Flash Player is open and SWF is documented
The core of Flash Player is the Tamarin Virtual Machine, which is an open source project under Mozilla. While the SWF file format is not fully open, it is documented by the community on osflash.org. Additionally, there are numerous open source products that read and write SWF files.
The Flash Player’s product direction has traditionally been heavily influenced by the community and their needs. The core language for Flash Player is an implementation of ECMAScript 262, which is the same specification for JavaScript. Flex also uses CSS for styling of components/applications.
Come save us HTML5 in 2022 AD
HTML5 has been in the works since 2004 and is still in “draft”. Its primary intent is to reduce the need for proprietary plug-ins (like Flash Player and Silverlight).
I can definitely see the benefit of not relying on a plug-in for multiple reasons. There is a concern if users will have the plug-in, but the bigger concern is vendor dependence. I think Adobe has the install base issue covered fairly well, yet it should still be a concern for locked down environments. To the bigger concern, I’d say that we already depend on companies like Apple and Microsoft quite heavily and that Adobe is far from a fledgling startup that would be considered very risky. Naturally, I understand to the concern and will help my clients choose the appropriate technology.
The reality is that HTML5 is not coming anytime soon
Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple, claims that “the world is moving to HTML5″. How is that going to happen Steve when Ian Hickson, editor of the HTML5 specification, expects the specification to reach the W3C Candidate Recommendation stage during 2012, and W3C Recommendation in the year 2022 or later?[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTML5]
Should we hold off development for a few years while Google (Ian works at Google) finishes the specifications?
Finally, how many different implementations of HTML5 do you think there will be?. There will most likely still be cross browser compatibility issues to deal with.
Flash Player and Silverlight
I’ll sticking with vendor dependence that I can use now over incomplete technology with potential compatibility nightmares any day!
Your opinion is understandable, considering your long relationship with Adobe. Having spent most of the morning trying to troubleshoot an all-Flash site, I have different opinions. Web developers want to use HTML5 for a lot more reasons that as a Flash substitute – and we are confidently starting to use many elements of it now. See the browser report at http://caniuse.com/#agents=All&eras=past,now,near,far&cats=All&alts=j&statuses=rec,pr,cr,wd
Correct, I do have a long relationship with Flash Player (RIAs built using Adobe Flex), but an even longer relationship with web development. I would also say that it is hard to lump all Flash content together since Flex-based applications are significantly different than traditional Flash Pro content.
My point in this post wasn’t that HTML5 is not warranted or even useful, but that it is no more risk averse than any other technology. And since HTML5 is still not complete, despite what Steve Jobs says, I would put money on it that the browser manufacturers end up creating their own versions of HTML5 thus perpetuating the cross browser saga.
It doesn’t mapper if its open or not.
There are documents on the web and we want to read them. Thus we have to use it.
@Bill, I think you are referring to Acrobat Reader, which is not Flash Player. But since both are fairly ubiquitous I can understand the frustration.
As a developer of these technologies, I also understand our clients desire to provide a better experience to their users. For comparison, look at a few sites like http://www.elitchgardens.com vs. http://disney.go.com, the experience is much more rich at Disney.com. Then look at an email or web page that you’ve printed vs. a PDF, again the look and polish of the content is much more controlled.
These are the things our clients want, which is why plug-ins exists and HTML5 is being developed. As far as I know, HTML5 does not plan to be a replacement for PDF (anyone read the spec?).
It seems more like profits are the primary driver of this decision not to allow Flash on the iPad or the iPhone. Flash applications, including business applications can be developed on inexpensive hardware and with relatively inexpensive tools. In addition there are countless thousands of small groups of UI designers and Coders that could be adding substantive applications to both devices now.
But once you do the Math and if you realize that Math has to favor Apple then it becomes easier to understand why this HTML5 argument is being used in place of the real reason: Profits.
After looking into what it takes to develop apps for both devices, I realized one should have the latest Mac Hardware and O/S. That is sale number one that can run $600 to $1000.00 with an unknown amount of gross profit for Apple. The second component for a developer is buying one or both of the output devices. That can mean an additional $700-$1200 In revenue not to mention monthly connections costs.
Then there is the $99 fee to Apple if one develops for the App store or an even higher fee if one is developing for the enterprise.
While there are some ways to develop on the PC one still has to buy JavaScript foundations, the target devices and ultimately a VM with the latest Mac OS or a Mac PC to run it. Once all that is in hand in whatever variation one can afford, then there is small matter of the learning curve on the Mac OS for PC users and a the lower Level programming language of C Objective. This is not like learning action script, Ajax, or Java script and say ColdFusion or PHP for calls to a server to connect to a database.
This is the language the Mac OSX apps are developed as I understand it. That means books , time ( what’s more expensive than time?) and the hope that sufficient skills can be developed to write an application that rises somewhat about the level of iFart.
Although there is no evidence of it now, does anyone believe for a second that Apple isn’t looking at and/or developing a software application similar to Microsoft’s expensive Visual Studio to enhance the profits? This is where the real money lies outside of the huge profits the devices themselves are already generating. That takes out Flash Professional and some of the lighter development tools for Flash and hands the hardware and the software profits to Apple for every developer who has been off shored or had their prices driven into the mud, to spend a huge amount of upfront money when lower level programming skills may be beyond them.
That’s what I saw. This has absolutely nothing to do with HTML 5 in my opinion, and everything to do with Apple closing the development circle with its own set of software tools that can be sold with the Mac PCs and the target devices along with training, books, and some commission off the monthly connection fees
I would venture to guess that much discussed Halo effect of iPhone and related products owes quite a bit to Developers having to buy Apple Hardware to develop apps for Apple Hardware.
No software developer can ignore the rising user base of Apple’s consumer products or the potential for enterprise use. Someone once said that Steve Jobs is more of a monopolist than Bill Gates. Bill is a tough act to beat. But judging from the relative parity of each companies market cap, I’d say the stakes are getting very high for Apple to continue to produce earnings growth that justifies their lofty valuation. To double the stock from here means going to a half a billion dollar market cap. That is reminiscent of Microsoft and Cisco in the days of dotcoms.
HTML 5 has absolutely nothing to do with it while making money now has everything to do with it. Letting Adobe in the door is the last thing Apple wants right now. Not because of some “security issues” , but because of the profits that can be had now, not in 2012 or 2018. No public company can afford to think in those time frames not with Wall Street watching every move Apple makes to see if there is some hole in its armor or Steve Job’s. That’s what you get when you hit the top. He is looking at best 6 months from now. Let’s see what new software gets released between now and then. That should be a good “tell” on whether HTML 5 has anything whatsoever to do about Apple’s decision making process. Give this 6 months to play out.
You are making a big confusion, flash formats, protocols and other might be “open”. But the flash player itself is not open, YOU are NOT ALLOWED to create software that renders SWFs(if this would be true, then every mobile company would develop its own FlashPlayer without paying Adobe a dime)
Obscure projects like Gnash exist, but try asking Adobe if those projects are legal in their view
@confusion
Correct, the actual player is not open but the ActionScript virtual machine running in the player is open source. This would be the equivalent of WebKit in Safari. But you don’t build content to Safari, you build it to WebKit, the same way you would create Flash content for the ActionScript virtual machine.
Additionally, I’m not aware of any restrictions on rendering a SWF and there are several applications that do render SWF. Besides, why would you create another player if Flash Player is already everywhere?. You would only do this if you were say… Microsoft. Enter Silverlight. Consequently, Flash has gotten better with the competition.
Of course, all of this information is posted on the Adobe web site.
Thanks for the anonymous post though.
@confusion, I’d also like you to elaborate on your point. Adobe dropped the licensing restrictions on SWFs in 2008. Mobile companies are encouraged to create their own Flash players under the Open Screen Project. Adobe don’t make a dime off the Flash player – they sell the developer tools.