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Flash Ported To iOS and iPhone 4

An anonymous reader noted that there is a simple HOWTO explaining how to install flash on an iPhone4. Mad props for using Strong Bad as the demo. Of course, step one is to use the JailBreakMe. Once installed, Flash inside Safari loads in a stopped state so it won't even hurt performance unless you decide to actually execute the program.

20 of 231 comments (clear)

  1. Everyone sing! C'mon, you know the words! by Pojut · · Score: 3, Funny

    "Would everyone please rise for the presentation of our national colors"

    Oh!
    Oh I like that!
    Oh yeah!
    Come to the place where the tropical breezes blow
    Come to the coolest place I know
    The people are so great
    But really there's only me
    And that means I'm so great
    And also there's The Cheat
    Oh there's The Cheat!
    The place where the tropical breezes blow
    The Cheat!
    In the coolest place I know
    The one's are always cold
    And parties last all night
    And probably lots of chocolate
    And population tire
    POPULATION TIREEEE!!!

  2. Oh noes! by Pojut · · Score: 4, Funny

    Based on the way Apple has talked about flash, I guess people's iPhones are just going to explode.

    1. Re:Oh noes! by nine-times · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Actually, based on the way Apple has talked about Flash, I'd expect that Flash will perform poorly, crash often, and drain battery life.

      How much do you want to bet that it's true?

    2. Re:Oh noes! by toadlife · · Score: 5, Insightful

      No need to care what Apple says. Flash has been and is available on other smartphone platforms with hardware similar to the iPhone for years now. It runs like shit on those, so I don't see any reason why it wouldn't run like shit on the iPhone.

      --
      I don't always use unix-like operating systems; but when I do, I prefer FreeBSD.
    3. Re:Oh noes! by nine-times · · Score: 4, Insightful

      It also runs poorly on OSX. And Linux. And really anything other than Windows.

  3. Still won't help... by nlvp · · Score: 3, Informative

    ...all the people who want to develop applications for sale through the App store, for whom Apple is still the gatekeeper who can enforce whatever rules any way they choose.

    Hard to believe this behaviour in the wake of the Microsoft cases heard in Europe and elsewhere, but I suppose Apple can still argue that they don't control enough of the market with the iPhone to be considered a monopolist, and so can impose any conditions on developers that they choose.

  4. Battery Murderer by al3k · · Score: 3, Funny

    I'm sure this will only improve the iPhone's awesome battery life! (iphone owner)

  5. Re:Jailbreakme by Anonymusing · · Score: 4, Funny

    Yes, if you jailbreak the phone, its antenna stops working.

    No, you're just jailbreaking it wrong... try the right hand...

    --
    Liberal? Conservative? Compare perspectives at Left-Right
  6. Re:Jailbreakme by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    It's... um... a GIGANTIC security hole that's trivial to exploit. It's more shameful that they have NOT yet closed them.

  7. Re:Jailbreakme by Bill_the_Engineer · · Score: 5, Informative

    Actually I hope it's really soon. I not against jail breaking, but I don't like the idea that PDFs can be used to exploit iOS4. http://secunia.com/advisories/40807/

    --
    These comments are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of my employer or colleagues...
  8. Re:Jailbreakme by jiteo · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Um, there should be no quotes around "fixes". While JailBreakMe uses the exploit for honest purposes, we need to keep in mind that the exploit is a huge security hole that needs to get fixed ASAP.

  9. Re:Oh well by deathguppie · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Dude, seriously. I hate the plastic knife they pack away in those little cheesy cracker packs. It doesn't work very well and it's more garbage for the environment, but sometimes it's the only way to spread my cheese. I could hate the plastic spreader, write about it in blogs, start a petition... However sometimes it's just what I'm looking for even if I don't agree with it.

    With that said, many, many flash sites load and run very well on my Nexus One. More than I would have thought, and I can always turn it off, or not go to the site.

    --
    once more into the breach
  10. Re:Oh well by Shihar · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I have been a pretty big hater of flash in the past. Its ability to bring a modern computer to its knees with a fucking little flash game is pretty god damn annoying. That said, Apple bitch slapping the shit out of Flash has knocked a little sense into their heads. They have recently discovered mortality and found that they kind of fear it. Flash has started to clean up its act and stopped assuming that the user has more cores than fingers and enough memory to run a dozen instances Windows Vista at once. In fact, EVERYONE has started to do this from website designers to chip makers. I think the smart phone mobile revolution has been great for design in general. For too long everyone used Moore's law as crutch. Why use good design when you can throw 8 gig, handful of cores, and enough power to run a small movie theater at the problem?

    What makes the mobile revolution really interesting is that it is really just reclaiming a lot of old tech. Everyone from chip designers to programmers know exactly where to go next because we have already been there with the PC. The challenge now is to take that old tech and optimizing to do more with less. The programing piece is interesting, but I think the real advances will be in hardware design. What smartphones are doing to hardware (chips, memory, sensors, etc) is breathtaking. They have covered ground that it took PCs a decade to cover in a couple of years. By the time my HTC Evo is ready for replacement in less than two years, I don't doubt for a second that my next phone is going to be rocking specs to put my last computer to shame.

  11. Re:Not having flash... by Colonel+Korn · · Score: 3, Insightful

    is the iPhone's main feature for me. But if you like it, nice to have the choice.

    Why don't you use a rock or a jellybean, then?

    Not having the choice to use Flash is a very stupid motivator in choosing a phone. It's like saying that you'd rather be unable to run because running can wear you out faster than walking, or that you don't want to be allowed to freely express yourself because that can be embarrassing.

    Why give up the choice just because most of the time you would stick with one option? But the real question for me is this: why take such joy in giving up that choice? Why thank Apple for disallowing a feature that wouldn't hurt you at all, though it might only rarely help?

    --
    "I zero-index my hamsters" - Willtor (147206)
  12. Re:Jailbreakme by Tharsman · · Score: 3, Informative

    I'm a bit skeptic about the entire "antenna problem". I have not been able to reproduce the leftie-bug in any iphone4 i have held. I think it indeed just weakens signal a bit in places where signal already was bad.

  13. Re:Jailbreakme by Cwix · · Score: 3, Insightful

    If you live in an area with good AT&T coverage you wont notice a problem. Go out into the boonies.

    I see your anecdotal evidence and match with my own. Out here in the midwest ive seen it happen on every iphone4 ive had the opportunity of trying it on. Including the display model at the AT&T store.

    --
    You are entitled to your own opinions, not your own facts.
  14. Re:Jailbreakme by FutureDomain · · Score: 4, Funny

    It sounds like someone is uptight...

    --
    Hydraulic pizza oven!! Guided missile! Herring sandwich! Styrofoam! Jayne Mansfield! Aluminum siding! Borax!
  15. Re:Curious... by Mongoose+Disciple · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I don't think anyone wants Flash, per se, but they may well want content that's only available (or more easily available) in Flash.

  16. Re:Jailbreakme by mark72005 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Only 0.5% of users have complained about this security risk - therefore, it's really no problem.

  17. Re:Not having flash... by willy_me · · Score: 3, Interesting

    But the real question for me is this: why take such joy in giving up that choice? Why thank Apple for disallowing a feature that wouldn't hurt you at all, though it might only rarely help?

    If iOS users could access Flash then those website owners would have the option to ignore mobile users. "The current Flash website works" would be their response to requests for an optimized one. As it stands, without Flash support, website owners are given the choice to ignore all iOS users, create a dedicated app, or create a website version optimized for mobile devices.

    Apple would prefer that website owners took the latter of the three choices. Forget Flash - just create a version that works well with mobile devices. Small screen, no mouse - it really requires a different design. When designing future websites be sure to "think mobile" during the design process. This is beneficial to users of all mobile web devices.

    So by taking away "choice" in regards to Flash, Apple is pushing the industry to accommodate small mobile devices. This is good for everyone. I am glad Apple made this decision. But if I personally owned an iOS device I would want the option to use Flash. Guess I would have to jailbreak or purchase an Android device - but that is my choice. I am not mad at Apple for making theirs.