NNSquad - Network Neutrality Squad
[ NNSquad ] Steve Jobs Posts Unconvincing Manifesto Against Adobe Flash
Steve Jobs Posts Unconvincing Manifesto Against Adobe Flash
http://lauren.vortex.com/archive/000712.html
Steve Jobs has posted a rather detailed condemnation of Adobe's Flash,
and has attempted to explain why he hasn't permitted Flash into the
iPhone/iPod/iPad ecosystem ( http://bit.ly/bMedi2 [Apple] ).
While I would happily see Flash being supplanted over time by
HTML5/H.264, HTML5/Ogg Theora, or (perhaps best) HTML5/VP8, I am
unimpressed with Steve's posting.
His effort to draw a fine distinction between the closed ecosystem of
the iPhone, and the proprietary nature of Flash, was skillful, but
still unconvincing.
His argument claiming that users weren't really missing much useful
video by not having Flash seemed disingenuous and unrealistic. Flash
support is still required to view videos on the vast majority of
video-supporting Web sites.
His technical complaints regarding Flash have some merit of course.
But SO WHAT? Adobe was willing to do essentially all of the
development work for Flash support, and Apple needed basically only to
have permitted it onto the associated platforms. If users didn't want
to use Flash (say, because they wanted a better touch interface or
longer battery life -- two issues Steve discussed) nobody would put a
gun to users' heads forcing them to use Flash anyway. An option to
disable Flash could have been easily made available.
Yeah, USER CHOICE!
Clearly, the real problem that Steve Jobs has with Flash is that
someone other than Apple has control over it. And the guiding
principle of the iPhone/iPod/iPad ecosystem is Apple Controls All.
Sorry Steve. Nice try. Well written. But it just doesn't fly.
--Lauren--
Lauren Weinstein
lauren@vortex.com
Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800
http://www.pfir.org/lauren
Co-Founder, PFIR
- People For Internet Responsibility - http://www.pfir.org
Co-Founder, NNSquad
- Network Neutrality Squad - http://www.nnsquad.org
Founder, GCTIP - Global Coalition
for Transparent Internet Performance - http://www.gctip.org
Founder, PRIVACY Forum - http://www.vortex.com
Member, ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
Lauren's Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/laurenweinstein