Adobe Drops 64-bit Flash From Linux

As long as I've been using Linux as my main main OS, Flash has been a nuisance. Arcane installation methods, horrid sound support, browser crashes and poor performing beta software for 64 bit. There hasn't been a single year that Flash was a breeze. The only thing that Flash seems to be doing properly is serve annoying banner ads.

Now we get the promise of a "future 64 bit Linux Flash product", which translates to me as either using the old 64 bit beta version or wrap the 32 bit plugin for the next three years on 64 bit Linux.

Oh well, if Google succeeds in pushing AJAX, WebM and HTML5 successfully, the new 64 bit flash plugin might arrive just in time to be obsolete...

There are a lot of decent websites who (unfortunately) need Flash and therefore you need Flash (or perhaps gnash if you're lucky) to view the contents. YouTube immediately comes to mind. Yes, I know YouTube now also supports WebM/HTML5 instead but no ready-for-prime-time browser does yet. There are a lot of other international news sites I visit where you simply cannot get all the content without Flash.

I also fear, not matter how well HTML5 does in terms of adoption there will be some sites for which Flash is just plain necessary for the foreseeable future.

To my knowledge they have never supported linux-ppc, I manage just fine w/out flash.

@klhrevolution: Your argument amounts to "I don't need it so you don't need it either." You manage fine. I cannot. Neither, I suspect, can the majority of people out there.

caitlyn --

Your stinkin' attitude is what's wrong with this world. Look, the Amish get along fine without cars, cell phones, or computers.

If the Amish can do it, we certainly don't need them.

Adobe's problem is thinking they can survive whilst cherry-picking platforms.

There are lots of cute flash games, even seriously bitchen flash games like Runescape.

When I can no longer play them, I'll let the authors know why.

It would be hypocritical of me to tell Adobe that they "must" make flash work for me, or those other authors that they "must" use something other than flash.

Advocacy one way or the other, luckily, is not hypocritical.

Quoting:the Amish get along fine without cars, cell phones, or computers.

If the Amish can do it, we certainly don't need them.

Branched-chain ketoaciduria. Ellis-van Creveld syndrome.

Just two of the genetic disorders the Amish are more prone to. The former used to be fatal, but now, thanks to cars and computers, it's treatable. And I expect the attending doctor will be carrying a cell phone, so the parents can call him if their baby with BCK takes ill.

Or, to take your point to its extreme, why don't we all just return to the caves and hope the wolves don't eat us before we die of smallpox?

You need another example.

Sarcasm impaired today, gus?

Oh my! I thought Dino's comment was hysterical. @jdixon: Maybe gus3 is doing what I used to do: responding seriously just to get a reaction. It's part of a very dry sense of humor. At least I hope gus is adding to the humor in the thread.

@Bob_Robertson: That is, of course, unless those games actually work under gnash. I'm not a gamer so I haven't tried. As of right now I have gnash 0.8.7 plus flashblock. Flashblock gets me around the performance issues known to exist in gnash since I only turn it on when I really need it. It seems to work find for YouTube videos. I've only had it installed for a day so I haven't had much chance to try anything else.

I don't recall gnash ever working for me. I'll have to deliberately NOT install flash by reflex next time and see how that goes.

My kids love Games2Girls.com, which is wall-to-wall flash games.

It's not that I object to flash itself, only that the combination of pages full of form-over-function flash, and Adobe's attitude, makes for a natural aversion.

I'd like to have flash I did not imply that I did not. I'm simply stating that there are other options when adobe decides to ditch one thing or another, similar to ubuntu ditching this or that. For the 64bit you will still be able to enjoy the web.

Thank you Caitlyn for supplying the rage to this thread. Not sure what to reply to on the Amish bit.

swfdec gnash lightspark

Rage? Just a wee bit over the top, methinks. A few miles over the top.

Right now the other options don't work terribly well, unfortunately.

I hate Flash with a passion so I can't participate in this discussion in a civilized manner.

I would have introduced my friend to linux, but he has a PowerPC Mac, which Flash isn't available for (linux ppc version).

I don't have any luck with Gnash or Swfdec, but I'm interested in this new Lightspark.

Sorry, I am very read-between-the-lines impaired today.

> Sorry,

De nada. We've all had those kind of days.

Whatever one might think of Flash, at least Flash meant that this awesome game http://machinarium.net/ has a "Purchase for Linux" link available on many of its vendors' web sites.

That, and Dofus http://www.dofus.com - a fantastic (albeit somewhat cutesy) French MMO.