[gentoo-user] Re: Adobe flash warning and tree

[»Q«]

On Sun, 10 Jan 2016 15:47:47 -0600
Dale <rdalek1967@×××××.com> wrote:

> Correct me if I'm wrong here.  Isn't flash supposed to be dying
> anyway? Why are so many sites still using it if they should be using
> HTML5? Isn't HTML5 supposed to eliminate flash??

It's been *supposed* to be dying for years, and HTML5 video was hoped
to be the silver bullet that would finish it off.  Mozilla certainly
wants it dead, and IIRC even Google and Adobe have paid lip service to
killing it off.  Unfortunately (IMO, natch) Mozilla no longer has the
market share to drive things, and (IMO again) Google doesn't have the
will to deal with it, despite having taken steps such as using HTML5
on YouTube.  Mozilla recently announced deprecation of all NPAPI 
plugins -- except Flash, because people whose news/sports/porn videos
stopped working would just switch to Chrome.

I think we have to look to the big social media companies and to
Google for hope, which is kinda sad.  Facebook has recently completed
their transition to using HTM5 video. Twitter's Periscope still uses
Flash.  I don't know what critical mass of sites will get Google to
drop Flash support, but I think that's the only way it will eventually
happen.

AFAIK, with all major browsers supporting HTML5 video, the only reason
so many sites still require Flash is that it costs money to transition.

> I thought Yahoo switched a good while back.  I know I went in and
> changed it to use HTML5 but it still gripes when I go there about
> flash being a problem.  Odd.

I dunno, I don't use Yahoo much.  The griping might be because Yahoo is
embedding Flash from other sites -- I know they do from nfl.com, at
least, because I was watching highlights there yesterday.

> I have a weather site that I use and as far as I know, it is flash
> only.  Of course, it is a Govt run site so they will likely be the
> very last ones to switch over to the new and improved way too.  :/

Heh, I just found that NOAAH offers looping radar imagery via Java,
Flash, HTML5, and animated GIFs.  Talk about the Department of
Redundancy Department.  <http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/imagery/eaus.html>

> I'm planning to do my regular updates shortly.  Maybe something new
> will be in the tree by then, I hope anyway.  One good thing about it,
> it makes Yahoo not auto-play any more.  ;-)

:-)  That's one of the big arguments in favor of open tech on the web,
that it gives users more control of their experiences.  I don't know of
a way to prevent Flash autoplay short of something like FlashBlock.