Apples' ban on Flash Explained.
>> Thursday 29 April 2010
Steve Jobs has used an open letter to defend Apple's decision not to allow Flash on many of the firm's products.
Neither the iPod, iPhone nor iPad can run the software despite the widespread use of Flash technology on websites for video and animations.
Mr Jobs said Flash was made for an era of "PCs and mice" and performed poorly when translated to run on touchscreen smartphones and handheld devices.
He also criticised the technology for being only under the control of Adobe.
Crashing Macs
The letter comes soon after Flash creator Adobe announced it was ending its efforts to make tools that translate Flash code into programs that can run on Apple gadgets.
Adobe's announcement followed a change to the terms and conditions of the license that software developers must sign when writing code to run on Apple products.
That change banned developers from using the automatic translation tools Adobe had been developing.
Mr Jobs' lengthy open letter explains some of Apple's thinking behind the effective ban on the use of Adobe tools and translating Flash.
He said it was bad for the smartphone era because it did not support multi-touch systems and helped drain battery power unnecessarily.
The Apple boss added that it fell short on security and was "the number one reason Macs crash".
He also pointed out that there were now alternatives to flash technology, particualry for web video.
Mr Jobs also wrote about the tools that software developers use when creating applications.
The reason Apple did not want people to use Adobe's automatic translation tools, he said, was because experience had told it that it results in "sub-standard apps".
Adobe has yet to issue any response to Mr Jobs comments.
The letter provoked an avalanche of comments online, with many saying Apple's restrictions on what can be done with its software go far beyond those on Flash.
Source BBC NEWS
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Neither the iPod, iPhone nor iPad can run the software despite the widespread use of Flash technology on websites for video and animations.
Mr Jobs said Flash was made for an era of "PCs and mice" and performed poorly when translated to run on touchscreen smartphones and handheld devices.
He also criticised the technology for being only under the control of Adobe.
Crashing Macs
The letter comes soon after Flash creator Adobe announced it was ending its efforts to make tools that translate Flash code into programs that can run on Apple gadgets.
Adobe's announcement followed a change to the terms and conditions of the license that software developers must sign when writing code to run on Apple products.
That change banned developers from using the automatic translation tools Adobe had been developing.
Mr Jobs' lengthy open letter explains some of Apple's thinking behind the effective ban on the use of Adobe tools and translating Flash.
He said it was bad for the smartphone era because it did not support multi-touch systems and helped drain battery power unnecessarily.
The Apple boss added that it fell short on security and was "the number one reason Macs crash".
He also pointed out that there were now alternatives to flash technology, particualry for web video.
Mr Jobs also wrote about the tools that software developers use when creating applications.
The reason Apple did not want people to use Adobe's automatic translation tools, he said, was because experience had told it that it results in "sub-standard apps".
Adobe has yet to issue any response to Mr Jobs comments.
The letter provoked an avalanche of comments online, with many saying Apple's restrictions on what can be done with its software go far beyond those on Flash.
Source BBC NEWS
