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Post by Alex on Jul 7, 2010 17:14:11 GMT
Today it was announced that if you have a Jailbroken iPad you can install a version of Flash onto it. It's still early days, but currently you can't watch Flash Videos on it, but you can play games etc. There's a full article here: How-to: Install Flash on your jailbroken iPad (for real) <Clicky. Does anyone here do the 'Jailbreak' thing?
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Post by Forum Cat on Jul 7, 2010 18:16:48 GMT
Today it was announced that if you have a Jailbroken iPad you can install a version of Flash onto it. It's still early days, but currently you can't watch Flash Videos on it, but you can play games etc. Not sure I see the point. Are there many games designed in Flash for a touch screen interface?
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Post by Alex on Jul 7, 2010 20:50:08 GMT
Well, most Flash games are point-and-click so they should all work... Even so, I'm still in the group that thinks the iPad/iPhone SHOULD have Flash on them. Even if HTML5 does take over, which I actually doubt, Flash will remain an integral part of daily internet use until then.
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Post by Alan on Jul 7, 2010 21:46:40 GMT
I've had my iPad since UK launch day and I haven't been hindered by the lack of Flash at all.
On my MacBok Pro I've been using ClickToFlash for a couple of years so that Flash is suppressed. The battery life has extended greatly since I installed that.
So I won't be jail breaking my iPhone for Frash (though I might for screen-mirroring video out solution)
Alan.
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Post by Forum Cat on Jul 8, 2010 8:45:04 GMT
Well, most Flash games are point-and-click so they should all work... Hmm, I am not so sure. I guess that many will "work" but just how well they play is another matter entirely. They were written with a mouse pointer in mind for the UI not a big chubby finger moving at ten times the speed. Many won't work at all because they need arrow or qwerty key input. Also how many Flash games require computer speed processors? The iPad is basically a mobile phone processor wise. There isn't a 60W PSU driving a Core 2 Duo. Many Flash games struggle on my 2 Gig G5 not sure how an iPad compares but we must be pushing our luck a bit trying to run Flash on such a device. I think it better to kiss Flash good-bye and enjoy stuff written in code for this decade.
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Post by Alex on Jul 8, 2010 10:36:10 GMT
Well even if HTML5 does take over, until then I think Flash should at least be optional. If you think it depletes battery life/aren't missing it, then don't download it. Maybe allow it to be put on the App Store as a free download?
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Post by Alan on Jul 8, 2010 12:14:10 GMT
Apple/Adobe politics aside, if Apple think that something will diminish the overall user experience of one of their devices, then they won't let you install it (officially).
E.g. If an ordinary novice user saw a free download on the App Store for Flash, then they might download it and then later not realize that it is what is causing performance/battery/instability problems on their device. They'll just form a generally poorer impression about the whole device. Apple doesn't want that to happen.
Tech-aware users who know what they are doing and understand the consequences can still do it via jail breaking if they want to ( I don't want to)
Alan.
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Post by Alex on Jul 8, 2010 15:33:25 GMT
^ I suppose that could be a good reason for Apple to stop it, but it can't be hard to implement, and even require acknowledgement of a warning about decreased battery life possibilities. Do all apps need to be approved by Apple before they work on iPads? I'm sure an independent developer could make one and just send it around so people can get it off the internet rather than the app store. Would that work? If I was to get an iPad, I actually think I would jailbreak it. Currently I think the pros outweigh the cons.
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Post by Forum Cat on Jul 8, 2010 21:02:45 GMT
Do all apps need to be approved by Apple before they work on iPads? No. Apple support two platforms. iOS (or the App Store) these apps are all approved by Apple. The other is HTML which can be installed as "Web Apps". I believe Google Voice is one such app that takes this route.
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Post by Alex on Jul 8, 2010 22:49:36 GMT
So could someone make an 'underground' Flash? A Flash which would be an app, but away from the watchful eye of Sauron Apple?
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Post by Forum Cat on Jul 9, 2010 8:50:43 GMT
So could someone make an 'underground' Flash? A Flash which would be an app, but away from the watchful eye of Sauron Apple? What for? Why are you so keen to have your battery life halved? If you want games on your iPhone there are over 33,000 on the app store right now. Flash is a dying technology. You will be wanting a RS232 interface on it next.
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Post by Alex on Jul 9, 2010 10:43:41 GMT
Does it really affect the battery life that much? Is there any real proof for it? If they had released the first batch of iPads with Flash and then said: 'You can double the battery life if you take the Flash off' then that's fine, but really there hasn't been any evidence that Flash was put on iPads and then removed for real reasons. If Flash is dying out, it should still be provided because until HTML5 takes over, it will still be everywhere. I just don't like how there is no choice at all in it, or any alternative. The iPad is clearly more than capable of running it, so why not?
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Post by HeatherKay on Jul 9, 2010 12:18:54 GMT
Does it really affect the battery life that much? I think it would. There have been reports of Android phones running Flash and losing significant battery life through it, if I recall. I have a MacBook Pro, 2.33GHz processor, 2GB RAM. I only need to run, say BBC iPlayer, for a minute or two for Flash to hog the processors, and the fans to ramp up to cool everything down. Transfer that experience to a phone or tablet, and I think you'll agree that Flash is not a technology suited to mobile life.
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