Next week I was going to begin building my first TV app for Samsung's Smart TV - using Flash. Given the timelines I'll probably still go this route but do wonder what this announcement means for Samsung and LG's TV plans.
We've built a bunch of SmartTV apps. I've seen nothing but pain from those who go the Flash route on these devices. Samsung in particular - were you going AIR or Stagecraft (full flash 10.1 isn't supported on 2009 devices) route?
The problem with Flash on these devices has always been Adobe's support (or lack thereof) is a requirement. Samsung and LG don't have the ability and won't help with any issues with the Flash player (unlike the HTML engines which they support) and Adobe has been stretched too thin trying to support all these devices.
This is for Flash Player for browsers. If you're going with AIR you'll be fine.
That's the problem with this conversation. Flash haters are wrongfully disseminating information (lookin' at you, Gruber), which is causing more confusion for the consumer - someone we're supposed to be looking out for. I don't care either way if Flash supports mobile/TV/etc but this is really about timing for the writers, the death of Steve Jobs, "he was right all this time", etc, etc.
My issue is, tell the story straight. Hater or not, this isn't the end of Flash on mobile/tv, it's the end of Flash on mobile/tv within the browser - something that didn't really exist in the first place. And if you think about it, hater or not, does a Flash app belong in a browser on smaller screens or limited resources? It's a logical step for Adobe to prefer HTML5 within the browser because it is more fitting. Adobe will continue to allow AIR -> device publishing as it had before.
Before these "Flash discontinued" articles:
Able to publish mobile apps with Flash? YES
Able to publish device apps with Flash? YES
Flash run in the browser for all mobile/devices? NO
Create Flash plugin in the future for all mobile/device browsers? *YES*
After these "Flash discontinued" articles:
Able to publish mobile apps with Flash? YES
Able to publish device apps with Flash? YES
Flash run in the browser for all mobile/devices? NO
Create Flash plugin in the future for all mobile/device browsers? *NO*
Adobe is no longer pursuing a Flash Player plugin for mobile/tv browsers. That's really the story. Whether that spells the end for Flash or not is anybody's guess. Just tell it straight, please.
Adobe's previous plans were to have Flash be a unifying rich media platform across all these newfangled devices, like TVs, tablets, alarm clocks, etc… Flash could grow as the "connected market" grew.
Adobe has clearly decided that they can't accomplish this. Since being everywhere was the only way to keep Flash relevant in the long term, I think they've acknowlegded that the future is dim for Flash.
AOL slowly become a hush of their former selves when dialup revenue dried up. Rather than betting the farm on an eventual loser (though a lucrative one), Adobe is doubling down on the winner. This must have been a tough decision, but it's clearly the right one.
The future of AIR and other Flash-based app stuff is less clear, but if Adobe is spending less money on developing Flash, I'm not sure how they can continue to be successful with stuff that leverages flash.
Here's the thing. If you think of Flash as it is today, you can find how it will find eventually decline. Again, not disagreeing with that. Flash can die as a browser plugin and live on - not as a plugin, but as a programming language (AS3), whereby you code for any device using 1 language, but the compilation is to native code on various devices. This is a much lower hanging fruit than say, making a viable browser plugin for each and every browser/OS. Just an idea.
Mobile and the Internet are now intertwined. You'll have billions of Internet enabled mobile devices in 5 years. If you build something for the Internet and it doesn't run on mobile, you've got a problem. People are still concerned about IE6 support and in most countries it's about 2%. Mobile Internet usages is going well above 10%. Flash isn't going to die overnight but its use cases just got a lot smaller.
Thanks for the down vote. It's good to see that the verifiable information I have presented has upset someone with an opposing viewpoint (ie, a lie predicated on eager technology xenophobia).
