Tag Archives: Adobe Flash
Chrome Beta Channel Gets its Update to Version 8, Finally
Posted on 04. Nov, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 
5 Comments
We were starting to wonder what the problem was.
Although the Dev Channel of Chrome has been updated to version 9, Chrome Beta was still stuck at version 7. But now that there has been an update to version 8 for Chrome Beta we can see why. It appears that the teeming masses of people working on the Chromium project can’t compare to the team over at Adobe.
Specifically, Chrome 8 Beta has included a new version of Flash that was probably just finished up and is a plugin that is integrated into every release of the browser.
Other updates in include an integrated version of the PDF viewer, which actually is based off of the Foxit reader SDK as opposed to Adobe’s own Reader software. There are of course the requisite bug fixes included in the release.
About time, since the Beta and Stable Channels were running almost identical versions the last few days. Should it be a concern that Chrome releases get held up by third party software versions?
From Zero to Almost Ten Percent: How Chrome Surpassed Safari
Posted on 30. Jun, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 0 Comments
It has been big news recently that Chrome has overtaken Safari as the third most used browser in the U.S. While this statistic is one that’s skewed towards the United States since Chrome and Safari have been neck and neck, the reality is that Chrome took third place worldwide over Safari back in September.
The main reason that America has lagged in this regard is probably the fact that Apple sells so many computers in the United States, coming with the well regarded WebKit-based Safari.
But the point of this post is to understand how Chrome got this far in a period of two years. When I first tried Chrome as an early adopter-type in the beginning of 2009, I liked the design interface and the idea of “sandboxing” where every tab was its own process. The problem with Chrome at that time was one of compatibility: there were sites that did not function correctly with Chrome, a surprise to me because of its WebKit roots.
Over time, which really isn’t long by Google’s measurement, Chrome evolved. Many sites needed to adapt some functionality to Chrome, but for the most part it was the folks at Google working fervently to make the best browser available. Perhaps they knew that they were making the foundations of an operating system at the time, who knows?
Extensions
In December 2009, Google launched the Chrome Extensions web site, an opportunity for the company to better compete with Firefox’s vaunted library of add-ins. Not only did they take an existing idea, they improved on it by putting security limits around extensions at their site, making sure that proper measures are taken to make sure that personal data and important computer processes cannot be compromised through the browser. Clicking around at the Extensions site the other day it appears that there are over five thousand now available.
Translate
In the beginning, Google offered an extension that you could install into Chrome and translate different languages of the web. Then they started adding it into the development Chromium builds, and finally it was released with the launch Chrome 5 to users a few months ago embedded in the browser itself. This feature is so easy to use, and it unlocks the web for everyone to read no matter their language. Google took an existing service they had and put it right into the browser where it’s the most useful.
No Messing With Flash
Maybe Google sees something in Flash that Apple doesn’t, but they decided to take a very different approach to handling Adobe Flash than Cupertino. Instead of eschewing it completely, Google has embraced the technology. Flash is used in YouTube videos, for some streaming music sites and I’ve recently noticed it needs to be installed to use Google Analytics. So, unlike other browsers that require you to install it and then update to newer revisions manually, Google preempts any inconvienence and risk by making it a part of Chrome.
In the End
Relentless innovation has gotten Chrome browser this far. This is due to Chromium as an open source resource as well as the amount of manpower that Google has thrown towards it in anticipation of Chrome OS. I didn’t even get to talk here about interesting features like the omnibox, bookmark sync and geolocation, but they are an aside to these three major developments that are propelling this browser’s growth. How much market share can this browser take from Internet Explorer and Firefox in the months and years to come?
Does Android Have the Fastest Mobile Browser with Flash?
Posted on 24. May, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 0 Comments
A comprehensive video showing the Flash elements of a Nexus One with Android 2.2 compared to the iPhone and HTC HD2 (Windows Mobile 6.2), which is very telling. The video also has a comparison to prove to whether Android actually has the fastest mobile browser as claimed by Google. So how does the mobile variety of Flash integrate with pages when you are on the web? You be the judge.
A Letter to Adobe Flash: At Least Consider Open Source
Posted on 01. May, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 8 Comments
Dear Adobe Flash:
We’ve had some great times together. Awesome videos, time-wasting games and websites with a ton of bright colors, which I have fully enjoyed. I’ve even spent some time learning how to program you. It’s been a great relationship. But something has changed, dearest Flash. The problem is not really you, it’s more me. And perhaps the rest of the web. You see, I really don’t know how to break this to you, but things change. People change. More importantly, technology changes.
Since you’re already offered up for free and huge amounts of people readily enjoy your technology, I just no longer understand why you are not open source. Sure, you can offer up mega-expensive tools to create for yourself if you want, but if you really desire to be a part of the new rules of internet architecture you’re going to need to do yourself a favor and open yourself up to the world.
This doesn’t really have to do with Apple’s relationship with you, because once you make Steve Jobs angry, it’s over. It more has to do with the odd juxtaposition of you paired with Google’s applications in Chrome browser and Chrome OS. The idea that Google has for these platforms is to be an open source alternative to what Apple and Microsoft offer in terms of architecture, but in their battle with these two, they have decide to include you as a closed-source participant in this rivalry. Even Android is expected to enter into the fray sometime in 2010.
Your biggest competition in this regard, HTML5, is available for anyone to use. Even Microsoft’s Silverlight is working towards having their technology as an open source platform, a baffling revelation to me since you should be trying to improve yourself before its too late and you have faded into something that we think of as once relevant.
Sure, maybe you don’t care what people think about you. But there are really no drawbacks to taking the plunge. Do you really feel that you have the resources to consistently protect yourself from malicious security attacks? We know you’ve had some problems with this in the past, and it’s only a matter of time before another “issue” comes up again. The only way Google feels comfortable going forward with you is if they integrate your technology into theirs so that the vulnerabilities you have can be patched as soon as they arise.
Well, at least with all the news coming out about you, I’m sure you’re at least thinking about it.
UPDATE: Please take the time to sign an online petition to open source Flash. It will take you thirty seconds. Thanks.
WPilot is a Browser-Based Multiplayer Space Shooter (No Flash Required)
Posted on 18. Apr, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 1 Comments
The Chrome Experiments keep coming.
The site, which is owned by Google, is a place where developers who are interested in creating new and interesting browser-based technologies can put up their latest ideas. There are some interesting mash-ups that take the web browser user experience to the next level – without using Flash. One of which is a port of the Asteroids game to the browser using HTML5.
This new nugget, called WPilot, allows players to fight one another in a game that seems eerily similar to the Asteroids game I mentioned before. Nevertheless, WPilot bugs and all is a sign that the browser will become the window with which we use for almost everything that is computer related – even multiplayer games.
WPilot uses HTML5′s canvas and audio elements, WebSocket API and WebGL although sound does not seem to be working for Chrome browser right now. Here are the browsers and their compatibility/performance with the game.
I’m still waiting for those Googlers to release a standalone version of Quake II for the browser that is multiplayer. I’m sure that they have it running by now; they’re probably just hoarding it. Ok, maybe “closed beta testing”. But you don’t create a Quake II browser port to play the game by yourself.
Anyways, check out WPilot. Right now the multiplayer servers are empty, so head over there because I need something to do for the rest of my night.
Charlie Miller: Most Secure Browser is Chrome, IE8
Posted on 04. Mar, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 2 Comments
Best known as the hacker that is able to consistently deliver results in the Pwn2Own contest which awards contestants for successfully exploiting OS vulnerabilities, Charlie Miller gave an interview recently and shared his thoughs about the most secure computing platform for users. While he was unable to comment on Chrome OS (he said he didn’t have enough info yet) his thoughts and the best browser and OS were of interest.
“Chrome or IE8 on Windows 7 with no Flash installed. There probably isn’t enough difference between the browsers to get worked up about”, Miller told oneitsecurity. And while we agree with his point, it stands out that he would find that IE8 is comparable to Chrome in any way other than security. Chrome offers a better UI, is faster and has far better web compliance scores.
He discussed the potential of hacking Linux, saying that it would be relatively easy to pull off. But the low adoption rate of Linux as inhibited any motivation for researchers to try to point out flaws that are inherent to the system. Chrome OS is based off of a flavor of Linux so it will be interesting to see how it evolves from the perspective of security.
Miller is clearly not impressed by Flash, and that’s no surprise. With Pwn2Own’s 2010 contest coming up, the focus this year is going to be on exploiting mobile phones. That would probably be made easier if some of these platforms like the iPhone actually had Flash, so expect Android to be a big target with a lot of entrants trying to win the big prize by hacking that platform. The total prize allocation for the contest is set at $100,000.
HTML5 Will Replace Google Gears – But Not Without On2
Posted on 22. Feb, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 3 Comments
It certainly was a big deal a few years ago when Google first announced their Gears platform for web browsing. But the truth is that it was only a stopgap for what is to be the future: HTML5. Well, finally the time has come for HTML5 to shine, as recent developments have pushed it into the forefront for a more interactive web experience.
Basically Gears is a bridge between the browser and the native computing system. With HTML5, this type of flexibility is coded right in with web development. That benefits users because it provides for simplicity along with more flexibility in terms of development. Some things that you may use Gears for today, such as offline storage to all for a faster experience or just to have files when you’re not connected, can be done even easier with HTML5. Plus, the majority of browsers now support HTML5 unlike when Gears was announced back in 2007.
The official Gears blog had an update last week, explaining why there has been a lack of posts lately. No more updates to Gears, however until everything is completely moved over to HTML5 (which could be a while) support will continue. It’s also no coincidence that on the same day of that post it was announced that Google was finalizing its purchase of On2 Media for $124.6 million.
That’s because the video technology that On2 has developed fits well within what Google is trying to do with YouTube. Although some people like to complain about the lack of innovation sine Google purchased YouTube, they just recently have started a HTML5 beta on the site, and I’m sure that you can expect to see more interesting developments now that On2 is in the fold. That is unless Google bought On2 just to kill it, which seems doubtful.
One of the big things to watch for: video compression standards. On2 has a variety of these proprietary formats, and so it is not a stretch to expect HTML5 paired with one of them, namely called V8 VP8, to become the standard for Chrome and especially on YouTube, which currently uses a licensed technology called H.264 that works with Adobe’s Flash Player. There has been a call for On2 to make VP8 open source by some developers, and we’ll see what happens with that.
So what is the underlying problem with H.264 and Flash? Well, both of them have been around for a while with little relative progress in their technology. That’s not going to work too well in the near future with devices becoming ever smaller and portable running ARM processors.
You can check out a video comparison between H264 and VP8 from On2′s website right here if you’re interested.
