[brian_m]

A question rather than a suggestion - given that the old downloadable client has been frozen for quite some while, are there any implications regarding BBO access for Linux users in Adobe's decision to cease Flash development for Linux at v11.2?

Sorry if this is old news, I only found out about it today when a website tried to nag me into upgrading to watch a video clip.

[barmar]

Does BBO run with other Flash players, like Gnash?

[brian_m]

barmar, on 2012-July-07, 15:10, said:

Does BBO run with other Flash players, like Gnash?

Not sure. My experiences with Gnash haven't been too good - I usually end up having to change back to the Adobe player. At the moment, I'm still using the BBO Windows client via WINE, I just get a little edgy when both my routes on to BBO depend on software that's no longer being developed. If all else fails I could set up a virtual machine and run my old copy of Windows XP, I suppose.

[barmar]

The article I read about this also mentions Google's "Pepper" plug-in for Chrome. http://www.zdnet.com...ons-linux/10418

Also, even though development is stopped, Adobe will continue to provide security updates for 5 years.

[brian_m]

barmar, on 2012-July-08, 12:59, said:

The article I read about this also mentions Google's "Pepper" plug-in for Chrome. http://www.zdnet.com...ons-linux/10418

Also, even though development is stopped, Adobe will continue to provide security updates for 5 years.

Thanks or the URL, I'll take a look. I wasn't really too concerned about the security updates, more about the possibility of the other versions getting additional features that BBO might decide to use. Hopefully the old Windows client will keep going for a good while yet, I still greatly prefer its display to the browser setup, despite a few tries at persuading myself otherwise.

[barmar]

BBO is not a very "cutting edge" application, so I think it's unlikely that it will take advantage of new features. Also, it seems like Flash is generally considered a dying technology (which is why it's being dropped from so many platforms), so I wouldn't expect Adobe to add any significant new features to it.

[FM75]

Why not just buy some cheap used windows laptop if you are going to run the windows client? You can always hook it into a nice monitor if you want a decent size screen.

It is a very safe bet that there will not be a new windows, mac, or linux client. The world has changed. Most significant new systems are now running software on hosts, not on the local computer. It is very expensive to attempt to support multiple shrink-wrapped versions (yes, I know BBOWin does not come in a cardboard box with plastic around it). Examples - Google Docs, GMail, Facebook, Evernote, Apps of all types on phones, DropBox, Box.net, SalesForce...

The web has evolved so the the presentation layer, and some of the interactive layer are handled by the browser. When (if) BBO abandons Flash, you will have an application that runs on all sorts of portable devices that have not yet been invented, as well as pcs running windows, mac os, linux, and things like chrome books and tablets.

That said, I am not certain that there is much future in "personal general purpose computers". They are being broadly outsold by smart-phones and iPads.

[brian_m]

FM75, on 2012-July-09, 15:14, said:

Why not just buy some cheap used windows laptop if you are going to run the windows client? You can always hook it into a nice monitor if you want a decent size screen.

Whyever would I want to do that? My Linux desktop runs the Windows client perfectly adequately. I don't see what a used windows laptop would gain me (not to mention that I detest laptops - by the time I've put a decent keyboard, mouse and monitor on one, I may as well have stuck with the desktop).

FM75, on 2012-July-09, 15:14, said:

It is a very safe bet that there will not be a new windows, mac, or linux client. The world has changed. Most significant new systems are now running software on hosts, not on the local computer. It is very expensive to attempt to support multiple shrink-wrapped versions (yes, I know BBOWin does not come in a cardboard box with plastic around it). Examples - Google Docs, GMail, Facebook, Evernote, Apps of all types on phones, DropBox, Box.net, SalesForce...

I prefer to be responsible for my own data. Logging round lots of different web accounts is a pain in the backside. As it is, all my e-mail comes into Thunderbird, plus various RSS feeds (such as for these forums). If I see a thread in which I want to participate, then and only then do I log in via a browser - and even then, I get e-mail notifications of any replies.

FM75, on 2012-July-09, 15:14, said:

The web has evolved so the the presentation layer, and some of the interactive layer are handled by the browser. When (if) BBO abandons Flash, you will have an application that runs on all sorts of portable devices that have not yet been invented, as well as pcs running windows, mac os, linux, and things like chrome books and tablets.

That said, I am not certain that there is much future in "personal general purpose computers". They are being broadly outsold by smart-phones and iPads.

Well, speaking as someone who lives in a wireless dead zone, with little chance of that changing (neighbours less than a mile away in each direction can get wireless), and who relies upon a satellite ISP for a net connection, I sure hope desktops will be around for a while yet.

[barmar]

Anyway, it's not clear what we can do about this situation. HTML5 is supposed to be the replacement for Flash, but from what I can tell it's still not well supported in all browsers, and many people are running old browsers that will never support HTML5. There also don't seem to be any good tools for converting complex Flash applications to HTML5.

Hopefully the situation will improve by the time Flash really starts to phase out. But I can't see us expending much effort in the near term. The best we can do is try to avoid depending on any new Flash features.