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hnmullanytoday at 2:27 PM1 replyview on HN

Flash didn't disappear when internet technologies got better. Flash disappeared because Apple refused to distribute it on iPhone - partly because Adobe couldn't effectively shrink it down to early generation iPhone technical capabilities - but partly because they didn't want a competitor to the iOS SDK.

Then Apple effectively vetoed - explicitly and through lack of investment) futher improvement in audiovisual web platform technologies (e.g. the custom shaders that Adobe wanted to make part of the nextgen filter spec) during the critical period where developers were making their platform choice for mobile.

Apple has been no friend to the further evolution of the web.


Replies

cryo32today at 3:07 PM

What about the bit where the majority of the browsers on the web are or were derived from WebKit, which was Apple originated?

Nobody really wanted Flash. It was expensive to develop for, had a bunch of security issues and was generally bloated.

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