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Flash is a technology that had it's best days in PC era. Probably noone can imagine YouTube or banner ads without Flash technology nowdays, but new devices are

Flash is a technology that had it's best days in PC era. Probably noone can imagine YouTube or banner ads without Flash technology nowdays, but new devices are coming to market where Flash isn't best choice anymore. Just as floppy disks served world in it's days but are now replaced with USB keys or broadband connections and clouds storages so it looks like Flash had it's days and will be replaced by other solutons (like H.264 codec). Putting Flash on Android tablets seems like they want to compete "has flash" VS. iPad's "does not have Flash", but that doesn't really serve to users. It goes the way nature has invented long time ago and it's called evolution - where old dies (even very best of it's time) away and new takes over.

nailer 16y ago
Agreed. I've had two Android phones in a row with 'full flash' support, they were both more responsive with Flash uninstalled. Regardless of what Adobe says, Flash does not work on mobile devices as of 2011.
- zsouthboy 16y ago
  I call bullshit. If you have flash disabled or set on-demand in your browser preferences, there is no change in the overall speed or responsiveness of your device, in comparison to flash not being installed.
  - nailer 16y ago
    I left flash enabled. Obviously disabling would do the same as uninstalling. Go read the HN guidelines, too BTW.
mattmanser 16y ago
Usually you replace an encumbent technology with a better version rather than taking ten steps back. Evolution is about progress, not regression. The truth is, Adobe's engineering incompetence aside, Flash is a lot, lot better to make programs with than HTML5. Silverlight is a lot, lot better to make programs with than HTML5. Java, C#, Python, Ruby, C++ are all, as a whole, a lot, lot better programming languages than Javascript. Imagine replacing DVDs with 8 tracks. That's what's happening. It's a perverse scenario, but I can't understand how you can say that it's evolution, evolution is about progress, not regression. It's Adobe's own fault for neglecting the Mac and Linux for so long, crashing browsers, etc., added with the general menace that PDFs are too and Silverlight was just too late, but let's not pretend the technology's better. It's pretty pathetic and the snail's pace progress of html5 is embarrassing. And where's ECMAScript 5? What the hell has happened to that, it seems to have dropped off the planet!
- valjavec 16y ago
  Horses were replaced not by faster horses, but by cars. Trains were not replaced by faster trains, but by airplanes. Good First class travel experience from Europe to Australia will not be replaced by Excelent First class experience, but rather by Suborbital flight (even without meal) which will bring you there in 2hours.
- mayank 16y ago
  > The truth is, Adobe's engineering incompetence aside, Flash is a lot, lot better to make programs with than HTML5. Silverlight is a lot, lot better to make programs with than HTML5. Java, C#, Python, Ruby, C++ are all, as a whole, a lot, lot better programming languages than Javascript. Your comment isn't very coherent. -- Other than the fact that "better" is entirely subjective, how many modern web applications in widespread use are based on Flash rather than JS+HTML5? Gmail, facebook, twitter, google docs: no flash. Youtube: flash only for the video codec, not functionality. -- "ActionScript is a dialect of ECMAScript": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ActionScript http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ActionScript So what language features were you thinking of that make ActionScript/Flash better than Javascript? -- Security holes in Flash vs. HTML5? hmm... -- HTML5 on 64bit Linux? Check. Flash? still buggy.
zyb09 16y ago
The problem is I have yet to see a livestream solution, that isn't based on Flash. I watch soccer and starcraft livestreams quite often, and also did so on my Android in the subway. On a tablet that what be a must have for me.
- dave84 16y ago
  This is Apple's solution: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP_Live_Streaming http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP_Live_Streaming
  - moxiemk1 16y ago
    I haven't seen it get used very often, but during SJ keynotes, they have been using this. When I watched, it delivered really high quality video, and managed to stay way smoother than any flash stream I've ever seen under presumably heavy load. Granted, Apple probably throws a lot of hardware at those events in order to make the tech. look good. So, not an objective appraisal by any means, but it's worked well for me.

nailer 16y ago

Agreed. I've had two Android phones in a row with 'full flash' support, they were both more responsive with Flash uninstalled. Regardless of what Adobe says, Flash does not work on mobile devices as of 2011.

zsouthboy 16y ago
I call bullshit. If you have flash disabled or set on-demand in your browser preferences, there is no change in the overall speed or responsiveness of your device, in comparison to flash not being installed.
- nailer 16y ago
  I left flash enabled. Obviously disabling would do the same as uninstalling. Go read the HN guidelines, too BTW.

mattmanser 16y ago

Usually you replace an encumbent technology with a better version rather than taking ten steps back. Evolution is about progress, not regression. The truth is, Adobe's engineering incompetence aside, Flash is a lot, lot better to make programs with than HTML5. Silverlight is a lot, lot better to make programs with than HTML5. Java, C#, Python, Ruby, C++ are all, as a whole, a lot, lot better programming languages than Javascript. Imagine replacing DVDs with 8 tracks. That's what's happening. It's a perverse scenario, but I can't understand how you can say that it's evolution, evolution is about progress, not regression. It's Adobe's own fault for neglecting the Mac and Linux for so long, crashing browsers, etc., added with the general menace that PDFs are too and Silverlight was just too late, but let's not pretend the technology's better. It's pretty pathetic and the snail's pace progress of html5 is embarrassing. And where's ECMAScript 5? What the hell has happened to that, it seems to have dropped off the planet!

valjavec 16y ago
Horses were replaced not by faster horses, but by cars. Trains were not replaced by faster trains, but by airplanes. Good First class travel experience from Europe to Australia will not be replaced by Excelent First class experience, but rather by Suborbital flight (even without meal) which will bring you there in 2hours.
mayank 16y ago
> The truth is, Adobe's engineering incompetence aside, Flash is a lot, lot better to make programs with than HTML5. Silverlight is a lot, lot better to make programs with than HTML5. Java, C#, Python, Ruby, C++ are all, as a whole, a lot, lot better programming languages than Javascript. Your comment isn't very coherent. -- Other than the fact that "better" is entirely subjective, how many modern web applications in widespread use are based on Flash rather than JS+HTML5? Gmail, facebook, twitter, google docs: no flash. Youtube: flash only for the video codec, not functionality. -- "ActionScript is a dialect of ECMAScript": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ActionScript http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ActionScript So what language features were you thinking of that make ActionScript/Flash better than Javascript? -- Security holes in Flash vs. HTML5? hmm... -- HTML5 on 64bit Linux? Check. Flash? still buggy.

zyb09 16y ago

The problem is I have yet to see a livestream solution, that isn't based on Flash. I watch soccer and starcraft livestreams quite often, and also did so on my Android in the subway. On a tablet that what be a must have for me.

dave84 16y ago
This is Apple's solution: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP_Live_Streaming http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP_Live_Streaming
- moxiemk1 16y ago
  I haven't seen it get used very often, but during SJ keynotes, they have been using this. When I watched, it delivered really high quality video, and managed to stay way smoother than any flash stream I've ever seen under presumably heavy load. Granted, Apple probably throws a lot of hardware at those events in order to make the tech. look good. So, not an objective appraisal by any means, but it's worked well for me.