Chrome 45 Launches, Automatically Pauses Less Important Flash Content, Like Ads

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Chrome 45 Launches, Automatically Pauses Less Important Flash Content, Like Ads

Posted by Soulskill on Tuesday September 1, 2015 @10:42AM from the hip-hip-hooray dept.

An anonymous reader writes: Google today launched Chrome 45 for Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android with some expected changes and new developer tools. First and foremost, Chrome now automatically pauses less important Flash content (rolling out gradually, so be patient). This has been a longtime coming from both Google and Adobe, with the goal to make Flash content more power-efficient in Chrome: In March, a setting was introduced to play less Flash content on the page, but it wasn't turned on by default, and in June, the option was enabled in the browser's beta channel. Now it's being turned on for everyone.

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How does it know by phantomfive · 2015-09-01 10:45 · Score: 5, Interesting

How does it know what is "important" Flash content, and what isn't?
Fortunately, there's an option to not play any Flash content (unless started by user). That is a more useful feature, if you ask me.

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"First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
1. Re:How does it know by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-01 10:50 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  How does it know what is "important" Flash content, and what isn't?
  That's easy: Those that have paid Google and those that have not...
2. Re:How does it know by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-01 10:58 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  After first largest SWF (so SECOND largest flash element) if you're under 298x(forgot dimension) and a swf, you're paused.
  It's not a complicated algorithm, it's just not been released through public channels yet.
3. Re:How does it know by taustin · 2015-09-01 11:16 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  So this is an incentive to make the most annoying ad the largest Flash crap on the screen, then.
4. Re:How does it know by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-01 11:26 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  In my opinion, Firefox is the best browser for protecting your privacy.
  Chrome and IE/Edge are both made by Big Data companies, so you can't trust either of them.
  I don't have an opinion about Safari, Opera, or others.
5. Re:How does it know by phantomfive · 2015-09-01 12:33 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  Why only Flash? This would be a sensible approach for *all* animated content, "important" or otherwise.
  Because Google isn't trying to get rid of animated content, they are trying to get rid of Flash.
  
  --
  "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
6. Re:How does it know by popo · 2015-09-01 16:38 · Score: 2
  
  Not true. It's much more sophisticated than that. I've tested the "smart" blocking vs the "block all plugins" settings and it definitely allows more than just the biggest element through, but it does block the ads.
  On sites where there are Flash navigation elements, or smaller Flash applications -- they are still apparently unblocked but auto play videos are blocked.
  There's more to this than meets the eye. And it's not just as simple as allowing the biggest Flash element to load.
  
  --
  ------ The best brain training is now totally free : )
7. Re:How does it know by Anonymous Coward · 2015-09-01 16:44 · Score: 2
  
  This. HTML5 is often no faster than Flash.
  Jobs said it was and no one questioned him, but CPU tests say otherwise. (We all know Jobs really just hated on Flash to protect his precious AppStore revenue -- as security concerns weren't issues for iOS devices anyway.)
  Flash is a security disaster, yes. But slower than HTML5? No. Not really. And Flash is far easier to block than HTML5 which can be tough to separate from the rest of the page.
  Be careful what you wish for. What we are likely to end up with is slow, bloated HTML5 sites that can't easily be streamlined by simply stopping a plugin.
8. Re:How does it know by danmoran · 2015-09-02 01:40 · Score: 2
  
  How does it know what is "important" Flash content, and what isn't?
  That's easy: Those that have paid Google and those that have not...
  And are we only talking about flash advertising? What about the charts in Google Finance, for example? When will those be "updated" to HTML5?
Flash is soooo bad... by pubwvj · 2015-09-01 11:08 · Score: 5, Interesting

Flash is so bad that I run with it turned off by default. Anyone trying to Flash me must get my attention with the little FLASHED BLOCKED grey area which I then decide if it is worth it to trust them. Almost never.
What Google is doing is a good thing.
First they're demoting Flash and by inference saying it like GMOs is just plain bad.
Second they can use known bad sources, patterns and crowd voting to find the offenders and just kill their content.
Flash ads are awful. Perhaps this sort of vote against Flash will help kill Flash advertising while still allowing it for some useful content.
1. Re:Flash is soooo bad... by KGIII · 2015-09-01 14:55 · Score: 2
  
  I suspect they're doing this to get more adoption of HTML5 which will make ad blocking much more difficult assuming web developers are even a little sneaky. I don't have the faith to assume they're doing this for good reason.
  
  --
  "So long and thanks for all the fish."
2. Re:Flash is soooo bad... by ThatsNotPudding · 2015-09-01 23:51 · Score: 2
  
  Flash ads are awful.
  Until un-blockable HTML5 animated ads with audio become the norm - and I suspect the Google advertising agency will have no problem with this.
Who cares about Flash now that HTML5 is here? by Gadget_Guy · 2015-09-01 11:40 · Score: 3, Interesting

I actually liked Flash being used for advertising on the Web, because I never installed Flash in the first place. It used to be my poor-man's ad-blocker long before that was a thing. But now that Flash is dying off, and with ubiquitous ad blockers, I now get confronted with the kind of flashy, power draining ads that I have always hated because everyone uses HTML5 video or canvas animations instead. I can tell when one loads because I can hear my poor little notebook's fan start chugging away as soon as the CPU-heavy ads start playing.
I want to support my free web services by allowing reasonable advertising on websites, but not when they take over the resources on my computer.
1. Re:Who cares about Flash now that HTML5 is here? by Billly+Gates · 2015-09-01 12:56 · Score: 2
  
  You know 2012 was an exciting year for web developers.
  We just started learning 1998 CSS 2.1 and HTML 4.01. Why??? IE 6 prevented us from not being behind 10 years. It killed standards and we had to wait until it hit 1% and corporations who pay for the web developers who ran IE 6 saw a scrambled mess and said HEY WHO THEY HELL DID WE HIRE etc not realizing it was their poor 10 year old browser.
  My point?
  Grandma on XP uses IE 8 her internets won't work unless you do flash. THat client who pays you has IE 8 from 2009 because Oracle won't update their peoplesoft app without millions of dollars.
  So we have to wait until CHina too who still uses XP with updates disabled so they are all on IE 6 to upgrade too by 2020.
  In 2020 we can start to learn 2010 technology while the rest of us update every 6 weeks. Sigh and face palm. Flash will be here for a very very very long time short of making a law requiring TO STOP USING ANCIENT IE
  
  --
  http://saveie6.com/
I use alternate browser with Flash twice yearly by raymorris · 2015-09-01 11:45 · Score: 2

Yep. I don't have Flash installed at all for my main browser. I haven't for a long time. Once or twice per year I find some Flash I want to see, so I open Opera, which does have Flash.
Some sites will use Flash IF it's installed, but if not they'll generally "fall back" to HTML or some other method. People used to ask me "don't you watch YouTube"? Sure, and for a long time it has worked fine if Flash isn't detected at all. Apparently if Flash was detected but disabled, YouTube wouldn't work.
FF Add-ons - Flash Plugin = "Ask to Activate" by TheDarkener · 2015-09-01 11:51 · Score: 2

is pretty nice as well.

--
It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
Re:Easy Fix by Trax3001BBS · 2015-09-01 13:26 · Score: 2

Block all ads anyway like any end user should. Ads are a blight on the Internet and, despite them paying for some content, the largest vector for malware. I've been blocking ads since 1999. I will never not block ads, even if doing so is illegal.
Did you catch the article yesterday on /. "Microsoft intensifies data collection on Windows 7 and 8" they are hard coding sites, bypassing the HOSTS file.
No more NPAPI by SpamSlapper · 2015-09-01 13:57 · Score: 4, Interesting

This release also permanently removes support for NPAPI plugins.
This was disabled by default in the last few releases, but could be turned back on. Now it is gone for good, along with support for a large number of plugins, including Microsoft Silverlight, some SharePoint features and some games like Battlefield 4 Battleblog
Ouch.
1. Re:No more NPAPI by perlith · 2015-09-01 23:45 · Score: 2
  
  The only stuff it was ever used for was crapware.
  Actually, several enterprise web applications use it. Parent mentioned SharePoint, there are more than a few applications on J2EE servers which utilize it as well. One of the areas of the product I work on just released a new application to replace an older application which was dependent on NPAPI.
  
  Customers have 1 of 3 choices at this point:
  1) Downgrade Chrome - IT Security won't allow that, too risky
  2) Upgrade the server code / install new application - IT Management won't allow that, too risky
  3) Use something other than Chrome until #2 can happen - most likely choice in the short term
  
  However I am in agreement the NPAPI needed to die. Google gave more than enough warning this was coming - TWO YEARS - so companies were given the opportunity to fix their code. Those that haven't - shame on you.
2. Re:No more NPAPI by JonSarik · 2015-09-02 02:06 · Score: 2
  
  Unfortunately, as one of those people who still depends on sites using Java, I had to switch to Firefox as of Chrome 45. Shame they wouldn't allow us to enable NPAPI, but I guess this is probably the only way to force those sites' hands. In the meantime, I have no choice but to switch. Makes me a sad panda.
In other news by jbmartin6 · 2015-09-01 14:32 · Score: 3, Informative

Amazon banned Flash on their ad networks.

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This posting is provided 'AS IS' without warranty of any kind, implied or otherwise.
Re:Sound for ads by KGIII · 2015-09-01 14:53 · Score: 3, Funny

There comes a time in a young man's life when he must, in order to grow, rebel against the system. Today, young man, I'd like to introduce you to AdBlock Plus.

--
"So long and thanks for all the fish."