples where I find flash necessary in my everyday web usage.





    Of course I don't know what Adobe is doing, I don't work there. By the same token neither do you. Just because you haven't "seen that work being done" doesn't mean it isn't. Unless you work at Adobe? I am just stating what I believe is the logical conclusion. Adobe and every other company with a vested interest in mobile content will do whatever it takes to get their content on mobile platforms. If that necessitates a rewrite of any technology than they will do it. But whatever, you don't have to believe me.



    As for seeing examples of website where Flash was necessary,...I'm not even going to go there, obviously what is necessary is a completely relative experience.
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  • Reply 135 of 223
    ivladivlad Posts: 742member
    Why does Apple needs Flash on iPhone when the Tablet is gonna be the ultimate Safari Machine?
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  • Reply 136 of 223
    irelandireland Posts: 17,801member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by newbee View Post


    I think you might be having a problem understanding how CTF works. with CTF installed flash is not opened until you click on the flash banner, that's why you tube videos don't open automatically ... as far as full screen goes I don't know why you're having a problem ... works fine for me, same for play and pause.



    I understand how it works, but they can setup special cases, especially for YouTube.



    As for click to play/pause I mean clicking the actual video, not the play/pause button.
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  • Reply 137 of 223
    allblueallblue Posts: 393member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tawilson View Post


    Flash should be banned because of the whole Flash-cookies thing in my opinion. If I chose not to be tracked by turning off third-party cookies, I expect sites to obey that.



    Sadly, theses nasty ad marketing web sites use Flash-cookies which bypass the usual rules of your browser.



    Evil swines!!!



    I only found out about these 'super-cookies' recently and share your opinion on them. If you use FireFox there is an add-on called BetterPrivacy which deletes them. First time I ran the browser with it installed, it deleted 450 of them!
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  • Reply 138 of 223
    [QUOTE=Xian Zhu Xuande;1493431]For the most part, sites use Flash for various types of online games and advertising.



    Actually, the biggest use of flash that I see (outside of banner ads) is in site home page banner/ headers. But in truth there is an enormous amount of flash content out there. If you google almost any recently released movie, console or pc video game or popular musician you will likely find a site built in flash. These types of promotional sites are a staple of the entertainment industry.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Xian Zhu Xuande View Post


    Amateur sites and some portfolio pages use Flash for more, such as navigation, but using Flash for navigation or important information is one of the web design industry's biggest no-nos.



    It is now possible to deep link and bookmark sites using flash navigation to facilitate SEO.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Xian Zhu Xuande View Post


    Maybe I'm browsing a more boring internet (I doubt it) but in having used the iPhone since its initial release, I've only encountered one or two scenarios where Flash prevented me from seeing what I wanted to see, and I worked around it easily enough.



    How do you "work around" viewing a site like the one for Assassins Creed 2? http://assassinscreed.uk.ubi.com/



    Maybe you have no interest in such content and that's your prerogative obviously. But that doesn't mean other people don't and I think it's pretty easily assumed that this is popular content for a large demographic of users.





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Xian Zhu Xuande View Post


    More than a fair trade to keep the advertising off my phone.



    Advertising will be on your phone regardless of flash, it will animate, it will blink and it will not go away. Advertising dollars are the fundamental economic principle facilitating commercial development on the web.
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  • Reply 139 of 223
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by TenoBell View Post


    Real player?



    I haven't downloaded Real player in years, and have never found a need to use it.



    ditto.
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  • Reply 140 of 223
    ajmasajmas Posts: 602member
    In order for Flash to be replaced by a non-propriety solution several things need to happen:

    - a powerful and easy to use tool for creating non-Flash content needs to exist

    - the resultant content needs to appear the same across browsers



    These are both solvable problems, but someone has to be willing to provide the solution.



    In many ways the big issue is IE and ironically the only work around I can see at this point is for a plug-in that embeds another HTML rendering engine that support SVG, faster JS and HTLM5 in the frame where the Flash-like content would be.
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