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We are working on fixing this problem "the right way" by virtualizing the x86 Flash plugin in WebAssembly. For more info see here: https://medium.com/leaningte

We are working on fixing this problem "the right way" by virtualizing the x86 Flash plugin in WebAssembly. For more info see here: https://medium.com/leaningtech/preserving-flash-content-with-webassembly-done-right-eb6838b7e36f https://medium.com/leaningtech/preserving-flash-content-with... https://medium.com/leaningtech/preserving-flash-content-with-webassembly-done-right-eb6838b7e36f https://medium.com/leaningtech/preserving-flash-content-with...

cupofjoakim 6y ago
First time I hear about this and it brought a smile to my face. I'm one of those "web assembly sounds great, but when am I actually supposed to use it"-guys, but this use case is so perfect and makes me really happy. We forget that flash games wasn't just a way to pass time, it's now also a part of internet culture that, without people like you, will go lost forever. HUGE props if you pull this off.
mcphage 6y ago
> Redistributing the Flash binary is not normally allowed, so we are going to directly download it over HTTP the first time our system is started. How will this work when Adobe stops distributing the Flash installer?
- traverseda 6y ago
  Maybe get archive.org to handle it? My understanding is that they have some pretty good legal counsel, so that's something they might be cool with?
  - paulryanrogers 6y ago
    Security is another concern. Unless WebAssembly itself is immune
- apignotti 6y ago
  Since we wrote the post we started discussing with the appropriate parties to solve the licensing issues.
bogwog 6y ago
Is "the right way" in quotes because it's sarcasm? This is a really cool idea, but very impractical. I think most would agree that "the right way" would be to port the game to HTML5, either using straight JS or a technology like Haxe and OpenFL.
- apignotti 6y ago
  We believe this is "the right way" since it's the only possible way of _accurately_ preserve all Flash content.
  - bogwog 6y ago
    It's certainly not the only way. It's just a more convenient alternative to running Flash player locally and downloading SWFs. The convenience is definitely a major improvement to the process, but it could potentially end up in a legal gray area after Adobe stops distributing their binaries.
- FriendlyNormie 6y ago
  You’re an absolute moron for posting this.
- Sophistifunk 6y ago
  This is a pipe dream, as Flash has capabilities you just don't get in HTML+JS without writing an entire VM, such as text metrics and weak references.
  - pjmlp 6y ago
    Hence WebAssembly + WebGL/WebGPU.
    - zwetan 6y ago
      WebAssembly not gonna give you access to syscall that are simply not there in the Web API

cupofjoakim 6y ago

First time I hear about this and it brought a smile to my face. I'm one of those "web assembly sounds great, but when am I actually supposed to use it"-guys, but this use case is so perfect and makes me really happy. We forget that flash games wasn't just a way to pass time, it's now also a part of internet culture that, without people like you, will go lost forever. HUGE props if you pull this off.

mcphage 6y ago

> Redistributing the Flash binary is not normally allowed, so we are going to directly download it over HTTP the first time our system is started. How will this work when Adobe stops distributing the Flash installer?

traverseda 6y ago
Maybe get archive.org to handle it? My understanding is that they have some pretty good legal counsel, so that's something they might be cool with?
- paulryanrogers 6y ago
  Security is another concern. Unless WebAssembly itself is immune
apignotti 6y ago
Since we wrote the post we started discussing with the appropriate parties to solve the licensing issues.

bogwog 6y ago

Is "the right way" in quotes because it's sarcasm? This is a really cool idea, but very impractical. I think most would agree that "the right way" would be to port the game to HTML5, either using straight JS or a technology like Haxe and OpenFL.

apignotti 6y ago
We believe this is "the right way" since it's the only possible way of _accurately_ preserve all Flash content.
- bogwog 6y ago
  It's certainly not the only way. It's just a more convenient alternative to running Flash player locally and downloading SWFs. The convenience is definitely a major improvement to the process, but it could potentially end up in a legal gray area after Adobe stops distributing their binaries.
FriendlyNormie 6y ago
You’re an absolute moron for posting this.
Sophistifunk 6y ago
This is a pipe dream, as Flash has capabilities you just don't get in HTML+JS without writing an entire VM, such as text metrics and weak references.
- pjmlp 6y ago
  Hence WebAssembly + WebGL/WebGPU.
  - zwetan 6y ago
    WebAssembly not gonna give you access to syscall that are simply not there in the Web API