So I clicked that link, saw “open source” and went “Oh crap, there was an open way to write, compile and run Flash and we ditched it?!” But then I read on and r

So I clicked that link, saw “open source” and went “Oh crap, there was an open way to write, compile and run Flash and we ditched it?!” But then I read on and realized: No, this is an open source tool to compile C/C++ code to run on Flash, a closed-source runtime. Back in the 2000s when I was a teenager with virtually $0 in personal savings (I had the family computer, but no budget for buying professional software) I wished I could make the kinds of Flash games I played in the browser. The fact that Flash required expensive software (I wasn’t comfortable pirating software until I had my own computer that I could risk on my own) meant I couldn’t participate. I’m admittedly a bit jealous that today’s kids can get a programming environment set up for free (once they have a computer) and make games and whatnot that will run in the browser that they can share with their friends. But deep down I’m happy for them: The world of programming is deeply imperfect, but it’s better than it was when I was growing up, and that is in fact progress.