Flash/Flex for Linux: it's BS!

Based on al the hubbub around Adobe making Flash/Flex stuff available for Linux, I have to comment that none of it is available for Linux.  It's available for Linux/i386, which is a totally different beast (Linux running on the i386 architecture).  It excludes Linux running on any other architecture (such as PPC or SPARC).

So please, Adobe, get your  language straight.  Or better yet, make it actually available for Linux.

14 responses to “Flash/Flex for Linux: it's BS!”

  1. Damien McKenna

    Seeing as its a Java-based app why not release it as a platform independent binary and have the .exe stuff be optional?

  2. Barney

    There's also the Flash Player itself to contend with. It's not Java but native code.

  3. Anonymous

    I think I've found one of the two people in the world running something other than an i386 processor anymore. Wow! ;-)

  4. Anonymous

    *shakes head in pity*

    yes, we'd like Adobe to waste their time on 1% of 1% of all users out there rather than spend time bettering their toolsets for the 99.9%. Quit your whining and get a real computer.

  5. Anthony

    I hate rants. And people with issues.

  6. James Ward
  7. zwetan

    oh dear that flash player stuff is not working on my hacked iPod/XBOX/pigeon/… running Linux

    Linux is great because it can run almost anywhere,
    the problem with that is that it indeed can run anywhere, and anywhere it's a hell lot place to test for.

    I don't think that Linux/i386 is the worst place to start!

  8. JD

    You got Served!

  9. Barney

    My main point was that they're releasing Flash for Linux/i386, not Linux. There's a substantial difference if you only distribute binaries. I have no doubt that we won't see a PPC version for a long while. Even with the magic of GCC's cross-compilation, there's still a huge amount of work release a software product on a new platform.

    John,

    Care to elaborate on your choice of comment and URL? I assume you provided that link for a reason, but I can't find it.

  10. zwetan

    how much people run Linux PPC/SPARC ?
    like 0,00001% of the internet population ?
    if you already got Linux PPC can you not just double boot with MAC OS X ?
    how many companies even care for Linux/i386 ?
    if you were to code something for Linux would you start first with PPC/SPAR then move to i386 ?

    com'on!!

    your "BS" and "get your language straight" are way too harsh towards Adobe efforts to provide a plugin for Linux.

  11. chuck

    You folks are forgetting those of us using the latest generation of i386 and i386-compatible processors, namely the 64-bit ones. That's a LOT of people, as the PC seems to be going completely in the 64-bit direction, and 64-bit processors have already been out two years. This new Linux flash player AFAIK does not run on those, and as I know I can't make this player work unless I replace every library it and Java use with a 32-bit version. How about I tell YOU to "get a real computer" and get on the 64-bit train?

  12. James Ward

    It works on 64bit:
    http://blogs.adobe.com/penguin.swf/2006/10/whats_so_difficult_64bit_editi.html

    If you have problems, please let Mike Melanson know.

  13. julien

    Hi Barney,

    I agree with zwetan, that was quite harsh. I've just started having fun with this (64Bit), we should wait a while before strating to complain :)

  14. Martin Evans

    Hmmmm i must say some of these posts on here are funny. Especially ones that state the 0000000.1% are linux stuff :P

    Tbh almost 90% of Internet servers run on Linux and most of the backbones for mail systems are Unix based non i386/i686 processors.

    The latest 64bit archs arnt i386 (although they can handle the code) they are classed as i686 or x86 archs.

    As for the comments made about Adobe i totally agree, the only ppl to call, what this person has said harsh are a bunch of x86 Windows users. Yes there are plenty of you around, but thats why the ppl with the PPC/Alternative archs are peeved with companys keeping stuff like this closed source. It ends up that even if they made it partially open source someone can then go to work on making a free replacement as SWFdec and gnash have done for the older versions of Flashplayer. Now for the biggest laugh for all you "get a real computer" ppl do you know the Xbox360 is more powerfull than any PC in current circulation (proven fact as i dont know of any Triple core 3.2ghz PC's) and thats a PPC (PowerPC). The websites you visit 9 out of 10 are based on "Apache" or use "PHP" both Linux/Unix born. So before you spout off about stuff read up on it first.