Flash has been dead
Flash has been dead to me for years. Nope. Still dead.
Adobe has reversed its decision to kill the NPAPI Flash plugin on Linux, instead deciding that penguinistas deserve some love after four years of neglect. Adobe's notification of the changes includes news that its beta channel beta now includes test code for version 23 of the Linux NPAPI Flash Player. Linux NPAPI users have …
"I've been flash-free for a while now, don't miss it one bit,"
I've had too many problems in the past with the linux flash plugins in FreeBSD, and so I've been relatively flash-free since gnash lost support (and wouldn't work on half the sites anyway). I don't miss it. Also didn't miss it when NoScript blocked all of the flash ads, and NOW "lack of plugin" blocks them as well. Web sites load FASTER without flash on your system.
Now if there were a way to get rid of JQuery and OTHER monolithic scripting cruft...
But, but... If the skip button was a plain hyperlink you might never load the intro. If you do that how else will we share with you the main buzzwords of our mission statement? It is imperative that we tell you about how we work with the community to promote synergy; how we leverage our visionary product to promote organic growth. If you don't see these words floating next to stock photos of smiling people you may never realise that we are innovative and disruptive thought-leaders. How will you know that our paradigm shifting business is a game changer that will cause the entire industry to pivot? How will you know?
Are there web site builders who still create Flash content? If so, shoot them. ---->
I do not have Flash on my computer for quite a few years and none of the Flash content (that I viewed on someone else's Machine) tempted my to re-install Flash (even if it were secure). Can anyone give such an example? Genuine question.
Thanks for the answers.
I forgot to say why I abandoned Flash long ago. It was before the browsers got the restore-tabs-after-crash feature. I used to have many tabs open and when some page had Flash the browser would crash with a probability of more than 20 per cent, leaving me to recall each and every site I was on, very annoying.
..Is all the legacy content that's going to die with it when it's life support is finally taken away: Like it or Loath it, pretty much any Internet MultiMedia from the late 90's/Early 00's was built for it. Think how barren newgrounds will look on that day.
...Still that's something for the archivists to worry about: As a network administrator, that's a security headache I won't miss having.
Strangely, Adobe have been regularly updating Linux for Flash, but just for their zillion security fixes for version 11.2. It is a bit bizarre that after years being stuck on 11.2 (though seemingly not causing any compatibility issues with the sites I visit), we're suddenly going to jump 12 major versions in one fell swoop.
What I want to know is whether this will see the resurrection of the Android Flash plugin too - that's even more out of date than the Linux version. Weirdly, it's become useless for me in recent years - plays 10 seconds of video in Android Firefox and then freezes...
DRM management, but wait things are changing perhaps Adobe have realised.
I'm one of the people that do not have a TV but watched the iPlayer. Now you want me to pay but there are a few problems.
1) Bandwidth: Ask BT why this country is lagging behind, sometimes I cannot even stream radio :(
2) Your reliance on Flash: I only use Linux, none of your download options work. Please remove the "Autoplay" function because it does not work as intended. If I switch it off then my choice is ignored. If I watch a video of a volcano why do you think that I'd be interested in every other fucking volcano that exists?
3) I'm not going to pay the licence fee, fuck you!
I for one am glad to see Adobe taking this step. My missus is totally non-technical - she sits at a linux laptop and does her thing and I'm reasonably happy she's not going to get hit by nasties. We've been Windows free for 10 years now.
In a mom 'n pop setup it's obvious that you're going to be needing flash to view those sites that still demand it - good or bad, it is what it is.
So go on - give Adobe some luuuurrrv (in the nicest possible way of course - that does not mean bent over a chair) for a change.
I have a mental image of someone repeatedly hitting a zombie with a shovel saying "why... won't... you... die?"
Probably Shaun of the Dead, but maybe not. I probably watch too many zombie movies (or not enough, take your pick).
Skull and crossbones because there's no brains icon...
Some major US sites like HBO use flash + DRM. The 11.2 flash player on Linux supports DRM (assuming you install hal which still works in Ubuntu 16.6 for example). The flash 23 beta Linux notes state they don't support DRM in NPAPI and suggest using PPAPI on Linux for DRM context. PPAPI ver 23 on Linux is not provided so apparently Adobe have no idea what they are doing ...
My guess: some crucial security fix which is just too difficult to backport to the ancient 11.2 code base. For this reason to make sense, there also has to be at least one gigantic paying customer or strategic partner who firmly insist on continued Linux support. This was already a necessary condition for the previous ongoing 11.2 patching, but now we know that the insisting customer is even bigger or more strategic than we might previously have imagined...
Using Ubuntu - Mate= lost the ability of the Netscape Browser to support Streaming Video..
Or, no NHK-TV, no NPR-TV, no streaming video of any kind.. HTML-5 stuff works ok..
a technical complaint to NHK-tv staff resulted in a reply last month= "they were looking into it'..
IMHO= global TV folks finally realized a large percentage of their audience couldn't view them..
Those same TV folks probably asked Adobe to "fix it'.. RS.