An Adobe Insider’s thoughts on the Apple-Flash Controversy

Steve Jobs public tirade (read here) against the ineffectiveness of Adobe Flash is probably the hottest thing on the web right now and rightfully so. For the millions of Apple “i” devices users it is utterly frustrating to see the message that the device requires the Adobe Flash plugin to make the website that you want to visit work, especially if the homepage itself is completely flash based (a very poor strategy to have from a technology point of view as of today). Thus, it was great to see some explanation on this issue by none other than Steve Jobs himself. While a lot of different people have different opinions on this, even the harshest of critics would agree that Adobe Flash technology is buggy and is the number one reason why a lot of browsers especially Microsoft Internet Explorer crash ( even Microsoft sided with Apple on this, read here).

However let’s be rational and non-biased. What does Adobe have to say in their defense to Apple’s bashing of their technology ? Not a lot actually, their CEO doesn’t really care about making a statement and neither is he that well known, their CTO, Mr. Kevin Lynch responds to Mr. Jobs 1700 word explanation with a 200 word response on the Adobe corporate blog (read here), steering clear of a number of issues like why Adobe has been so slow in showcasing their technology to Apple and convincing them that it is good enough to run on iPhone like devices.

Again to get into the heart of the matter, we talked to an Adobe Insider on the technical side to get their thoughts on the whole debate. Here’s what one of them had to say:

yes, Flash is a bit closed than usual web technologies…but not as closed as Apple’s whole eco-system. whether Jobs admits or not, he has his (company’s) own interest in pushing a Flash-less web…its the first step towards “monopolization“, and frankly, I won’t blame him. His company creates products that people buy (and services that ppl use - read iTunes); he’s surely in a definitive position to dictate what runs on his devices and what not…his mileage may vary, though.

and no, HTML5 is fraught from issues in its current form (although, in its defence, many of them are teething issues) and is very likely to change significantly before wide-spread adoption kicks-in…so Jobs is not right when he claims that he’s avoiding Flash as it is “past“…Flash may not be the future in the form it currently exists, but it is very much the present; in my opinion, he has no right to deny his users the present all the while hailing the future that may not exist (not due to lack of willingness in its adaptation, but for the lack of proper standardization, read here) in the form it is being proposed today - not to mention the fact that even the “present” support for the “future” is rather limited (sites like facebook are using workarounds - rather than using HTML5 - to run on Apple devices; just to make sure that ppl don’t stop using their site due to Apple obstinance)…but, a lot also depends upon the crowd’s willingness to accept Flash-less Apple devices.

Let’s accept that it’ll take a number of years before HTML 5 becomes as pervasive as Apple wants and till then it’ll be interesting to see whether there would be any change in consumer loyalty to Apple’s amazing products.

IPL - Too much of a Good Thing

8 Teams, Fast Paced Cricket, Cheerleaders, The Best Cricketers In The World, New Found Camaraderie between Cricketers from different Countries, Putting India on the World Map, Glamor from the Film Industry, World Cup like enthusiasm……the list continues.

The above are just a few key-words which describe the Indian Premier League which has made for some fabulous viewing so far. However I am reminded by the old saying which says “Too Much Of A Good Thing“. Is the IPL in any way doing any harm to us? This is an open ended question, because I myself am befuddled. I do not have an answer to this question. I can only dwell on the good points of the IPL. Besides those described above here are a few more:

1. Your Daily Dose Of Cricket: What does an average Indian television viewer need? No, not Saas-Bahu soaps. They are anyway getting really boring. Nothing beats fast paced 20-20 cricket. Nothing better than a cricket match starting every day at 8 PM in the evening, when you are just back from work and relaxing into your easy chair. The latest Television Rating Points (TRP’s) show higher ratings for the matches than for the women oriented soaps, even among women. This has moved SET MAX to the Number 1 spot across genres of television channels (SET MAX paid USD 1 Billion for 10 years television rights of the IPL)
2. Emergence of New Indian Cricketers: Ever heard of Wriddhiman Prasanta Saha or Pinal Shah or the young crop of U-19 players Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan. Well these guys are ready for the big league and these are just some of the names I have seen play. I am sure the end of the IPL will see a lot more competition for a spot in the National Indian Cricket Team.
3. India’s Dominance In T-20: The reigning world cup champions will benefit a lot from the IPL. I feel this would help them keep their dominance in T-20 cricket since the players are learning to manufacture shots which can fetch easy runs in T-20. The swoop shot has become a favorite of many batsmen and the ability to execute that and many more innovative shots will be critical.
4. New Business Opportunities: IPL can be tapped to create several more business opportunities for many verticals. From Retail to travel to media, several industries will benefit from this reality show which can keep anyone on the edges of their seats.

It’s nearing 10 days since the IPL started and there is a considerable interest amongst the viewers. So even though there is confusion many a times as to which team you should root for, that’s eventually good for the game since you end up watching the Delhi Daredevils with as much interest as the Kolkata Knightriders.

Too bad Bhajji had to slap Sreesanth and create the controversy that this format did not need. Nevertheless every controversy is an opportunity to create greater interest in the concept.