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It's neat, but it ain't killing Flash for a long, long, long time, even in theory. 1. Timing loops are absolutely useless in most browsers. Stable 30fps is all

It's neat, but it ain't killing Flash for a long, long, long time, even in theory. 1. Timing loops are absolutely useless in most browsers. Stable 30fps is all but impossible, and forget about 60fps. 2. GC pauses are abysmal and very frequent in FF. 3. Even with putImageData, you can't currently blit more than about 100x100 on a core2duo. 4. For most people, a large use of Flash is as an embedded video codec, which canvas isn't going to be able to touch. Of course, these could eventually be fixed, but I think Adobe's smart enough to make sure that Flash doesn't stand still.

jrockway 17y ago
Of course, these could eventually be fixed, but I think Adobe's smart enough to make sure that Flash doesn't stand still. Flash has the same problem as IE -- nobody upgrades it, so you can't use new features unless you have something very cool to offer. (YouTube may convince people to upgrade Flash, but your advertisement sure isn't going to.) Anyway, Flash's big advantage is its IDE. A non-programmer can produce simple animations... and I don't think that's possible yet with Processing + JS. The performance issue is not too worrying -- the new JavaScript VMs should make this problem go away. It would also be possible for browsers to support most video formats natively, and allow JavaScript to control the playback.
- pavlov 17y ago
  Flash has the same problem as IE -- nobody upgrades it, so you can't use new features unless you have something very cool to offer. Adobe's census claims that Flash Player 10 reached over 70% penetration just five months after its release (last November): http://www.adobe.com/products/player_census/flashplayer/version_penetration.html http://www.adobe.com/products/player_census/flashplayer/vers...
  - kierank 17y ago
    Also the "Express Install" feature makes it very simple to upgrade now: http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flashplayer/articles/express_install/express_install_experience.html http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flashplayer/articles/express_ins...
- ashot 17y ago
  Flash has the same problem as IE -- nobody upgrades it I know someone else replied to this, but just had to add my 2 cents here. This is in fact flash's biggest advantage: how quickly they are able to push new versions out to 98% install penetration. The only cross-platform development environment in the world which has the luxury to consistently push out new features on a yearly basis. As long as there are new features to be pushed flash will have a space. Though that is a question, what is left? They are running out. Perhaps hardware accelerated 3d.

jrockway 17y ago

Of course, these could eventually be fixed, but I think Adobe's smart enough to make sure that Flash doesn't stand still. Flash has the same problem as IE -- nobody upgrades it, so you can't use new features unless you have something very cool to offer. (YouTube may convince people to upgrade Flash, but your advertisement sure isn't going to.) Anyway, Flash's big advantage is its IDE. A non-programmer can produce simple animations... and I don't think that's possible yet with Processing + JS. The performance issue is not too worrying -- the new JavaScript VMs should make this problem go away. It would also be possible for browsers to support most video formats natively, and allow JavaScript to control the playback.

pavlov 17y ago
Flash has the same problem as IE -- nobody upgrades it, so you can't use new features unless you have something very cool to offer. Adobe's census claims that Flash Player 10 reached over 70% penetration just five months after its release (last November): http://www.adobe.com/products/player_census/flashplayer/version_penetration.html http://www.adobe.com/products/player_census/flashplayer/vers...
- kierank 17y ago
  Also the "Express Install" feature makes it very simple to upgrade now: http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flashplayer/articles/express_install/express_install_experience.html http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flashplayer/articles/express_ins...
ashot 17y ago
Flash has the same problem as IE -- nobody upgrades it I know someone else replied to this, but just had to add my 2 cents here. This is in fact flash's biggest advantage: how quickly they are able to push new versions out to 98% install penetration. The only cross-platform development environment in the world which has the luxury to consistently push out new features on a yearly basis. As long as there are new features to be pushed flash will have a space. Though that is a question, what is left? They are running out. Perhaps hardware accelerated 3d.