iSwifter Brings Flash Games To the iPad — Sort Of

itwbennett writes "Peter Smith is blogging about the free iSwifter app, which aims to solve the 'no Flash games on iPads' problem. The app, which is currently available for the iPad and planned for the iPhone and other devices, 'streams Flash games to your iPad. You run the app, which contacts iSwifter servers, which are actually running the Flash. Ideally, the effect is identical to running the app directly from a web page.' Smith tested the app and calls it an 'interesting idea,' but an imperfect solution — at least right now."

Comments

iSwiffer?

[MrEricSir]

Does it also clean your floor?

i think cloudbrowse does the same thing

[alen]

there is some "browser" i have on my iphone that does the same thing. it's like transfering PC Anywhere or VNC. painfully slow and PITA to control the other website

You want the real solution?

[Sycraft-fu]

If Flash matters to you, don't buy the iPad, and send Apple a respectful e-mail saying that you require Flash support in a tablet device if you are to buy it. That is the real solution. If sales suffer because of the lack of Flash, and they are aware of it, then it is likely they'll rectify the problem. If not, someone else will.

However if you get all caught up in Shiny New Toy Syndrome and rush out to buy it, no matter how bad a fit for your use it is, don't go and cry about it later. All that tells companies is that you don't really care about what you say you do, they can produce whatever they like with whatever restrictions they like and you'll buy it so long as it is cool.

I just don't understand all the crying about Flash on Apple devices. If it doesn't matter to you, then great, buy their device, be happy and so on. If it does matter, then do not buy their device, let them know that this is a requirement before you make a purchase, and go on with your life.

However don't buy the device because it is cool, without researching it, and then cry because it won't do what you want.

Re:You want the real solution?

[farnsworth]

If Flash matters to you, don't buy the iPad

I don't know anyone who has an iOS device that complains about lack of Flash. I know dozens upon dozens of people with iOS devices, some for years now.

It seems like most of the bitching about Flash comes from Flash developers who won't or can't port to Cocoa Touch or HTML 5. Which is fine by me, they are complaining about a vendor making a somewhat arbitrary technical decision that impacts their careers. I'd be pissed too if a large portion of my market was obviated practically overnight.

Re:what's the point?

[samkass]

My company's internal web sites use Flash all over the place. In our workflow system, our annual review system, etc. If the iPad is really going to go corporate in a big way, it will eventually need Flash for these kinds of uses. Internal corporate systems are not going to be rewritten in HTML5 anytime soon.

Re:I see a trend here...

[tepples]

I see thin clients becoming a common solution to many graphical/computational intensive applications in the future.

I see the future not coming any time soon, at least until mobile Internet access plans in the United States become much cheaper. At least thick clients can work in environments that connect to the Internet only intermittently.

Re:JS Flash players

[Joe Tie.]

I haven't been paying close attention, so I could be a bit out of date here. As far as I'm aware though, mobile safari doesn't have JIT compilation for JS yet. Without that, anything intensive with javascript will run at a snail's pace.

Re:Going in circles

[cdrguru]

When the following generation looks at the folks that came before and sneers that they are old, outmoded and do not have the necessary mental capacity to understand the "new way" re-inventing the wheel is a sad but necessary part of the process.

Most of what is considered to be recent developments in computer science has foundations if not actual implementations in the years before 1970. It may be in a different context, but the same problems have been solved, and are being solved again.

I don't think it is a choice - it is absolutely necessary for people to re-invent the wheel every few years. It is either that or slide backwards as old methods that work are discarded. We are either going to replace them (usually with the same old methods, eventually) or give up and accept less.