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Adobe's CEO [[Shantanu Narayen]] responded by saying, "If Flash [is] the number one reason that Macs crash, which I'm not aware of, it has as much to do with the Apple operating system."<sup>[http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/technology/shanerichmond/100005034/adobe-hits-back-at-apples-smokescreen/]</sup>
Adobe's CEO [[Shantanu Narayen]] responded by saying, "If Flash [is] the number one reason that Macs crash, which I'm not aware of, it has as much to do with the Apple operating system."<sup>[http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/technology/shanerichmond/100005034/adobe-hits-back-at-apples-smokescreen/]</sup>

Some have said Steve Jobs is rejecting Flash for other reasons. To quote ''Wired Magazine:''

<blockquote>Allowing Flash — which is a development platform of its own — would just be too dangerous for Apple, a company that enjoys exerting total dominance over its hardware and the software that runs on it. Flash has evolved from being a mere animation player into a multimedia platform capable of running applications of its own. That means Flash would open a new door for application developers to get their software onto the iPhone: Just code them in Flash and put them on a web page. In so doing, Flash would divert business from the App Store, as well as enable publishers to distribute music, videos and movies that could compete with the iTunes Store.<div align="right">&mdash; "Why Apple Won’t Allow Adobe Flash on iPhone," ''Wired Magazine,'' (2008) <http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2008/11/adobe-flash-on/></div></blockquote>


Despite 64-bit operating systems being mainstream for 5 years and the majority of PC's sold today running 64-bit Windows, Adobe still has not released or given any ETA on a release of Adobe Flash Player for 64-bit browsers, playing a part in holding back the use of 64-bit browsers. However, with the 64-bit preview release 10.2.161.22 in September 2010, this criticism is now being addressed.<ref>http://www.lehsys.com/2010/01/adobe-flash-player-continues-to-ignore-64-bit-users/</ref>
Despite 64-bit operating systems being mainstream for 5 years and the majority of PC's sold today running 64-bit Windows, Adobe still has not released or given any ETA on a release of Adobe Flash Player for 64-bit browsers, playing a part in holding back the use of 64-bit browsers. However, with the 64-bit preview release 10.2.161.22 in September 2010, this criticism is now being addressed.<ref>http://www.lehsys.com/2010/01/adobe-flash-player-continues-to-ignore-64-bit-users/</ref>

Revision as of 07:27, 6 January 2011

Adobe Flash Player
Developer(s)Adobe Systems (formerly by Macromedia)
Initial release1996
Stable release
Windows, macOS (China-specific variant)34.0.0.315[1] / June 11, 2024; 19 days ago (2024-06-11)[2]
Windows, macOS, Linux (Harman enterprise variant)50.x[3] / N/A
Linux (China-specific variant)34.0.0.137[4][5] / April 13, 2021; 3 years ago (2021-04-13)[2]
Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS (Global variant, excluding China)32.0.0.465[6] / December 8, 2020; 3 years ago (2020-12-08)[7]
Internet Explorer 11 and Edge Legacy (Embedded - Windows 8 and later)32.0.0.445[6] / October 13, 2020; 3 years ago (2020-10-13)[7]
Android 4.0.x11.1.115.81 / September 10, 2013; 10 years ago (2013-09-10)[7]
Android 2.x and 3.x11.1.111.73 / September 10, 2013; 10 years ago (2013-09-10)[7]
Solaris11.2.202.223 / March 28, 2012; 12 years ago (2012-03-28)[7]
Preview release
Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS32.0.0.380 Beta / May 14, 2020; 4 years ago (2020-05-14)[8]
Operating systemMicrosoft Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, Solaris, and Pocket PC
PlatformWeb browsers
Available inChinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Spanish, Korean, Turkish.[9]
TypeInterpreter, Media Player
LicenseProprietary freeware EULA
WebsiteAdobe Flash Player Homepage

The Adobe Flash Player is software for viewing animations and movies using computer programs such as a web browser. Flash Player is a widely distributed proprietary multimedia and application player created by Macromedia and now developed and distributed by Adobe after its acquisition. Flash Player runs SWF files that can be created by the Adobe Flash authoring tool, by Adobe Flex or by a number of other Macromedia and third party tools.

Adobe Flash, or simply Flash, refers to both a multimedia authoring program and the Adobe Flash Player, written and distributed by Adobe, that uses vector and raster graphics, a native scripting language called ActionScript and bidirectional streaming of video and audio. Strictly speaking, Adobe Flash is the authoring environment and Flash Player is the virtual machine used to run the Flash files, but in colloquial language these have become mixed: "Flash" can mean either the authoring environment, the player, or the application files.

Flash Player has support for an embedded scripting language called ActionScript (AS), which is based on ECMAScript. Since its inception, ActionScript has matured from a script syntax without variables to one that supports object-oriented code, and may now be compared in capability to JavaScript (another ECMAScript-based scripting language).

The Flash Player was originally designed to display 2-dimensional vector animation, but has since become suitable for creating rich Internet applications and streaming video and audio. It uses vector graphics to minimize file size and create files that save bandwidth and loading time. Flash is a common format for games, animations, and GUIs embedded into web pages.

The Flash Player is available as a plugin for recent versions of web browsers (such as Mozilla Firefox, SeaMonkey, Opera, and Safari) on selected platforms. The plugin is not required for Google Chrome any more since Google integrated Flash support into the Chrome browser. Adobe states that each version of the plugin is backwards-compatible, with the exception of security changes introduced in Version 10.[10]

Supported platforms

The latest version of Flash Player, Version 10, is available for Windows 2000 and newer, Linux, Solaris, Mac OS X and Android (with ARM Cortex-A8 processor only[11]). Version 9 is the most recent official version currently available for the Linux/ARM-based Nokia 770/N800/N810 Internet Tablets running Maemo OS2008, classic Mac OS and Windows 95/NT.[12][13] Version 10 can be run under Windows 95/98/Me using KernelEx. HP offers Version 6 of the player for HP-UX.[14] Other versions of the player have been available at some point for OS/2, Symbian OS, Palm OS, BeOS and IRIX.[15] The Kodak Easyshare One includes Flash Play. The Flash Player SDK was used to develop its on-screen menus, which are rendered and displayed using the included Flash Player.[16] Among other devices, LeapFrog Enterprises provides Flash Player with their Leapster Multimedia Learning System and extended the Flash Player with touch-screen support.[17] Sony has integrated Flash Player 6 into the PlayStation Portable's web browser via firmware version 2.70 and Flash Player 9 into the PlayStation 3's web browser in firmware version 2.50.[18] Nintendo has integrated Flash Lite 3.1, equivalent to Flash 8, in the Internet Channel on the Wii.

Adobe released an alpha version of Flash Player 10 for x86-64 Linux on the 17th November 2008. Adobe engineers have stated that 64-bit editions for all supported platforms are in development; alpha releases for Mac and Windows will come in future pre releases.[19] Adobe said it will optimize Flash for use on ARM architecture (ARMv6 and ARMv7 architectures used in the ARM11 family and the Cortex-A series of processors) and release it in the second half of 2009. The company also stated it wants to enable Flash on NVIDIA Tegra, Texas Instruments OMAP 3 and Samsung ARMs.[20][21] Beginning 2009, it was announced that Adobe would be bringing Flash to TV sets via Intel Media Processor CE 3100 before mid-2009.[22] Later on, ARM Holdings said it welcomes the move of Flash, because "it will transform mobile applications and it removes the claim that the desktop controls the Internet."[23] However, as of May 2009, the expected ARM/Linux netbook devices had poor support for Web video and fragmented software base.[24]

Although SWF has recently become an open format again, Adobe has not been willing to make complete source code available for free software development. The source code for the ActionScript Virtual Machine has been released as a project named Tamarin[25] under the terms of an MPL/GPL/LGPL tri-license. It includes the specification for the ActionScript byte code format. This project is jointly managed by Mozilla and Adobe. The full specification of the SWF format is available without restriction by Adobe[citation needed]. The free software players Gnash and Swfdec are quite incomplete at this time. However, because SWF is now an open format, the free players should achieve higher quality going forward as developers implement the official SWF specifications.

Mobile operating systems

Following table shows Flash Player support for mobile operating systems:

Mobile OS Latest Adobe Flash version
Android 10.1 (for Android 2.0 and later and only for devices with ARM Cortex-A8 processor)[26] [27]
iRiver U10 PMP (obsolete) Flash Lite 2[citation needed] (equivalent to Flash 7)
Maemo Flash 9.4[28]
PS3 Internet Browser Flash 9.1(update 3)[29] (available since firmware update 2.50 in NetFront 2.81 browser called: "Mozilla/5.0 (PLAYSTATION 3; 1.00)")
PSP Internet Browser Flash 6[29] (available since firmware update 2.70)
Symbian OS Flash Lite 3.1[30]
Wii Internet Channel Flash Lite 3.1[31]
Windows Mobile/Pocket PC Flash 7 (stand-alone apps v6)[32][33] and Flash Lite 3.1[citation needed] (equivalent to Flash 8). Flash Player 10.1(Windows Phone 7)

Privacy

See also: Local Shared Object

Flash Player supports persistent local storage of data (also referred to as local shared objects), which can be used similarly to HTTP cookies or Web Storage in web applications. Local storage in Flash Player allows websites to store non-executable data on a user's computer, such as authentication information, game high scores or saved games, server-based session identifiers, site preferences, saved work, or temporary files. Flash Player will only allow content originating from exactly the same website domain to access data saved in local storage.[34]

Because local storage can be used to save information on a computer that is later retrieved by the same site, a site can use it to gather user statistics, similar to how HTTP cookies and Web Storage can be used. With such technologies, the possibility of building a profile based on user statistics is considered by some a potential privacy concern. Users can disable or restrict use of local storage in Flash Player through a web-based "Settings Manager" page.[35] These settings can be accessed from the Adobe website or by right-clicking on Flash -based content and selecting "Global Settings..."

Local storage can be disabled entirely or on a site-by-site basis. Disabling local storage will block any content from saving local user information using Flash Player, but this may disable or reduce the functionality of some websites, such as saved preferences or high scores and saved progress in games. Due to exceptions generated by many flash applications when local storage is turned off, video may never appear, or the player may appear to crash due to the latest 3.x Firefox plugin container implementation.

Beginning with Flash Player 10.1, Flash Player supports the privacy mode settings in the latest versions of the Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Safari web browsers, such that no local storage data is saved when the browser's privacy mode is in use.[36]

Release history

  • Macromedia Flash Player 2 (1997)
    • Mostly vectors and motion, some bitmaps, limited audio
    • Support of stereo sound, enhanced bitmap integration, buttons, the Library, and the capability to tween color changes.
  • Macromedia Flash Player 3 (1998)
    • Added alpha transparency, licensed MP3 compression
    • Brought improvements to animation, playback, and publishing, as well as the introduction of simple script commands for interactivity.
  • Macromedia Flash Player 4 (May 1999)
    • Saw the introduction of streaming MP3s and the Motion Tween. Initially, the Flash Player plug-in was not bundled with popular web browsers and users had to visit Macromedia website to download it; As of 2000, however, the Flash Player was already being distributed with all AOL, Netscape and Internet Explorer browsers. Two years later it shipped with all releases of Windows XP. The install-base of the Flash Player reached 92 percent of all Internet users.
  • Macromedia Flash Player 5 (August 2000)
    • A major leap forward in capability, with the evolution of Flash's scripting capabilities as released as ActionScript.
    • Saw the ability to customize the authoring environment's interface.
    • Macromedia Generator was the first initiative from Macromedia to separate design from content in Flash files. Generator 2.0 was released in April 2001 and featured real-time server-side generation of Flash content in its Enterprise Edition. Generator was discontinued in 2002 in favor of new technologies such as Flash Remoting, which allows for seamless transmission of data between the server and the client, and ColdFusion Server.
    • In October 2000, usability guru Jakob Nielsen wrote a polemic article regarding usability of Flash content entitled "Flash 99% Bad". (Macromedia later hired Nielsen to help them improve Flash usability.)
  • Macromedia Flash Player 6 (version 6.0.21.0, codenamed Exorcist) (March 2002)
    • Support for the consuming Flash Remoting (AMF) and Web Service (SOAP)
    • Supports ondemand/live audio and video streaming (RTMP)
    • Support for screenreaders via Microsoft Active Accessibility
    • Added Sorenson Spark video codec for Flash Video[37]
    • Support for video, application components, shared libraries, and accessibility.
    • Macromedia Flash Communication Server MX, also released in 2002, allowed video to be streamed to Flash Player 6 (otherwise the video could be embedded into the Flash movie).
  • Macromedia Flash Player 7 (version 7.0.14.0, codenamed Mojo) (September 2003)
    • Supports progressive audio and video streaming (HTTP)
    • Supports ActionScript 2.0, an Object-Oriented Programming Language for developers
    • Ability to create charts, graphs and additional text effects with the new support for extensions (sold separately), high fidelity import of PDF and Adobe Illustrator 10 files, mobile and device development and a forms-based development environment. ActionScript 2.0 was also introduced, giving developers a formal Object-Oriented approach to ActionScript. V2 Components replaced Flash MX's components, being rewritten from the ground up to take advantage of ActionScript 2.0 and Object-Oriented principles.
    • In 2004, the "Flash Platform" was introduced. This expanded Flash to more than the Flash authoring tool. Flex 1.0 and Breeze 1.0 were released, both of which utilized the Flash Player as a delivery method but relied on tools other than the Flash authoring program to create Flash applications and presentations. Flash Lite 1.1 was also released, enabling mobile phones to play Flash content.
  • Macromedia Flash Player 8 (version 8.0.22.0, codenamed Maelstrom) (August 2005)
    • Support for runtime loading of GIF and PNG images
    • New video codec (On2 VP6)
    • Improved runtime performance and runtime bitmap caching
    • Live filters and blendmodes
    • File upload and download capabilities
    • New text-rendering engine, the Saffron Type System
    • ExternalAPI subsystem introduced to replace fscommand()
    • On December 3, 2005, Adobe Systems acquired Macromedia and its product portfolio (including Flash).[38]
  • Adobe Flash Player 9 (version 9.0.15.0, codenamed Zaphod) (June 2006) previously named Flash Player 8.5
    • New ECMAScript scripting engine, ActionScript Virtual Machine AVM2. AVM1 retained for compatibility.
    • Actionscript 3 via AVM2.
    • E4X, which is a new approach to parsing XML.
    • Support for binary sockets.
    • Support for Regular Expressions and namespaces.
    • ECMAScript 4 virtual machine donated to Mozilla Foundation and named Tamarin.
  • Adobe Flash Player 9 Update 1 (version 9.0.28.0, codenamed Marvin) (November 2006[39])
    • Support for full-screen mode.[40]
  • Adobe Flash Player 9 Update 2 (version Mac/Windows 9.0.47.0 and Linux 9.0.48.0, codenamed Hotblack) (July 2007)
    • Security Update
  • Adobe Flash Player 9 Update 3 (version 9.0.115.0, codenamed Moviestar or Frogstar) (December 2007)[41][42]
  • Adobe Flash Player 10 (version 10.0.12.36, codenamed Astro) (October 2008)
    • New Features
    • Enhanced Features
      • Larger bitmap support
      • Graphics drawing API
      • Context menu
      • Hardware acceleration
      • Anti-aliasing engine (Saffron 3.1)
      • Read/write clipboard access
      • WMODE
  • Adobe Flash Player 10.1 (version 10.1.53.64, codenamed Argo) (June 2010)
(version 10.1.82.76, codenamed Gala) (August 2010)

Criticism

In April 2010, Steve Jobs CEO of Apple Inc. published an open letter explaining why Apple wouldn't allow Flash on the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. One of the six reasons mentioned was security. Jobs wrote "Symantec recently highlighted Flash for having one of the worst security records in 2009."[43]

Adobe responded by pointing out that, in reality, "the Symantec Global Internet Threat Report for 2009 found that Flash Player had the second lowest number of vulnerabilities of all Internet technologies listed (which included both web plug-ins and browsers). This is significant when you consider that Flash Player is among the most widely distributed and used pieces of software in the world."[1]. Quoting directly from the report:

In 2009, Symantec documented 321 vulnerabilities affecting plug-ins for Web browsers (figure 9). ActiveX technologies were affected by 134 vulnerabilities, which was the highest among the plug-in technologies examined. Of the remaining technologies, Java SE had 84 vulnerabilities, Adobe Reader had 49 vulnerabilities, QuickTime had 27 vulnerabilities, and Adobe Flash Player was subject to 23 vulnerabilities. The remaining four vulnerabilities affected extensions for Firefox.

In the said article, Steve Jobs criticised the stability of the Flash Player, claiming that when one of Apple's Macintosh computers crashes, "more often than not" the cause can be attributed to Flash. Additionally, he labeled Flash as "buggy".[44]

Adobe's CEO Shantanu Narayen responded by saying, "If Flash [is] the number one reason that Macs crash, which I'm not aware of, it has as much to do with the Apple operating system."[2]

Some have said Steve Jobs is rejecting Flash for other reasons. To quote Wired Magazine:

Allowing Flash — which is a development platform of its own — would just be too dangerous for Apple, a company that enjoys exerting total dominance over its hardware and the software that runs on it. Flash has evolved from being a mere animation player into a multimedia platform capable of running applications of its own. That means Flash would open a new door for application developers to get their software onto the iPhone: Just code them in Flash and put them on a web page. In so doing, Flash would divert business from the App Store, as well as enable publishers to distribute music, videos and movies that could compete with the iTunes Store.

— "Why Apple Won’t Allow Adobe Flash on iPhone," Wired Magazine, (2008) <http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2008/11/adobe-flash-on/>

Despite 64-bit operating systems being mainstream for 5 years and the majority of PC's sold today running 64-bit Windows, Adobe still has not released or given any ETA on a release of Adobe Flash Player for 64-bit browsers, playing a part in holding back the use of 64-bit browsers. However, with the 64-bit preview release 10.2.161.22 in September 2010, this criticism is now being addressed.[45]

See also

Adobe Flash Player

Other

References and notes

  1. ^ "Adobe - Flash Player". flash.cn (in Simplified Chinese). Zhongcheng Network Technology Co., Ltd. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  2. ^ a b "_flash_install_packages_". flash.cn. Zhongcheng Network Technology Co., Ltd. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  3. ^ "ADOBE® FLASH® PLAYER ENTERPRISE SUPPORT". harman.com. Harman International. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  4. ^ "Flash Player官方下载中心". Flash (in Simplified Chinese). Flash.cn. Retrieved 2021-06-12.
  5. ^ "关于Linux操作系统下Flash Player个人版停用的公告". Flash (in Simplified Chinese). Flash.cn. 2021-05-10. Retrieved 2021-06-12.
  6. ^ a b "Adobe - Flash Player". Adobe.com. Adobe Systems. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  7. ^ a b c d e "Archived Flash Player versions". Adobe.com. Adobe Systems. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  8. ^ "Download Flash Player 32 Beta". labs.adobe.com. Adobe Systems. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
  9. ^ Flash Player Download Center
  10. ^ Understanding the security changes in Flash Player 10 - Setting data on the system Clipboard requires user interaction, Adobe Systems Developer Center
  11. ^ "Flash Player 10.1 – Installations and updates". Retrieved 2010-11-19.
  12. ^ http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/alternates/
  13. ^ http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/knowledgebase/index.cfm?id=d9c2fe33
  14. ^ http://www.hp.com/support/macromedia_software/
  15. ^ http://www.allbusiness.com/technology/computer-software/300738-1.html/
  16. ^ Macromedia - Flash Player SDK http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer_sdk/ (Taken 7 July 2006)
  17. ^ Adobe Success Story: LeapFrog Enterprises http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/showcase/index.cfm?event=casestudydetail&casestudyid=21019&loc=en_us (Taken 7 July 2006)
  18. ^ "New info on the firmware updates for PS3 and PSP". ThreeSpeech. 2008-10-14.
  19. ^ "Upcoming versions of 64-bit Windows and Mac versions of Flash Player". Adobe FAQ. 2008-11-21.
  20. ^ http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pressreleases/200811/111708ARMAdobeFlash.html
  21. ^ http://www.electronista.com/articles/08/11/17/adobe.flash.for.arm.in.2k9/
  22. ^ http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pressreleases/200901/010509IntelAdobePR.html
  23. ^ http://www.electronicsweekly.com/Articles/2008/05/02/43661/arm-welcomes-adobes-mobile-flash-move.htm
  24. ^ http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=216500372
  25. ^ http://www.mozilla.org/projects/tamarin/
  26. ^ http://blogs.adobe.com/flashplayer/2010/06/flash_player_101_for_mobile_is_live.html
  27. ^ "Flash Player 10.1 – Installations and updates". Retrieved 2010-11-19.
  28. ^ http://maemo.nokia.com/features/maemo-browser/
  29. ^ a b http://www.adobe.com/devnet/devices/psp.html
  30. ^ http://news.digitaltrends.com/news-article/19244/adobe-flash-lite-3-1-hits-symbian-wimo
  31. ^ http://www.joystiq.com/2009/09/01/wii-internet-channel-now-free-in-japan-and-europe-with-updated/
  32. ^ http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer_pocketpc/
  33. ^ http://www.adobe.com/mobile/supported_devices/pda.html
  34. ^ "What Is a Local Shared Object?". Adobe Systems. Retrieved 1 July 2010.
  35. ^ "Adobe Flash Player Settings Manager". Adobe Systems. Retrieved 1 July 2010.
  36. ^ "Private browsing in Flash Player 10". Adobe Systems. Retrieved 1 July 2010.
  37. ^ Macromedia, Inc. (2002-03-04) Macromedia and Sorenson Media bring video to Macromedia Flash content and applications, Retrieved on 2009-08-09
  38. ^ "Adobe Completes Acquisition of Macromedia". Adobe Systems. 2005-12-05. Retrieved 2007-06-18. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  39. ^ Emmy Huang: Flash Player 9 Update (9.0.28.0) release now available for Windows and Macintosh
  40. ^ Adobe - Developer Center : Exploring full-screen mode in Flash Player 9
  41. ^ Adobe press release: http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pressreleases/200712/120407adobemoviestar.html. Blog post from Emmy Huang, the Product Manager for Adobe Flash Player: http://weblogs.macromedia.com/emmy/archives/2007/12/flash_player_9_10.cfm
  42. ^ a b Adobe Systems Incorporated (2007-12-03) List of codecs supported by Adobe Flash Player, Retrieved on 2009-08-05
  43. ^ Steve Jobs (2010-04-29). "Thoughts on Flash". Apple. Retrieved 2010-05-09.
  44. ^ Cassella, Dena (2010-02-01). "Steve Jobs Unleashes His Fury During Town Hall Meeting". Retrieved 2010-02-22.
  45. ^ http://www.lehsys.com/2010/01/adobe-flash-player-continues-to-ignore-64-bit-users/

External links

Template:Flash players

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