Adobe boss: Jobs' excuses are a "smokescreen"

No flash

I've pretty much given up on Flash. I surf without Flash installed or blocked, have done for about 4 years.

I can think of 2 sites I regularly visit, where Flash is a necessary pain.

I've had enough of the security issues with Flash and Adobe's lackadaisical attitude to sorting out the problems...

Not that Apple are perfect either, taking 6 months to release a patch for Java, after it was released by Sun for other platforms.

Pot and Kettle in some ways.

By big_D on 30 Apr 2010

Apple don't want another fox in their henhouse

They don't want an alternative to Apps and the App Store on the iPhone / iPod platform.

Decrying Flash as buggy or insecure is (as Big D put it) the pot calling the kettle black.

They should just be honest and say up front it's their platform and they won't allow competitors.

When the fix all the stuff that's broken in iTunes, I'd swallow their "bug" complaints without choking quite so loudly.

By cheysuli on 30 Apr 2010

Apple has a point really. But.. but.. at the moment there isn't an alternative, HTML5 isn't finished and tools for creating games etc. are not created.
HTML5 is the future but Flash is the standard at the moment and for the next few years really and so Apple should give the choice to their consumers.
In terms of removing the iPhone tools built into CS5, well that is Apple taking control. You can use any tools to create your apps that you want as long as it was made by Apple. If Microsoft done this there would be uproar.

By TimoGunt on 30 Apr 2010

Flash is still cool

I like Flash. Mainly for the interactive experiences it creates on the web. I get a lot of pleasure from simple games created in Flash, that couldn't be done any other way.

That said, Adobe are a lazy company and their software can be buggy.

But as big_D and cheysuli point out, Apple is also lazy.

In truth, bug fixing from most companies is very poor.

The best answer to Apple would be for Adobe to sit down and fix all the bugs in the Flash plugin and then they could really stick two fingers up at Apple.

I think Jobs is just trying to find out how far his power reaches. Can he alone take down a huge internet player like Flash?

By Grunthos on 30 Apr 2010

Apple are doing us a favour

Regardless of their true motives, Apple will be doing the world a great favour if they manage to force us out of the era of proprietary client-side browser plugins. This is the only way to force developers to use the proper standards and the powers that be to fix the standards so they enable everything people want to do.

However Apple ought to make and/or approve a development route for iPhone/iPad apps that does not force developers to buy a Mac. They could also "give something back" by buying up the IPR that is currently impeding HTML5 and donating it to the world.

By JohnAHind on 30 Apr 2010

Missing the point

Apple could control ALL animated content on the [mobile] internet.

They could conceivably filter html 5 & js as they are open to view. Nothing will be out there that they can't modify, or tweak for their own purposes.

In the immortal words of the gulls in 'Finding Nemo': "mine! mine!"

By Alperian on 30 Apr 2010

lock-outs

We must not forget, either, that Apple locked out Motorola when it pulled compatbility from iTunes.
Why not create a group that locks out all Apple technology?
Perhaps Jobs will wake up to the real world.

By specious on 30 Apr 2010

Mad thought for the day.

Maybe SJ wants to fall out with Adobe and release his own brand's creative suite.... Afterall, they've worked really closely on projects in the past, even on a shared revenue basis. Realistically, do you not think that SJ is just happy that the discussions and arguments surrounding flash are happening anyway?

By CraigieDD on 30 Apr 2010

@CraigieDD

I think you're right. Apple probably have something else up their sleeve, and they are blocking Adobe because they are a rival.

By rjd83 on 30 Apr 2010

Anybody that takes away my right to use or not use a technology is not doing me a favor! He is just limiting me in my choices!
I would love to see adobe drop mac support for it's creative suite...there is no way that a photoshop user would switch to another program not after all the years it took him to perfect the use of photoshop!

By sandman652001 on 30 Apr 2010

@sandman652001

You're probably right.. But some of these companies have long, long term goals. And SJ's might be to cause a rumpus now and sew the seeds for the future. At that level of business there are no coincidences.

By CraigieDD on 30 Apr 2010

I'd love Adobe to give Apple the complete two fingers and pull support for all of their products on all Apple OSs.

Take away their Creative Suite products from Mac OS, explaining that they're obviously too buggy for Jobs.

By Phoomeister on 1 May 2010

Adobe should start supporting the top 4 linux distros on all their products. Then stop supporting Mac and suggest if Apple use want to us Adobe products they should instal Linux as it is freely available.

Sit back and watch the fireworks!

Imagine Job's frustration when people have to instal Linux on his "perfect" Macs to run Adobe!

By M_Hamer on 2 May 2010

I find Adobe products to be pretty buggy also... photoshop is far from perfect and does do strange things that closing and restarting seems to fix.... I moved away from acrobat as it just got bloated and there were always security updates which seemed to slow it more. But on a platform like the iphone with one hardware layout to support assume it would be a lot less buggy ... my iphone does have its crashing moments quite frequently... but maybe because its been tweaked to within an inch of its life !!

By akoli on 6 May 2010