Flash Player investing in a 3D future, plans coming in October
By Ross Miller 
posted July 8th 2010 8:21PM
posted July 8th 2010 8:21PM
posted July 8th 2010 8:21PM
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Adobe can't even get flash to work right on most of the platforms they 'support'. Hell, they don't even have a 64 bit version of flash ready (who saw 64 bit coming?). How am I supposed to believe their 3D efforts will be anything less than a complete screw up.
@teky
Really? Flash works perfectly fine for me. It works well on my phone, it works great on my laptop, and it works beautifully on my desktop. Maybe you did something wrong?
@okok only Apple Fanboys bought i
No, only stuff that doesn't work well.
BTW, I'm an android/open source guy...and Adobe's screwup of flash on Linux is one of the reasons they actually do suck.
@teky
Would be so nice and tell everyone how big is the 64bit browser share on the web?
As per Adobe's promises - they tend not to deliver. Both on time and features, so "meh" is the answer for this MAX presentation. However - they might hit the 3D jackpot with Flash Player 12 ;)
@Dafrety
Works fine on windows for me...on linux, it crashes all day and all night. They also decided that 64 bit was too hard. Not impressed.
@Dafrety
Well, maybe it works fine on Windows (32 bit only), but it definitely blows on linux...it crashes all the time on every version of linux I've tried it on (3 so far). They also cannot get a 64 bit version out on any platform to save their lives. This is not technical competence on display folks.
@teky Screwup of flash on linux? It works on Android no?
@asdef
I don't know...but if even MS can get their OS and browser ported to 64 bit, it can't be that hard to do.
Plus, believe it or not...people actually run more than 4 Gb on their machines now. Quoting todays statistics don't mean a whole lot when we all know that the 4Gb web-share isn't going to be around much longer.
@DrScope
Well...on froyo it does...but Android isn't linux...only the kernel is, and that is somewhat customized. Android has it's own libc. Adobe obviously pulled out all the stops to port to Android.
@teky I guess it depends on $. If it runs well on Android with minimal CPU and RAM it "should" run like a champ on anything better. Indeed Adobe failed then.
@DrScope
Well, fair point. They make money on tools, not the free flash.
Maybe the desktop is dead to them now. Android is the future and they are moving Air into the mobile phone space in a big way. That may be why they are lagging so bad on the desktop.
But anybody who thinks that the 64 bit market is unimportant is dreaming. They have blown it there and it will cost them. That is why Google is pushing both Flash and HTML5. Flash is short term and HTML5 is long term. They don't even have faith in Adobe in the long run. I can't blame them based on Adobe's track record.
@teky
So I must be missing something. I thought "Flash is teh suck" because it uses too much resources but now you're saying it sucks because it can't use more than 4 gigs of ram?
You realize that running a 32 bit app in a 64bit OS is standard fare, right? Or maybe you're using Linux, where the process for getting 32 bit apps to run on a 64 bit OS is back asswards.
@geoken
"So I must be missing something. I thought "Flash is teh suck" because it uses too much resources but now you're saying it sucks because it can't use more than 4 gigs of ram?"
Where did I say anything about using too many resources? It needs to run native 64 bit...so it can use more memory if you need or want that. Read better!
@geoken
"Or maybe you're using Linux, where the process for getting 32 bit apps to run on a 64 bit OS is back asswards."
How so?
@teky so how?
@1mc
Good one.
@teky
Hate to agree, but you have a point. Adobe's been too slow about fixing the player. Flash sucks on Linux, Mac support is poor (although that's partly apple's let's-not-let-the-app-acess-hardware policy to blame), and there's no 64 bit to speak of. Security holes abound in both flash player and reader. Fortunately, it's starting to look like google is pushing *hard* on adobe.
@teky ahem, i run 64bit only operating systems. runs perfect on windows 7 64bit. ran on my ubuntu 10.04 64bit, rand fine on my fedora 13 64bit. ran fine on my android, runs fine pretty much EVERYWHERE. since yoru on linux is probubly YOUR fault for installing it WRONG wich is pretty easy on linux. reinstall your os and TRY AGAIN.
@huskie fluff
Good for you... first, you aren't running native 64 bit on your Windows 7.
And if you think it runs great on Linux, you don't get around the web much.
But I don't even need that to prove my point...try this:
http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=127743
or this:
http://maximumitblips.dailyradar.com/story/the-adobe-flash-plugin-has-crashed/
Gee, why would Chromium and Firefox need a 'crash isolator' to protect the browser from Flash? Like you said, it's rock solid.
@teky who said rock solid, i said it ran fine. so go complain somewhere else tard.
@huskie fluff
Well you lost that one...and managed to do it as ungracefully as possible. Yeah, yeah, I know you didn't even bother to click the links either...they didn't make you feel better, did they?
@huskie fluff
BTW, genius, tards don't usually back up their idiotic fanboyism with links.
@teky
Flash better do something quick, or someday they'll be sucking... um...
@teky
Quite Agree. Poor Flash, I would love to like it but since Adobe got their hands on it its been sucking Hot Air. As in Adobe Air. Adobe invested all their time and talent and money we gave them to produce well, nothing.
Sorry folks, but Shockwave aka Director, already did super optimized, cross platform 3D in response to a high level language (read: OpenGL on OSX and DirectX9 on Windows) complete with Havok physics, the same power in today's best video games. But guess what? Adobe screwed that one up too trying to outsource it to India. Which isn't all that bad, except they lost the talent of Tom Higgins the creator of what should be today's best set of browser plugins, if not native browser functionality (he's now at Unity3D.com). Instead, the greed of Adobe decided to outsource Shockwave and ended up killing it. Why re-invent the wheel when you can always WASTE MONEY AND REINVENT THE WHEEL AT THE SAME TIME? Remember Acrobat 3D, didn't fly either. Here's a hint Adobe: instead of writing the same thing over and over, try communicating with your employees or is that too much to ask?
So now Adobe is triplicating their efforts once again with 3D in Flash and I suspect it will be as successful as Acrobat 3D and Shockwave 3D. Spread too thin to succeed. Or at best, it will reach the heights of VRML (smirk).
Flash3D will, at least, be as successful as Adobe AIR is doing as a replacement for .NET or Java for creating RIA. Because we all see the rush of RIA Adobe Air out there, don't we (more sarcasm)? LOL
Can't wait to see this on the iPad! :D Oh wait.... :(
@Will Ferrell all your frash R belong ...
@Will Ferrell
...as if it will be on any mobile platform?
@Will Ferrell
It will be.
I have frash on mine right now, and I'm sure Comex will update it when the time comes.
What a waste of effort. Flash is dying...
@Sofabutt
Oh really? News to me. Last I checked it was still hugely popular for many uses and installed on many computers and devices the world over. Do you have any suggestions for suitable replacements that can do even half of what Flash does?
@Sofabutt
I have a feeling that Steve Jobs had an influence on what you just said.
Just a hunch.
@Sofabutt
Says who, Steve Jobs? If anything 3D is crap and they shouldn't waste their effort but flash will be around for years to come.
@Sofabutt
I love comments like this. Here is what you need to do. Go to your 10 favorite websites. How many of them have flash content? Form an opinion on your own and stop drinking the apple kool-aid. I guarantee if Jobs hadn't attacked adobe in favor of HTML5 you wouldn't have said this. Classic marketing propaganda.
@Darkroom
I have a strong development background from AS1 up to AS3 in Flash. Over the last few years, I've been slowly using less and less of Flash to the point where I rarely use it anymore. It was trendy at one point (early 2000's) but the web has changed and progressed so much that the "majority" of the tasks that I needed from Flash before can now be done more effectively with Javascript, Ajax and HTML. Apple owns a large market share in the mobile market and now the tablet market and since it doesn't appear they are going to change their mind about Flash, it would probably be a good idea to start learning new alternatives such as HTML5 with Javascript. As a developer it's your responsibility to stay up to date with changes in demands, whether you agree with them or not. I'm not claiming that Flash will be dead but you should prepare to adapt to other technologies in case the market were to begin to demand less Flash as a result of emerging alternatives.
@HighestRanked2
Absolutely. Eventually Flash will fall out of common use. It's going to be an incredibly slow death though, and it won't begin until there's a better successor.
@HighestRanked2
And it's two years or more and a lot of arguments and disputes over standard codecs and DRM implementation away.
This is now.
@Dafrety
the new html5 youtube runs perrrrty good on my mobile device
you went a little crazy there by the way lets just move on, what can flash do better than html5?
@zerotwone Um well if you are a developer, you would understand that yes javascript is the answer to alot of the simple interactivities that many abuse with flash. But mobile performance? First of all, even simple javascript animations run like chod on the iPhone, canvas not being that much better. Being on an android device the java speeds are far better, and the flash performance is through the roof.
They all have their uses, and you would be naive to think otherwise. Perhaps in the company you work with your flash development has become less, but that certainly isnt true for the rest of the industry. Sure for 'emerging' technologies, but canvas certainly isnt that answer quite yet, if you have worked with it at all you'll know what I mean.
@zerotwone Oh and one other thing. It's pretty daft to think that because Apple has it in for flash the market will simply accept it; that won't happen, heck Apple's grip is loosening already whilst platforms like Android reap the reward of Apple's stifling behaviour.
@tricheboars
Sure, my top ten sites all have falsh content. But guess what... it is all commercials, and they are making my browser crash. So much for your top 10 dude. Face it, Flash is a dying piece of shit software, and god bless that.
@fpad77
My point was that (aside from performance), just making a website accessible and functional from all computers and mobile devices is critical to any client's business. This is why (contrary to your above claim) many of the largest agencies are turning to alternative technologies to develop new websites which are compatible with all devices and maximize their client's audience reach. As Apple's market share increases and they remain firm about their decision to not allow Flash on their devices – obviously staying primarily married to Flash as a developer could turn out to be a move that kills your career – that's my point.
I'm not supporting Apple's decision but this is reality. I don't mean to rain on anyone's parade here, however, all industry's are constantly changing and those who work in them must adapt as it happens – the others who choose not to can sometimes to get left behind.
I don't like the idea of 3D, I think its just a waste and that companies could be doing other things instead of investing in 3D.
I mean 3D may be cool for movies and what not, but damn guys I don't want 3D in EVERYTHING.
Next thing you know, you'll be seeing 3D cellphones....
I'm not knocking the technology but I personally wouldn't want to use it THAT MUCH. I'd use it for special occasions and what not.
However, I can't be too quick to judge either because the technology has alot of potential to evolve and a couple years from now, it could turn into something very interesting, who know?
@WastedxYears
*who knows*
@WastedxYears Are you thinking 3d as in pop out of the screen 3d? I'm pretty damn sure adobe is talking about realtime 3d graphics.... like on almost every videogame out right now. (you know... like polygons instead of 2d hand drawn animation)
@houkah
Yeah I'm talking about pop-out 3D like in the new TVs and the Nintendo DS.
The 3D you're talking about is amazing, like the graphics in games and such.
I'm talking about the cheesy movie effect...
@WastedxYears
But you might change your mind about 3D when you seen the Nintendo 3DS. I have hope for 3D but not in glasses.
hold ur breath till october and see what happens.
It all makes sense. Hopefully it will soon be a reality but can you imagine? A 3D android phone with gingerbread and flash 3D..Oh the possibilities. Suck on that apple. And lets face it...cell phones as advanced as they are today were a dream at one point. Fingers crossed!
I'm so sick of 3D.
Flash is dead, long live Flash!