Why does Adobe Flash need so many updates?

When software works, the updates are few and far between. When things go wrong on a regular basis and you're always picking up new faults, then you need to issue loads of updates. KitGuru has noticed a lot of Adobe updates for Flash recently and is wondering ‘What, exactly, is the problem?'.

Before the iPad took over the planet and changed our world forever, most people just rolled along with Adobe Flash. What other choice did we have?

Sure, there were some updates, but they seemed infrequent and most of us were not aware of version numbers etc.

That changed when a generation of mobile users was suddenly unable to access Flash content on the web – and HTML 5 (the definition of which began in 2004) was given huge momentum.

Some of the moves from Adobe were definitely warranted, for example the decision with 10.2/10.2 to allow some of the video processing for things like H.264 to be offloaded to a GPU, is a definite win.

While KitGuru understands that there is nothing like ‘serious competition' when it comes to driving a market/product forward, updates to Flash now seem to happen with really annoying frequency.

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Not only is it looking to update itself all the time (bug fixes, coding issues, compatibility problems, feature additions and who knows what else), but it always INSISTS on losing the settings you gave it last time.

For a definition of ‘This code was created by someone really thick', try clearing the browser cache on a Blackberry 9900. It gives you half a dozen options (Passwords, History, Pushed Content etc) and you can then choose to flush the dirt out. Open the program again and – guess what – NONE of your settings have been saved. The options are all back where they were. That tells you a complete Muppet programmed it and, sure enough, with plenty of Muppets on board you can drive the world's number one smartphone vendor into the ground in no time.

Adobe's Flash team seems to be on a similar course. Tell it that you want to be prompted for updates, install the next update and – guess what – it asks you if you want to be prompted for updates.

Doh.

In our humble opinion, there's something fundamentally wrong with a program that constantly needs to be updated and which loses your preferences every time.

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KitGuru says: In 2013, being buffeted with a constant stream of updates for Flash doesn't make Adobe look energetic, it makes them look like they're lacking strategy – that senior management might be struggling to deal with the evolving market. Asking for your preferences every single time smacks of downright stupidity. With the iPhone/Pad/Pod generation of products, Apple clearly told Adobe that no standard is safe.  Will Adobe move to a more stable/intelligent updating programme?

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