Adobe Responds to Steve Jobs' 'Lazy' Comments
Flash won't be replaced by HTML5 anytime soon, according to this CTO.
Earlier this month Steve Jobs made headlines when he declared that Google's "Don’t Be Evil!" motto was a load of crap and Adobe was just plain lazy. Now, Adobe doesn’t take kindly to that kind of talk and on Tuesday, CTO Kevin Lynch took to the Adobe blog to discuss the future of Flash.
Beginning with the snide snipe, "Some have been surprised at the lack of inclusion of Flash Player on a recent magical device," Lynch published a blog post defending Flash, which Steve Jobs said was pretty much dead anyway. According to Jobs, Flash will soon be obsolete because, "the world is moving toward HTML5."
Lynch points out that over 85 percent of the top web sites contain Flash content and Flash runs on over 98 percent of computers on the Web. "It is used for the majority of casual games, video, and animation on the Web and familiar brands like Nike, Hulu, BBC, Major League Baseball, and more rely on Flash to deliver the most compelling experiences to over a billion people," he writes.
Lynch also disagrees with the notion that soon HTML5 will replace Flash. "Some point to HTML as eventually supplanting the need for Flash," he writes, adding that he doesn't see it happening in the foreseeable future. Mr. Lynch claims that users and content creators could be 'thrown back to the dark ages of video on the web' if faced with the compatibility issues of HTML5.
"Adobe supports HTML and its evolution and we look forward to adding more capabilities to our software around HTML as it evolves. If HTML could reliably do everything Flash does that would certainly save us a lot of effort, but that does not appear to be coming to pass. Even in the case of video, where Flash is enabling over 75% of video on the Web today, the coming HTML video implementations cannot agree on a common format across browsers, so users and content creators would be thrown back to the dark ages of video on the Web with incompatibility issues."
And, in contrast to Steve's statement about Adobe being 'lazy' and not doing enough with its potential, Lynch says:
"We have shown that Flash technology is starting to work on these [Apple] devices today by enabling standalone applications for the iPhone to be built on Flash … This same solution will work on the iPad as well."
According to Lynch Adobe is ready to enable Flash in the browser on these devices "if and when Apple chooses to allow that for its users," but to date Adobe has not had the required cooperation from Apple to make this happen.
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If only did the big companies like Apple and Google both allowed to use OGG as the HTML5 issue, Flash video really would be extinct and said standard would be in the forefront. However, Apple really needs to wake up and put Flash into its products. I can't think of a computer or device that I use that doesn't have Flash. Hell even typing on this Macbook I have Flash installed...
Yeah, no flash is a deal-breaker. It's why I don't run Linux on and therefore get little use of my iBook G4s, although Adobe is squarely to blame in this case.
""According to Lynch Adobe is ready to enable Flash in the browser on these devices "if and when Apple chooses to allow that for its users," but to date Adobe has not had the required cooperation from Apple to make this happen.""
I believe this... Apple SUX!
I don't see how someone would be able to surf the internet without having Flash. It's used all over the place.
Yup. I have flash on the macbook I'm typing on. The tables have turned. I don't think Adobe is the lazy one here...
I think its the other way around; Apple is the "lazy" one
Apple = Nazi
Jobs = Hilter
There I said it, now we don't have to wait for the Godwin's Law to come into play.
That's what I just said. Apple is the lazy one..? What I was saying is that I have flash on my macbook, I don't see why Apple can't integrate flash into the ipad.
Silicon Jesus, I amy running Linux with Flash and have had no trouble. When was the last time you tried Linux???
Apple might be more inclined to enable Flash on mobile devices if 90%+ of the Safari crash reports they receive weren't from the Flash plugin shitting the bed. Perhaps Adobe should try making a plugin that doesn't constantly fail and/or eat a core and change worth of CPU just to play video.
Well, most of the crash reports were from running the PPC Flash plugin on Intel macs. I have a mac and flash, and they work just fine. Shockwave player (a component of flash I believe? :| ) is buggy, without a doubt.
Steve Jobs is the only reason Apple is still a company (well that and ridicolous monopoly charges on microsoft). Steve Jobs is a business genius.
That being said... this is kinda hard to believe that he would say something so stupid. I want everyone to pay close attention to what I am about to say (I am a computer science major 3rd year so i know a little bit of what i'm talking about).
Coming out with superiour software DOES NOT mean that the older software is obselute!!!
Its just that simple ladies and gentlemen. Flash has dug its nails DEEP into our web life, and removing it will be a PAINFUL experience. I do beleive flash's days are numbered, but come on, there is no way it will go away anytime soon. Video sites, online games, and other useful browsing features will have to be completely rewritten.
If any of you have worked in retail, you will know that most stores use archaic technology in their systems. Do they use this technology because they have no otehr choice? No. They use it because it works, and thats enough for them.
The only catalyst that I can forsee finishing off flash is its lack of security. But even that is not a big enough factor to overthrow the web giant in time to save Steve Jobs from some serious humiliation.
While it's silly Apple won't allow flash on the iPad, Jobs was right when he called Adobe lazy. They're not maintaining flash at all - they're just sitting on their cash cow.
Will flash always be around? Yes.
Will flash eventually be overrun by HTML5? Probably. 64-bit systems have been around for years and years but there still isn't 64-bit flash. Unless Adobe does a 180 and starts keeping their product up to date with current technology, it will be replaced.
Apple is afraid that if they would allow Flash support in the iPhone/iPod/iPad, then users will download free games and other flash based software, which will reduce The Steve Jobs Cut (=the margin they keep on the stuff sold on iTunes)
That's what I just said. Apple is the lazy one..? What I was saying is that I have flash on my macbook, I don't see why Apple can't integrate flash into the ipad.
but can u use flash on your iphone/ipad? nope. yes obviously u can use flash on your macbook, if u couldn't i bet you wouldn't have a macbook or just would avoid the interwebs
Apple might be more inclined to enable Flash on mobile devices if 90%+ of the Safari crash reports they receive weren't from the Flash plugin shitting the bed. Perhaps Adobe should try making a plugin that doesn't constantly fail and/or eat a core and change worth of CPU just to play video.
Apple should build a better browser, considering flash works fine with firefox, ie, and chrome.
@Silicon Jesus
Explain to me how "Adobe is squarely to blame in this case." Isn't it Apple who won't let Flash work on their devices? As stated, Adobe is completely ready to adopt the iPhone/iPad into Flash, but Apple won't cooperate because it believes its "dated software" which happens to be on "85% of top websites" and hosts "75% of all internet videos." Did you even read the article?
Apple might be more inclined to enable Flash on mobile devices if 90%+ of the Safari crash reports they receive weren't from the Flash plugin shitting the bed. Perhaps Adobe should try making a plugin that doesn't constantly fail and/or eat a core and change worth of CPU just to play video.
If that was true (which its NOT), it would point out shortcomings with Safari, since even the POS IE6 doesn't crash from Flash very often.
If HTML could reliably do everything Flash does that would certainly save us a lot of effort, but that does not appear to be coming to pass.
So instead of being lazy, Adobe is wistfully yearning to be lazy.
Here we go again. The first consumer based 64bit x 86 based processor was released by AMD in 2003. Yet in 2010 we still don't have a 64bit adobe flash. While many see adobe as simply a plugin that allows us to view video online, it’s also responsible for those silly little web adds we're constantly bombarded with nearly every mouse click, or any number of client crashes and security vulnerabilities in many web browsers. The author states “85 percent of the top web sites contain Flash content and Flash runs on over 98 percent of computers on the Web.” Accepting this as true would mean Adobe has a monopoly on the flash market. I don’t think a monopoly bodes well for any of us that simply want to surf the web, free of all the annoying advertisements. While I applaud Steve Jobs for not using flash in its devices, because it spurns competition to adobe flash, (i.e. HTML) I also call Jobs “on the carpet” for its closed platform and locking customers into the App store. In short, I’m a strong advocate of keeping the internet free and open and not turning it into one big advertising medium, and always allowing users to have choice as to what technology they use as they navigate the internet and not being locked into the App Store, Adobe Flash or anything else.
Jobs is at least partially right. Adobe IS lazy. Where's the x64 version of Flash? Are they waiting for computers to go 128-bit?
Adobe is lazy be corporate decision. they bought out Macromedia, put Flash in their own installer, (which didn't work right) instead of using Macromedia's, then blamed MS for Flash 9 not installing correctly. They went on and on how it was MS's fault, yet other addons installed just fine without problems like this. It finally took MS writing a "patch" that reduced registry security before Flash 9 would install correctly on some machines, which opened up the system to all sorts of malware installations. If Adobe had actually put in the effort to make an installer, like so many other companies did, that worked with Windows Registry security, it would have been done sooner and better for all Windows users. I hate Adobe. They are lazy, money grubbing idiots. The don't fix their problems, they just whine until someone else adjusts to their ways, which is usually to the detriment of everyone else. As a support tech for nearly 13 years, I've had it with both Adobe (their PDF reader and Flash player) and Apple (with their stupid Quicktime, taking over default player for all sorts of formats without asking, mega-intrusive installer, and non-functional uninstaller).
Haha; if all Adobe wanted was money they would implement a stronger security system on their CS suites, yet those programs are constantly cracked
http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/000/6b3af6c9.html
Yes, no 64bit support, yet.
Adobe is working on Flash Player support for 64-bit platforms as part of our ongoing commitment to the cross-platform compatibility of Flash Player. We expect to provide native support for 64-bit platforms in an upcoming release of Flash Player following the release of Flash Player 10.1.
Note: To participate in pre-release testing of 64-bit Flash Players see Adobe Labs.
Flash can run on Skyfire in my WM device. I guess that means it kicks the iPAD out of the iPAD's a$$.
Jobs is at least partially right. Adobe IS lazy. Where's the x64 version of Flash? Are they waiting for computers to go 128-bit?
Don't forget that Snow Leopard is the first Mac OS to SUPPORT x64
actually i'm pretty sure that my copy of adobe flash professional i use in school has options for installing to 64 bit , maybe the code isnt 64 bit but up to date flash will work on 64 bit pcs.
You can run flash on a 64-bit machine, yes, but is not 64-bit flash. The code is still 32-bit. If you want flash, it's impossible to use a 64-bit browser - flash won't work.
64 bit computers have been around since XP, and have become VERY common since Vista released in 2006. 4 years later, in the incredibly fast market of computers, Adobe's product lies stagnant, unimproved. If it takes over 4 year to release a working version of your software for a quickly growing market, I'm pretty sure that's the definition of a lazy company.
Flash is a pain in the butt. It often has the failure to register error on 6ie-ie7.... Even with an admin account and manually registering components of the plug-in.
Flash for firefox never seems to have that problem though...(xp and win7)
While everyone is calling Adobe lazy, so is Apple. Just look at all the issues people are having with their 27' iMacs or MacPro towers playing MP3's.
I find it rather ironic that Apple is calling Adobe lazy, when in fact they are just as lazy.
In regards to flash performance, I never had an issue, because I always had at least a somewhat decent video card. Hell, for $50 you can get a decent video card nowadays.
Bottom line, Flash is not going anywhere, so people should just get over it and accept it. Apple is clearly trying to protect there profits, that it.
Lets not forget that the main reason people bought Apple products was to run Adobe products on it. It has been a partnership working in Apples favor for a long time. How many graphic designers run Adobe products on a PC in 2000? Seems like Apple is forgetting it's roots.
I think Apple is the Lazy one. Adobe is a legend and Apple's Ipad can not be a Internet Dream if it
doesn't allow Flash. Apples's Quicktime only makes up 20 percent or less of the movies on the web. If
they think we are going to convert all the movies to their format to play them they are sadly mistaken.
Hot Dog! Another sub-plot in the iPad soap opera. Now all we need is to work in a good conspiracy plot and a little paranoia.
While everyone is calling Adobe lazy, so is Apple. Just look at all the issues people are having with their 27' iMacs or MacPro towers playing MP3's.I find it rather ironic that Apple is calling Adobe lazy, when in fact they are just as lazy. In regards to flash performance, I never had an issue, because I always had at least a somewhat decent video card. Hell, for $50 you can get a decent video card nowadays.Bottom line, Flash is not going anywhere, so people should just get over it and accept it. Apple is clearly trying to protect there profits, that it.
+1
Again;
Apple=Lazy. Why? FINALLY offering x64 OS's.
Adobe=Not Lazy. Why? Up until recently x64 computing hasn't really been a big deal. Not only that; but there are dozens of software companies & games, for this matter, that don't support x64.
As mentioned before; if Apple allows for Flash; then that would allow for FREE games on the ipoop, and we all know how Apple is on free stuff.
I'm not a fan either company. Perhaps Google should create an internet multimedia standard.