

Metro IE10 will be "Plug-In Free" (no Flash, no Silverlight) - HardyLeung
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11/09/15/microsoft_to_jettison_adobe_flash_with_plug_in_free_browsing_in_windows_8_metro_ie10.html

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mootothemax
I think the author's missing one major point: Microsoft is heavily pushing the
"touch" interface on Windows 8. I've tried imagining using Flash with a touch
interface, and I think it'd be extremely painful.

~~~
ordinary
Why? What is it about Flash that makes you feel it couldn't work well with a
touch interface?

~~~
Flow
Even in september 2011 Flash doesn't work well with keyboard and mouse.

If you have clicked inside a Flash-box then you can forget using the keyboard
shortcuts your web browser offer.

Edit: I really think one shouldn't be able to down-vote without first writing
a comment explaining why...

~~~
ordinary
Though it is indeed very annoying that Flash grabs all keyboard input, I don't
think that has anything to do with the matter at hand, considering that touch
interfaces are infinitely more like mice than keyboards. I just don't see the
same problem occuring.

~~~
veemjeem
Most flash apps today heavily rely on hover-over events. Try using any current
flash app without sending hover-over events -- it's difficult. On youtube, you
the volume control and time scrubber are hidden from view until you hover over
them.

This problem also exists for web apps heavily javascript driven, but seems to
be less of a problem compared to flash apps. It's probably because flash apps
are constrained in a small space so the interface needs to be more compact &
hover driven.

~~~
0x12
Flash developers usually get a fixed chunk of space to work with and any trick
they can use to squeeze 'more UI' out of that same space will be used. If
hovering is no longer an option you can expect the size of these blocks to
increase to offset the extra real estate required to accommodate all the bits
and pieces of the UI.

What is more likely is that the user agent will be detected and that if it is
determined that the user has no mouse that either some fall back mode will be
used or that there will be an alternative UI preserving the basics will be
presented, or a UI that will use the first 'tap' on the screen as a substitute
for a hover.

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dangrossman
The title's a bit misleading, implying that there's more than one IE10 (Metro
and ?), and that IE10 will not support plugins. It will, but they won't be
available with the Metro UI enabled. If you need them, you press one button
("Use Desktop View") to switch UIs and you have them.

~~~
HardyLeung
I don't know how Metro IE and Desktop IE are separate or one and the same, but
from what I read, only Metro IE would be available to some devices, most
notably ARM tablets.

~~~
shawnz
AFAIK, Metro is always available, but desktop IE is only available on x86 (or
the like).

~~~
TomOfTTB
That hasn't been confirmed and probably isn't true. John Gruber came up with
that theory based on what he felt were hints from Microsoft but that seems to
be dis-proven by this ARM tablet running Windows Desktop:
[http://thisismynext.com/2011/09/14/nvidia-kal-el-
windows-8-t...](http://thisismynext.com/2011/09/14/nvidia-kal-el-
windows-8-tablet-hands-on/)

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bradleyland
This has pretty serious implications for Adobe (captain obvious). Adobe isn't
stupid though. The recent "HTML5 gallery" shows that they're serious about
making tools that work with new standards-based web technology, but the big
variable will be timing. Can they move quickly enough to stay ahead of it?
There is no Adobe product that is the "de facto standard" for HTML5/JS/CSS3
authoring like Flash became in the nineties.

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gwalker
The article is infoq is more balanced
<http://www.infoq.com/news/2011/09/Metro-Plug-ins>

The fact that MS may abandon Silverlight and other Windows technologies is far
more significant that the "look, look Apple are right again" angle.

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ck2
Does this mean IE10 finally supports CSS3 animations like firefox/webkit?

How about CSS3 text-shadow and a dozen other CSS3 rules?

IE9 is still holding back the web, especially since it won't run on XP at all.

~~~
barista
I don't get how you conclude that the browser is holding the web back. I think
its the people who resist upgrading a decade old operating system or moving to
a different browser.

~~~
Yaggo
... or webdevs/companies who continue to support legacy platforms (and thus
not force people to update). Clients are clueless anyway.

~~~
beedogs
Anyone and anything still using IE6 should be taken out back and shot.

~~~
AndyJPartridge
Whilst I'd love to agree, lots of people in my world (the UK insurance
industry) don't get a choice.

When reporting issues I often say "Can you upgrade your browser?" to which I
get the reply "No, it's what the IT department put on all of the machines, I
use (BrowserX) at home though."

I suspect this is common.

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Flow
Maybe because Metro IE10 runs on WinRT rather than Win32? Just a guess.

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Karunamon
And I suppose that means no Adblock, no Noscript, no Lastpass.

Welp. I know what browser I _WON'T_ be using when Win8 lands.

~~~
paulirish
The plugin-free aspect is only for their windows metro-style apps. The IE10
browser will still allow plugins.

~~~
drzaiusapelord
Considering how precious bandwidth is on mobile networks, the lack of adblock
is killing me. I don't understand why the mobile OS makers wont open up a
browser API for plugins. I guess I can root it and put in a giant hosts file
that blocks ads, but that seems that it could lead to issues. I browse full-
sites, not mobile, on my tablet, so when I use 3G, I'm still downloading large
animated gif ads and other useless bandwidth hogs.

I have an android tablet and an android phone. I rarely use flash, but when I
do its when there's no alternative. It works crappily, but it beats sitting
there and thinking "Oh well, I better go find a desktop."

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metatronscube
Die Flash...Die

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sainib
no flash, no silverlight, NO USEFUL

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LeafStorm
Perhaps Microsoft is finally beginning to realize that Web developers are
moving on from IE because Microsoft was trying to do their own thing while all
the other browsers were moving in a different direction, and now they are
trying to catch up to get usage and respectability back.

