An Adobe Flash Player Update is Available. AGAIN!!
So. Another day, yet another Flash update.
In recent weeks, Apple has taken to remotely blocking versions of Flash which contain recently discovered security loopholes. Apple has also been doing the same for Java, essentially putting the onus on Adobe and Sun Microsystems to keep their code clean and free so that Apple can continue to keep the Mac OS X OS safe and free of worms, trojans, and other malware. I still marvel at the over 4 million bits of nefarious code out there that can plague the other OS platforms, while Apple manages to keep its computers and phones remarkably clean.
I say, kudos to Apple for taking a few on the chin for sometimes being labelled as “closed,” when the result, in fact, is an ecosystem of essentially secure and malware-free desktop and mobile platforms.
Having said that, what’s up with Flash? When will HTML5 actually get sufficient penetration that the other browsers can support a simple HTML5 media player plugin without needing a Flash fallback, and we can say finally sayonara to needing Flash?
A couple days back, I was looking to embed a CBC This is That podcast, but found that due to their choice of a Flash-based player, it wouldn’t necessarily function on all the platforms I want to support here on de•tri•tis. Fortunately, for that situation, I also wanted to provide some corresponding annotation, so I downloaded the podcast and then re-posted it to SoundCloud, together with a very clear message about the original source and CBC copyright ownership.
Still.
The Flash-based player was problematic. And then there was also the Flash-plug-in block!
Flash: WYSIBOWYG – What You See is Based on What You Got
(Animated GIF)
I’ve been running a nice audio player on 105theHive.org website for almost a year now. This past week I’ve been looking to get in-browser players working for our NEW old radio friend, ds106rad.io — This is what it looks like on Safari and on iOS devices, and also usually on Chrome and Firefox.
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| This is an image of the HTML5 player, as seen on multiple browsers. | This is the functional player. Can you see it? Does it work for your browser? |
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If you are viewing this on either desktop Safari, or Mobile Safari on iOS , you should also see the player to the right of the image, and you should be able to simply press the play button and hear the stream, right here in your browser. This one is configured for our NEW old radio friend, ds106rad.io
If, on the other hand, you are viewing this page using another browser, (Chrome and Firefox, and anything on the PC platform, I am looking at you) then the HTML5-based player on the right will not necessarily work. You will need to make use of a different, FLASH based player. The one I am using looks like this:
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| This is an image of the Flash player, seen on multiple desktop browsers | This is the functional player. Can you see it? Does it work for your browser? |
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Again, on any Flash-enabled browser (including desktop Safari), you should also see the functional Flash-based player to the right, and you should be able to press the play button, and listen to the ds106rad.io stream.
Unless, of course, you are using an Apple iOS device, where Flash is not allowed.
“Flash is Missing” on iOS, from http://antoniofarinha.com/
Or unless, of course, your currently installed version of Flash has an identified security loophole, and it has been remotely disabled until patched by Adobe.
Blocked Flash
When will this all be immaterial, such that our streaming video and audio links will just work, via HTML5 in all browsers, without the need for poor Flash?
Just give the guy a rest. His day in the sun should be done. Let him retire and take a break. He’s been running fast enough, long enough (recall how resource intensive Flash and Java are …).
And give US a break from the need to be continually updating him.
NOTE: If you are looking to see the full range of current player options for ds106rad.io, check out the listening details page on 105theHive.org — it’s pretty much up to date.
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