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Thread: What is Adobe Flash Player

  1. #1
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    What is Adobe Flash Player

    And why do I need it?

  2. #2
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    It's an antiquated, multi-media player from the last century. I wouldn't install it on a bet, it's too filled with security holes.

    BTW, it's scheduled to be pulled from major browser support at the end of this year...
    Last edited by mike stenson; 02-10-2020 at 6:04 PM.
    ~mike

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    Quote Originally Posted by lowell holmes View Post
    And why do I need it?
    The only "why you need it" is if you want people hacking into your computer.

    If some site is saying you need it, that would be reason for me to suspect that site's intentions.

    As Mike said, it is going away for good soon. Most operating systems have better players for Flash content, without the security issues. Most content providers have given Flash the boot.

    jtk
    Last edited by Jim Koepke; 02-10-2020 at 9:43 PM.
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Koepke View Post
    The only "why you need it" is if you want people hacking into your computer.

    If some site is saying you need it, that would be reason for me to suspect that site's intentions.

    As Mike said, it is going away for good soon. Most operating systems have better players for Flash content, without the security issues. Most content providers have Flash the boot.

    jtk
    That would be HTML5 to replace Adobe.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Stephanie Holmes View Post
    Adobe Flash Player is computer software for using content created on the Adobe Flash platform, including viewing multimedia contents, executing rich Internet applications, and streaming audio and video. Flash Player can run from a web browser as a browser plug-in or on supported mobile devices.

    You may already be familiar with Adobe Flash Player, after all, most internet browsers will utilize the software. The most popular plug-in is Adobe Flash Player, which is vital in order to be able to see certain types of digital content, such as, watching video, listening to audio or playing games.
    I think your comments are several years out of date. Flash has been getting pushed out the door, for the reasons stated in previous posts, for quite some time now.

  6. #6
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    OK So, for those still running Adobe Flash, what are the alternatives?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ted Calver View Post
    OK So, for those still running Adobe Flash, what are the alternatives?
    As stated very few if any current sites use flash. I don’t have it enabled and rarely come across a site that uses it. Browsers have native support for equivalent features (minus the security holes) so you don’t need to ‘replace’ it with anything.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Greg Funk View Post
    As stated very few if any current sites use flash. I don’t have it enabled and rarely come across a site that uses it. Browsers have native support for equivalent features (minus the security holes) so you don’t need to ‘replace’ it with anything.
    The only thing I've come across recently that required flash was the shop planning tool on grizzly.com. I just left. It's seriously just not worth it. If they still require the use of flash, the site is old.. and it makes me seriously doubt that it's been maintained. HTML5 has been around for 5 years now, that's like an eternity in technology
    ~mike

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ted Calver View Post
    OK So, for those still running Adobe Flash, what are the alternatives?
    It depends on what machine and operating system you are using.

    My old decommissioned machine would need flash. It was replaced because it couldn't handle newer operating systems needed for online banking. It also needed Adobe Flash to run video.

    It was replaced almost three years ago.

    If you are running an old machine or operating system you may not have an alternative.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  10. #10
    Rather annoyingly, one of the few places Flash is still used is the animation of the National Weather Service local radar, which living in the midwest, I tend to use on a daily basis. It won't work on iPhones. Oddly enough the regional radar works, which must not use Flash.

  11. #11
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    Chrome keeps Flash disabled by default. If a site needs it, then there is the option to turn it on, but the setting is not persistent. Shortly, it will not allow it at all.

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    I will not be getting it.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Chuck Wintle View Post
    That would be HTML5 to replace Adobe.
    Thank goodness it's that simple. I won't tell you how long I beat the IPv6 drum (over a decade) before we had to finally slam large portions of the planet onto IPv6 to force the issue . . . ah fond memories of June 2011. Don't get me wrong. There have been several valiant attempts to force the HTML5 issue and I am a screaming fan in the crowd every time they push a little further.
    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


    – Samuel Butler

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    Quote Originally Posted by Andrew Seemann View Post
    Rather annoyingly, one of the few places Flash is still used is the animation of the National Weather Service local radar, which living in the midwest, I tend to use on a daily basis. It won't work on iPhones. Oddly enough the regional radar works, which must not use Flash.
    Have you tried > wunderground.com <? The link will bring you to their national page. Enter your zip code into the location information. Set the page up how you want it before bookmarking.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

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