Every Apple user knows that the Flash Player doesn’t work as well on Apple as it does on Windows. Do you know why?
Could it be because the developer team at Adobe working on Flash Player for OSX isn’t as good as the team working on the Windows version? Maybe, but I doubt it.
Or could it be that Adobe just doesn’t really give a shit and puts for a lack-luster effort on the OSX version of the Flash Player? Doubtful because almost everyone at Adobe uses a Mac.
So what could be the root of the issue? Perhaps it’s because Apple doesn’t give Adobe access to the innards of OSX like Microsoft does for all versions of Windows. You know, that could be it. We all know that Apple’s business motto probably reads something like: Make as much money as possible while retaining absolute control over ever bit and atom that goes into our products.
I’ve been told by a handful of Adobe employees that Apple doesn’t cooperate with Adobe in making the Flash Player run better on OSX. Which is odd because Microsoft does cooperate even though they have a competing runtime player – SilverFish – while Apple doesn’t have anything that competes with the Flash Player. ( And If you say that Quicktime competes with Flash Player then I’m going to hunt you down and bitch slap you. )
This has been an issue for a long time but it’s probably going to get much worse. One of the primary upgrades that is going into Flash Player 11 is increased hardware support. We all know that Flash Player 10.1 on mobile devices is tightly integrated with the hardware it will be running on which is needed for mobile devices. Now Adobe can take what they have learned in making 10.1 and pump up the volume on Flash Player 11 for the desktop.
But what will that do to the OSX version of Flash Player 11? If Adobe doesn’t get cooperation from Apple then the performance and stability of FP11 on OSX is going to suffer. I’m sure the Adobe devs will do the best they can but it’s likely that the performance difference of the Flash Player on Windows and OSX is only going to grow.
Here is my idea to fix this problem: Adobe should simply not make a version of Flash Player 11 for OSX Just let Apple users sit and spin on FP10.1 forever. At the very least don’t even try to build in hardware support. And don’t make it a secret either. Let the world know: Flash Player on OSX is going to suffer until Apple cooperates just like Microsoft does. We all know that will never happen. At least as long as Steve Jobs is still breathing.
Question: In doing that, doesn't that just add credence to Apples stance?
Personally, I use ClickToFlash, and I wouldn't miss Flash that much.
@Chess, Why bother with “Click to Flash”. If you can do without the Flash Player then do it. That’s like me saying I can do without the Internet because there are only a few hundred sites – at best – out of the billions that I give a shit for. There is a lot of great Flash content out there.
Eeeek i had that.
That said I switched from a PC for the penultimate release of the Powerbooks, then have upgraded with multiple macbook pros. This is my main dev machine for Flash, in fact it's even my TV, and I quite honestly don't have any issues with the speed of the Flash Player on it.
@Tink, We both know I’m a madman and this will never happen. But yeah, it would suck for all those Flash Platform devs out there running on Mac. One thing that I’m really looking forward to at 360Flex is talking to some Mac users, especially those like you who used to be on a PC, and see just what is it that is so great about Mac. I can’t conceive that there is anything in the OS that would help me write code faster and better. But I’d like to know for sure. Not that it matters because I’ll never use a Mac as long as they behave the way they do today.
hhhmm meant i'd hate that :)
Silverfish? You were being facetious, right? Or, as in, the Fish-slapping dance?;) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fish-Slapping_Dance
I think letting Apple users suffer by not releasing Player 11 on OSX is only going to play into what Jobs wants, and that is for Flash to go away quietly so Jobs (i.e.Agent Smith) can take over more of The Matrix (http://www.joeflash.ca/blog/2010/01/why-flash-is-not-on-the-ipad.html)
I say, Adobe should try their best to make Flash 11 work on OSX, and where it doesn't, PUBLICLY PUBLISH ALL THE TECH DETAILS OF WHY IT DOESN'T. That will shut up the Flash haters in a hurry. Give due blame where it's due.
@Joeflash, Silverfish is my own little joke. When Silverlight first came out I could never remember the name and kept calling it Silverfish by mistake.
Flash won’t be going away with the support that the Open Screen project is getting. And I have no problem what-so-ever with Mac users suffering. There’s always PCs waiting to welcome them back.
I do completely agree that Adobe should have a portal site with documentation on all of the issues that the Flash Player has with Mac and why most of them are Apple’s fault. Even call in some third party to review the code and examine the issues.
Hey, how about Google and Adobe get together to hack and reverse engineer OSX (it's pretty much a dressed up version of UNIX) and fix it themselves…then they could release it as OS and let the clone wars begin.
Mark
@Mark Fuqua, I like the way you think. It’s an OS not a frakking religion. And it wouldn’t even require reverse engineering. Like you said the core is right there to build on. Just copy the hell out of the design and features then release that as a free OS. Let Apple bitch all they want to. They could win ever single court case but lose the battle because there would be no way to stop an OS like that.
SilverFish?
"One of the primary upgrades that is going into Flash Player 11 is increased hardware support. "
[citation needed]
@Bystander citation = Flash Camp Phoenix. I’m not sure if there is any documentation. It was just mentioned during the keynote.
@chess: "Personally, I use ClickToFlash, and I wouldn't miss Flash that much. "
I think this is the biggest problem with the Mac cult: "Well, it's not that great, but it's made by Apple so I'm going to buy it."
It's just tiresome. Apple is to due for a smackdown, but I don't know if Adobe is up to the task. If you look at the history of the Flash authoring tool, you'll see that each version tends to favor a different segment of developers: some versions favor programmers, others versions favor designers. For some reason, Flash CS5 is favoring Flash developers who happen to own iPhones. I think they will eventually regret this decision.
@Bystander, I’m not sure how supporting iPhone development in CS5 would hurt. But I suppose you’re right. It could happen. There’s only one way to tell: wait and see.
I agree with the above idea that Adobe should make it very public where Apple is refusing to cooperate to make Flash better on OSX.
Scaning the tons of hate-Flash comments in blog entries about the iPad this weekend, the recurring theme is how Flash sucks on the Mac. Adobe is saying it's Apple's fault….
Well, let's see some proof, Adobe.
If Adobe doesn't see this as war and get very serious about fighting back – then, well… strong survive – weak perish.
@Joel, It does bother me that Adobe always tries to be so non confrontational. I want more than anything for Apple to get smacked back down to obscurity. But I have no hope that Adobe will do that. Google however will take any opportunity they get.
I think not publishing a Flash Player would only hurt Mac users and as mentioned by someone else, its probably what Steve Jobs would love to have happen. Also, Microsoft would love that as well because Silverlight would jump on that opportunity. Adobe doesn't want that.
But I do agree that if Adobe is really passionate about Flash on the iPhone OS, then they should get behind the jailbreak community and show how it can be done. Or make their own browser for iPhone, even though there is not way apple would allow it on the store, and put the code up on Google code or Github. People could buy their $99 dev license and install it. If for nothing else, but to gage the feedback and use it for marketing.
I do think Adobe needs to think carefully here. They are fighting two fights now. One against a major player on mobile and who has major mindshare, but also on the desktop side who has money to blow. I think, .. HOPE.. that Flash 10.1 is just setting the core of a new much faster, enabled Flash Player 11 that will address OSX performance issues, but also go beyond what is really capable today.
As a side note, I don't buy Adobe's stance that Apple OSX is keeping them from better performance. Look at a web player like Unity, which is about the same download size as Flash Player, and kicks butt with 3d. So it can be done, but like most technolgies, somethings the legacy code is keeping you back. Ihave no doubt that the AVM1 in Flash Player is not helping things. Maybe its time to cut legacy support and use some of those spare bits to add openGL in the desktop player.
@John, Good points about Adobe getting behind the jailbreak and dev crowd. They wouldn’t gain much out of it other than being able to thumb their nose at Apple.
As for Unity: I can’t speak from experience because I’ve never seen it on a Mac. But Unity is pretty much just a 3D player, right? Flash does all sorts of shit and it’s backwards compatible to version 1. So comparing them isn’t really fair.
Adobe are in some pretty serious financial trouble right now , I see a potential for them to be aquired by Apple , so that Steve can really kill off Flash ..
@Speculator, yeah, that’s been floating around for many years now. But there is no way that Apple would buy up Adobe just to kill Flash. Steve Jobs is an egomaniac but he’s not that stupid. The CS5 release from Adobe is just around the corner. If that flops then they will be in deep water. But I don’t see that happening.
"Make as much money as possible while retaining absolute control over ever bit and atom that goes into our products."
Any idea how much open source software is present in osx? dude…
@Thijs, Only Sony comes close to being as closed off. They don’t call Apple the Walled Garden for nothing.
how to fix flash? adobe need to pull their fingers out!.. its only been a problem in flash 10 for me at least so it wasnt a problem before..