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Adobe Flash Player
Adobe Flash Player Icon
Adobe Flash Player under Linux
Adobe Flash Player under Linux.
Developed by Adobe Systems (formerly by Macromedia)
Initial release 1996
OS Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, Solaris and Pocket PC
Available in Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, Korean [1]. A software developer is a person or organization concerned with facets of the software development process wider than design and coding a somewhat broader scope of Adobe Systems Incorporated (pronounced a-DOE-bee əˈdoʊbiː ( is an American Computer software company headquartered in San Jose California An operating system (commonly abbreviated OS and O/S) is the software component of a Computer system that is responsible for the management and coordination Microsoft Windows is a series of Software Operating systems and Graphical user interfaces produced by Microsoft. Mac OS X (mæk oʊ ɛs tɛn is a line of computer Operating systems developed marketed and sold by Apple Inc, the latest of which is pre-loaded on all currently Linux (commonly pronounced ˈlɪnəks Solaris is a Unix -based Operating system introduced by Sun Microsystems in 1992 as the successor to SunOS. A Pocket PC, abbreviated P/PC or PPC, is a hardware Specification for a Handheld -sized Computer ( Personal digital assistant A language is a dynamic set of visual auditory or tactile Symbols of Communication and the elements used to manipulate them English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities This article is mainly about the spoken Korean language See Hangul for details on the native Korean writing system
Genre Media Player
License Proprietary freeware EULA
Website Adobe Flash Player Homepage

The Adobe Flash Player is a widely distributed proprietary multimedia and application player created and distributed by Macromedia (a division of Adobe Systems). Computer software can be organized into categories based on common function type or field of use Media Player was a media player originally included in Windows 3 A software license (or software licence in commonwealth usage is a Legal instrument governing the usage or redistribution of copyright protected software Proprietary software is Computer software on which the producer has set restrictions on use private modification copying, or republishing. Freeware is computer Software that is available for use at no cost or for an optional fee A website (alternatively web site or Web site, a back-construction from the Proper noun World Wide Web) is a collection of Web pages Proprietary software is Computer software on which the producer has set restrictions on use private modification copying, or republishing. Macromedia was a North American graphics and Web development Software house headquartered in San Francisco, California producing such products Adobe Systems Incorporated (pronounced a-DOE-bee əˈdoʊbiː ( is an American Computer software company headquartered in San Jose California Flash Player runs SWF files that can be created by the Adobe Flash authoring tool, by Adobe Flex or by a number of other Macromedia and third party tools. The File format SWF (acronym of " Shockwave Flash "pronounced swiff)a partially open repository for multimedia and especially Adobe Flash (previously called Shockwave Flash and Macromedia Flash) is a set of Multimedia software created by Macromedia and currently Adobe Flex is a collection of technologies released by Adobe Systems for the development and deployment of cross platform Rich Internet applications based on the proprietary Macromedia was a North American graphics and Web development Software house headquartered in San Francisco, California producing such products

Adobe Flash, or simply Flash, refers to both a multimedia authoring program and the Adobe Flash Player, written and distributed by Adobe, that uses vector and raster graphics, a native scripting language called ActionScript and bidirectional streaming of video and audio. Strictly speaking, Adobe Flash is the authoring environment and Flash Player is the virtual machine used to run the Flash files, but in colloquial language these have become mixed: "Flash" can mean either the authoring environment, the player, or the application files.

Flash Player has support for an embedded scripting language called ActionScript (AS), which is based on ECMAScript. ActionScript is a scripting language based on ECMAScript. ActionScript is used primarily for the development of websites and software using the Adobe Flash Player ECMAScript is a Scripting language, standardized by Ecma International in the ECMA-262 specification. Since its inception ActionScript has matured from a script syntax without variables to one that supports object-oriented code, and may now be compared in capability to JavaScript (another ECMAScript-based scripting language). JavaScript is a Scripting language most often used for Client-side web development

The Flash Player was originally designed to display 2-dimensional vector animation, but has since become suitable for creating rich Internet applications and streaming video and audio. Rich Internet applications (RIAs are Web applications that have the features and functionality of traditional desktop applications. It uses vector graphics to minimize file size and create files that save bandwidth and loading time. Flash is a common format for games, animations, and GUIs embedded into web pages.

The Flash Player is built into some browsers and is available as a plugin for recent versions of other browsers (such as Mozilla Firefox, Opera, Safari and Microsoft Internet Explorer) on selected platforms. Opera is a Web browser and Internet suite developed by the Opera Software company Safari is a Web browser developed by Apple Inc and included in Mac OS X. Windows Internet Explorer (formerly Microsoft Internet Explorer abbreviated MSIE) commonly abbreviated to IE, is a series of graphical Each version of the plugin is completely backwards-compatible.

Contents

Supported platforms

The latest version of Flash Player, Version 9, is available for Windows (98 and newer), Linux (x86-32 only), Solaris and Mac OS X. Microsoft Windows is a series of Software Operating systems and Graphical user interfaces produced by Microsoft. Linux (commonly pronounced ˈlɪnəks See also X86 assembly language The generic term x86 refers to the most commercially successful Instruction set architecture in the history of Personal Solaris is a Unix -based Operating system introduced by Sun Microsystems in 1992 as the successor to SunOS. Mac OS X (mæk oʊ ɛs tɛn is a line of computer Operating systems developed marketed and sold by Apple Inc, the latest of which is pre-loaded on all currently Version 7 is the most recent official version currently available for the Linux/ARM-based Nokia 770/N800 Internet Tablets, classic Mac OS, Pocket PC and Windows 95/NT. The ARM architecture (previously the Advanced RISC Machine, and prior to that Acorn RISC Machine) is a 32-bit RISC processor architecture The Nokia 770 Internet Tablet is a wireless Internet appliance from Nokia, originally announced at the LinuxWorld Summit in New York City on The Nokia N800 Internet Tablet is a wireless Internet appliance from Nokia, originally announced at the Las Vegas CES 2007 Summit Mac OS is the trademarked name for a series of Graphical user interface -based Operating systems developed by Apple Inc A Pocket PC, abbreviated P/PC or PPC, is a hardware Specification for a Handheld -sized Computer ( Personal digital assistant [1][2] HP offers Version 6 of the player for HP-UX. HP-UX (Hewlett Packard UniX is Hewlett-Packard 's proprietary implementation of the Unix Operating system, based on System V (initially [3] Other versions of the player have been available at some point for OS/2, Symbian OS, Palm OS, BeOS and IRIX. OS/2 is a computer Operating system, initially created by Microsoft and IBM, then later developed by IBM exclusively Symbian OS is an open Operating system, designed for Mobile devices with associated libraries, User interface frameworks and Palm OS (also known as Garnet OS) is an embedded Operating system initially developed by U BeOS is an Operating system for Personal computers which began development by Be Inc IRIX is a computer Operating system developed by Silicon Graphics Inc [4] The Kodak Easyshare One includes Flash Player. Kodak EasyShare is a sub brand of Eastman Kodak Company products identifying a consumer photography system of Digital cameras snapshot printers printer docks accessories The Flash Player SDK was used to develop its on-screen menus, which are rendered and displayed using the included Flash Player. [2] Among other devices, LeapFrog Enterprises provides Flash Player with their Leapster Multimedia Learning System and extended the Flash Player with touch-screen support. LeapFrog Enterprises Inc is an Educational toy company based in Emeryville, California. [3] Sony has integrated Flash Player 6 into the Playstation Portable's web browser via firmware version 2. is a multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato Tokyo, Japan, and one of the world's largest Media conglomerates with The PlayStation Portable (officially abbreviated PSP) is a Handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. 70. Nintendo has integrated Flash Player 7 in the Internet Channel on the Wii. is a Multinational corporation headquartered in Kyoto Japan founded on The Internet Channel is a version of the Opera 9 Web browser for use on the Wii by Opera Software and Nintendo.

No x86-64 editions of the Flash player are currently available for any platform [5], due to the x86-32-specific garbage collector and just-in-time compilation engine [6]. Adobe engineers have stated that 64-bit editions for all supported platforms, including Linux, are in development [7]. They are developing since 2005 a x64 edition of the Flash Player, but never launched. There is a petiton online for Adobe support x64 platform as this platform is the next generation and every processor today support it.

Although SWF has recently become an open format again, Adobe has not been willing to make complete source code available for free software development. An open format is a published specification for storing digital data usually maintained by a Standards organization, which basically can be used and implemented by anyone The source code for the ActionScript Virtual Machine has been released as a project named Tamarin [8] under the terms of an MPL/GPL/LGPL tri-license. It includes the specification for the ActionScript byte code format. This project is jointly managed by Mozilla and Adobe. The full specification of the SWF format is available without restriction by Adobe. The principal alternative free software player, gnash, is quite incomplete at this time, however since SWF is now an open format, it should have a much higher quality going forward as developers implement the official SWF specifications. Free software or software libre is Software that can be used studied and modified without restriction and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified The Gnash project aims to create a free player and Browser plugin for the Adobe Flash file format and replace the Proprietary software niche

Internet Privacy/Persistent Identification Elements

See also: Local Shared Object

Flash Player is an application that, while running on a computer that is connected to the internet, is designed to contemporaneously interact with websites containing Flash content that are being visited online. A Local Shared Object (LSO is a collection of cookie -like data stored as a file on a user's PC The Internet is a global system of interconnected Computer networks As such, under certain configurations the application has the potential to silently compromise its users' internet privacy, and do so without their knowledge. Internet privacy consists of Privacy over the media of the Internet: the ability to control what information one reveals about oneself over the Internet and to control By default, Flash Player is configured to permit small, otherwise invisible "tracking" files, known as Persistent Identification Elements (PIE)[4] or Local Shared Object files, to be stored on the hard drive of a user's computer. A Local Shared Object (LSO is a collection of cookie -like data stored as a file on a user's PC A hard disk drive ( HDD) commonly referred to as a hard drive, hard disk, or fixed disk drive, is a Non-volatile storage device Sent in the background over the internet from websites to which a user is connected, these files work much the way "cookies" do with internet browsers. HTTP cookies, or more commonly referred to as Web cookies tracking cookies or just cookies are parcels of text sent by a server to a Web client (usually When stored on a user's computer, PIE (. sol) files are capable of sending personally sensitive data back out over the internet without the user's knowledge to one or more third parties. In addition, Flash Player is also capable of accessing and retrieving audio and video data from any microphone and/or webcams that might be either built in or connected to a user's computer and transmitting it in realtime over the internet (also potentially without the user's knowledge) to one or more third parties. Video is the technology of electronically capturing, Recording, processing storing transmitting and reconstructing a sequence of Still images Webcams ( web cameras) are small cameras (usually though not always Video cameras, whose images can be accessed using the World Wide Web, instant

While these capabilities can all be affirmatively blocked and/or disabled by the user, the Flash Player application does not provide an internally accessible "preferences" panel to accomplish this. Instead access to the various settings panels necessary to manage the application's "Privacy," "Storage," "Security," and "Notifications" settings can be achieved through a web-based "Settings Manager" page located on the "support" section of the Adobe. com website, or by third party tools (see Local Shared Object). A Local Shared Object (LSO is a collection of cookie -like data stored as a file on a user's PC Each of the functions can be enabled/disabled either "globally" to cover all websites, or set differently for individual websites depending on how the user desires Flash Player to be able to interact with each one.

Whilst the Flash Control Panel Settings in theory allow users to protect their privacy it should be remembered that suitably crafted Visual Basic Script or similar code can overwrite any user defined settings before the Flash Player Plug-in is called by a webpage.

In addition to cookies, many banks and other financial institutions also routinely install Persistent Identification Elements using Flash Player on users' hard drives when they establish and access their accounts, as do other interactive sites such as "YouTube" and the like. HTTP cookies, or more commonly referred to as Web cookies tracking cookies or just cookies are parcels of text sent by a server to a Web client (usually YouTube is a video sharing website where users can upload view and share Video clips YouTube was created in February 2005 by three former PayPal employees

History

See also

References and notes

  1. ^ Flash Player Download Center
  2. ^ Macromedia - Flash Player SDK http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer_sdk/ (Taken 7 July 2006)
  3. ^ Adobe Success Story: LeapFrog Enterprises http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/showcase/index.cfm?event=casestudydetail&casestudyid=21019&loc=en_us (Taken 7 July 2006)
  4. ^ Persistent Identification Elements (PIE) and Internet Privacy. Speex is a Free software speech codec that may be used on VoIP applications and Podcasts Speex claims to be free of any patent restrictions Real Time Media Flow Protocol (RTMFP is a new communication protocol from Adobe thatenables direct end user to end user peering communication between multiple Adobe Adobe Shockwave (formerly Macromedia Shockwave) was Macromedia 's first and most successful multimedia player prior to the introduction of Macromedia Flash (now Adobe Flash Lite is a lightweight version of Adobe Flash Player, a software application published by Adobe Systems. The Gnash project aims to create a free player and Browser plugin for the Adobe Flash file format and replace the Proprietary software niche Free software or software libre is Software that can be used studied and modified without restriction and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified Flash Video is the name of a File format used to deliver Video over the Internet using Adobe Flash Player (initially produced Microsoft Silverlight is a programmable Web browser Plugin that enables features such as Animation, Vector graphics and A Local Shared Object (LSO is a collection of cookie -like data stored as a file on a user's PC Events 1456 - A retrial verdict acquits Joan of Arc of heresy 25 years after her death Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1456 - A retrial verdict acquits Joan of Arc of heresy 25 years after her death Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
  5. ^ Emmy Huang: Flash Player 9 Update (9.0.28.0) release now available for Windows and Macintosh
  6. ^ Adobe - Developer Center : Exploring full-screen mode in Flash Player 9
  7. ^ Adobe press release: http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pressreleases/200712/120407adobemoviestar.html. Blog post from Emmy Huang, the Product Manager for Adobe Flash Player: http://weblogs.macromedia.com/emmy/archives/2007/12/flash_player_9_10.cfm
  8. ^ Adobe press release: http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pressreleases/200712/120407adobeastro.html. Blog post from Emmy Huang, the Product Manager for Adobe Flash Player: http://weblogs.macromedia.com/emmy/archives/2008/12/flash_player_10.cfm
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