Flash Support Will Never See Life On Google Chrome for Android

[JeffDenver]

Flash is an outdated technology whos time has come and gone. Doesn't anyone find it irksome that in the year 2012, you have to install a plugin to view content in your browser?

Not really...just the opposite. If I dont want to view Flash sites I can simply choose not to install it. Problem solved.

We accept Flash, because we are used to it. But it's time for a browser based standard (HTML5) to replace it.

Which is fine. I am on board with the HTML5 revolution. But I dont see the need to forbid me to view Flash content that is still being used in the meantime. It strikes me as a little totalitarian.

As an IT person who supports ...

BINGO. Exactly.

The people complaining about it are either on the PROVIDER side, or are on platforms where they cant get Flash anyway. As an end user, I dont care how much it pisses off providers that their pet standard is not being used. I just want to be able to see the content I want to see. I think the end user (consumers, not providers) should be the one to determine the standards, not a few providers sitting in their Ivory towers.

 

[bazar6]

I guess I have to get used to the app a little more... Viewed maybe two sites on Chrome Beta on the Xoom last night, and it was slow as death.

And I agree sites need to start getting away from Flash elements. Most of the stuff takes so long to download. Only problem is, whats going to happen to embedded YouTube videos? Right now YouTube (owned by Google) embeds videos on other sites using flash (just go to a site with a video embedded from YT and you'll see you have to enable it to play)... Is it possible / are they going to follow suit with their own commitment and move YT to HTML5 as well?

*Nevermind, answered my own question! YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.

 

[tjk629]

I think it depends on how you used flash.

Personally, I don't play online flash games so my use of flash involves online videos. Which (because of the iPhone/iPad) isn't a problem. Most sites have made their videos i friendly so all in all not having flash really isn't that big of a deal for me.

 

[JeffDenver]

I have come across sites that use flash menus. There are things that use flash besides games and ads and videos.

 

[macpro88]

I was trying to make a point that standards only change when someone initiates the change and supports the newer and better standard, otherwise that standard will remain the same.

As an IT Pro who also manages multiple networks and close to 1000 PCs between clients, it is very cumbersome to have to update Flash whenever updates are out.

As an end user as well, it is very cumbersome to have to update Flash whenever updates are out.

As an end user, its not like you're going to not be able to view your content, as an end user, you will probably never know that a transition from Flash to HTML5 has taken place.

And HTML5 provides so much more that Flash can not, and letting HTML5 take over on its own with no support, means that it get no support, and the transition is so slow and out drawn that it never really happens and then next thing you know a newer better standard is out.

 

[JeffDenver]

I was trying to make a point that standards only change when someone initiates the change and supports the newer and better standard, otherwise that standard will remain the same.

I think standards change when a new standard comes along that provides something better than staying with the old standard. Just like PNG is now replacing GIF...most browsers support both, but PNG does everything GIF did and more...so people are moving towards PNGs now. Eventually no one will use GIFs. Why cant the transition from Flash to HTML5 be the same?

As an IT Pro who also manages multiple networks and close to 1000 PCs between clients, it is very cumbersome to have to update Flash whenever updates are out.

As an end user (and I really dont mean to be insulting) I dont care what IT Pros want me to use. I care about being able to see my content. And if Flash is really that big of a pain in the ass, then IT Pros will stop using it.

The transition will happen because of demand for a better standard...it is not necessary to strongarm people into doing things your way by yanking support from browsers. Support both and let the market decide.

As an end user as well, it is very cumbersome to have to update Flash whenever updates are out.

Who is forcing you to update it? Why are you updating something you dont want or use? Flash is not a required part of Android (or even desktop browsers for that matter). It is ENTIRELY voluntary.

The mere fact that you feel you have to update it at all is a clear indication that it is far from dead.

As an end user, its not like you're going to not be able to view your content, as an end user, you will probably never know that a transition from Flash to HTML5 has taken place.

If there are blank boxes where my content used to be, it will become clear that a transition is taking place. HTML5 is NOT as ubiquitous as a lot of people on here seem to believe. I can think of several occasions where iOS friends could not view what I was viewing because they didnt have flash.

It doesnt happen all the time, but when it does happen it is extremely annoying.

And HTML5 provides so much more that Flash can not, and letting HTML5 take over on its own with no support, means that it get no support

I am fully in favor of browser support for HTML5. But it is not mutually exclsuive with Flash...you can have both. We don't (and SHOULDN'T) have to sacrifice one for the other.

 

[Burnicus]

Classic Google

Take away support for something because it's going away some day. Android business behavior is more and more like Apple every day.

 

[JeffDenver]

Take away support for something because it's going away some day. Android business behavior is more and more like Apple every day.

THIS ^^^

And that is disturbing to me.

 

[macpro88]

I think standards change when a new standard comes along that provides something better than staying with the old standard. Just like PNG is now replacing GIF...most browsers support both, but PNG does everything GIF did and more...so people are moving towards PNGs now. Eventually no one will use GIFs. Why cant the transition from Flash to HTML5 be the same?

Its a bit different with Flash/HTML5, a lot of security flaws, exploits, as well as conflict of interest in the coding etc...

As an end user (and I really dont mean to be insulting) I dont care what IT Pros want me to use. I care about being able to see my content. And if Flash is really that big of a pain in the ass, then IT Pros will stop using it.

NO hard feelings, as you really shouldn't care, and most PC's in the business world need FLASH because so many app (outside of the web) rely on it, including the web and certain business sites and business web apps.

The transition will happen because of demand for a better standard...it is not necessary to strongarm people into doing things your way by yanking support from browsers. Support both and let the market decide.

Again, it might be hard to support both as we are dealing with video and not pictures, I don't know much about coding, but feel that supporting both might cause some serious instability in some areas, who knows, I'm sure they have good reason for not supporting both, otherwise they would, right?

Who is forcing you to update it? Why are you updating something you dont want or use? Flash is not a required part of Android (or even desktop browsers for that matter). It is ENTIRELY voluntary.

Its good practice to keep EVERYTHING updated as most updates are security patches to keep out wanted viruses that you can't control cause you can't control how your end user uses the computer...

The mere fact that you feel you have to update it at all is a clear indication that it is far from dead.

I'm not saying Flash is dead at this point in time, just that is starting to die and, really that it just needs to die.

If there are blank boxes where my content used to be, it will become clear that a transition is taking place. HTML5 is NOT as ubiquitous as a lot of people on here seem to believe. I can think of several occasions where iOS friends could not view what I was viewing because they didnt have flash.

It doesnt happen all the time, but when it does happen it is extremely annoying.

If the users on iOS couldn't view the content, that means that it was Flash content and that they have no changed it over to HTML5, so naturally they would not see it. But if they had transitioned it to HTML5, no one would notice because you can see it.

I am fully in favor of browser support for HTML5. But it is not mutually exclsuive with Flash...you can have both. We don't (and SHOULDN'T) have to sacrifice one for the other.

And see here is where we don't really know if we can have both or not, can a single one video be played in HTML5 AND Flash? I don't know, but I would like to say it might not be possible, its either one or the other.

And I agree, we should not have to sacrifice one for the other, unless of course we really can't have both, but again, not know the coding behind it I can' say for sure if its possible to have support for both.

 

[macpro88]

Take away support for something because it's going away some day. Android business behavior is more and more like Apple every day.

THIS ^^^

And that is disturbing to me.

If there isn't a large enough of an influential force exerting pressure in the other direction, how can you expect change to happen? It just happens to be Apple. And others are following suite and some are struggling to keep up.

 

[JeffDenver]

Again, it might be hard to support both as we are dealing with video and not pictures, I don't know much about coding

The Stock browser already supports both, and desktop browsers do as well, so I know that excuse is BS.

but feel that supporting both might cause some serious instability in some areas, who knows, I'm sure they have good reason for not supporting both, otherwise they would, right?

No. I think they are pulling a Steve Jobs and trying to "nudge" us in the direction they want us to go like a nanny. I think this is deliberate.

Its good practice to keep EVERYTHING updated as most updates are security patches to keep out wanted viruses that you can't control cause you can't control how your end user uses the computer...
If you uninstall flash, you have zero chances of any security holes due to flash. If it is so dead, why have it installed at all?

If Flash is really so useless, you have the option to just not install it. That removes any need to update it.

I'm not saying Flash is dead at this point in time, just that is starting to die and, really that it just needs to die.

So let it die on it's own. Why do *I* need to suffer while it is dying? If it isnt dead yet, why not keep it in the browser until it is finally dead?

If the users on iOS couldn't view the content, that means that it was Flash content and that they have no changed it over to HTML5, so naturally they would not see it. But if they had transitioned it to HTML5, no one would notice because you can see it.

And when everyone is transitioned over to HTML5, I will be perfectly ok with yanking support for flash from the browsers. Obviously, that has not happened yet.

And see here is where we don't really know if we can have both or not, can a single one video be played in HTML5 AND Flash?

Why does it need to be played in both? if the browser supports both, then it will play the video either way, right?

IMO it is flat wrong to say they are mutually exclusive. Just as PNG and GIF are not mutually exclusive. If your browser can read them, it can display them. I have seen no evidence at all that Flash and HTML5 get in the way of each other...the code displays and your browser plays it.

Can you give me an example of something else like this that is mutually exclusive on browsers? A video or audio standard? Even one?

 

[WildcatRudy]

Much as I dislike Flash (especially as a developer--I've spent countless hours trying to talk clients out of it over the past several years), the support still needs to be there in the browsers. So many legacy sites use Flash and given their shoestring budgets, they have no immediate plans to have someone totally redo their site for modern browsers. This is from larger corporations (who should know better) down to small business owners who were impressed by the look of it and bought into it to outdo their competition. It at least needs to be available through a plugin of some sort.

There is also no reason Google should follow apple's lead, just on principle...

 

[JeffDenver]

If there isn't a large enough of an influential force exerting pressure in the other direction, how can you expect change to happen?

The way it has always happened...supply and demand. If demand for Flash dries up, people will stop using it, right?

No one is forcing providers to use Flash. They are using it because it is giving them something HTML5 is not. If HTML5 is really as superior as you believe, then it stands to reason that providers will flock to it on their own. For the same reason they flocked to Flash in the first place.

Using browsers to force people to stop using something simply because you don't like the current standard is obnoxious and wrong IMO.

It just happens to be Apple. And others are following suite and some are struggling to keep up.

Keep up with what exactly? Android does EVERYTHING that Apple does and more. The reverse is not true.

Seems to me it is the other way around. The Android browser will display everything the iOS browser does.

 

[JeffDenver]

there is also no reason google should follow apple's lead, just on principle...

this.

 

[Burnicus]

If there isn't a large enough of an influential force exerting pressure in the other direction, how can you expect change to happen? It just happens to be Apple. And others are following suite and some are struggling to keep up.

I understand the concept of leaving something behind so that something else can flourish, but I don't think this is one of those cases.