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Adobe’s Flash: Good, Bad or Just Ugly?

2010-04-20-flashI have a few beefs with Flash… its security sandbox seems more restrictive than helpful. Most Flash vulnerabilities have something to do with null pointer exceptions rather than what programmers write, which one could point at and say “ah HA! Flash is bad!”. But when you think about it, what software doesn’t have security vulnerabilities? I mean, Apple recently dealt with a vulnerability that lets would-be hackers send an SMS that allows them to eaves drop on conversations and make your iPhone part of a botnet. Where was the outrage then?

There is also the argument that Flash is bloaty and slow. There are many examples of Flash applications that should of been built better. Be it design or programming, lots of people release terrible software. But there are also countless examples of well designed Flash apps that are able to deliver an interface that is otherwise out of reach with other technologies (such as javascript).

There are many bad developers and designers out there, including the iPhone variety, why only pick on the bad Flash designers and developers?

I fear I may have posted this a few hours too late and this is already yesteryears news. But it seems to me that people who are coming out of the wood work now to say they have had poor experiences with Flash and understand Apple’s decision are really going too far above and beyond the call of fanboy duty to the point where they are just being idiots. For example, The WSJ recently showed us their bum by informing the world that Flash is buggy. I understand that Rupert Murdoch (owner of the WSJ) really likes the iPad cause he can make more money with his media properties with a paid app than anything on the internet, but really, at least try to make it look like the cute blonde host of “digits” has at least a passive interest in technology!

For those who claim that Apple has right to do whatever they want with their platform. I say if I buy a phone, it is MY phone, not Apples. Perhaps that doesn’t mean much now, legally. But unless Apple starts renting or leasing phones, I am willing to bet that what courts say in 30 000 years, when society and voters catch up to where technology is today, will be different than what they say now.

[a Cobworks commentary]

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