64-bit Flash Plugin Released For Linux, First

by Kristin Shoemaker - Nov. 17, 2008Comments (2)

It might be time to invest in a better umbrella, as over the last few days it seems as though pigs might be taking flight. It's not so much that Adobe is releasing a 64-bit Linux alpha version of Flash, it's that Adobe is releasing the Flash alpha for Linux before it releases versions for any other operating system.

For sure it is a demonstration on Adobe's part that it truly is serious about Linux support. It's clear though that Adobe has more to gain, given that Linux is the system with the edge in 64-bit support and features native 64-bit browsers.

Running a 64-bit Linux distribution gives some significant performance advantages over a 32-bit system on the same processor. One major nuisance of the 64-bit Linuxes, however, is installing the 32-bit Flash player. The 32-bit support and emulation layers aren't generally included in a 64-bit install, so at the very least, it is necessary to install a script such as nspluginwrapper to get Flash working.

Flash can be touchy in 32-bit Linux systems, so it goes almost without saying that 32-bit Flash running on a 64-bit platform can have major issues. I've experienced issues in the form of Flash media simply not loading, others have had browser crashes and freezes.

So while the 64-bit Flash doesn't feature a debugger, and it may not make applications perform better, it also doesn't mean that applications that might have had problems with emulation won't run more smoothly.

Adobe does assure 64-bit Linux users that it will be easier to install Flash in browsers without the need for nspluginswrapper, and that the browser plugin should behave as expected. The alpha has been tested in Firefox 3 on Ubuntu (Hardy and Intrepid) and openSUSE 11. Adobe encourages users to report 64-bit Flash bugs discovered on any distribution. There is no date set for a 64-bit stable release.


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2 Comments
 

Considering that it's 64-bit, it makes perfect sense to me that Adobe would release the linux version first. Not to rebuke the enthusiasm, but Adobe has had a long-standing record for being a proprietary (and proud of it) company, so it was probably for the money.


From my limited experience, I'd say it's a safe bet that most of the desktop computers running 64-bit O.S.'s are linux-- and that's saying something (of the 10-20% [or so] market share linux has, most of it is server, not desktop-- most servers don't need flash, if any)


Because all (or most) of the major linux distros support 64-bit and 32-bit relatively equally (and in many cases, 64-bit has more support) a high amount of linux desktop users run 64-bit, and support is growing.


While many Windows applications are commercially supported and closed-source (meaning that money must be invested in maintaining a 64-bit version) linux is open-source, meaning that there is no risk involved, and the code is [potentially] supported by everyone.


So basically, linux and open-source is doing what windows and closed-source couldn't- it's making 64-bit desktop computing possible, and even popular. While 64-bit computing in Vista might be a pain in the neck due to a lack of supported applications, most linux apps are 64-bit native.


Adobe probably recognized this and capitalized on it. Pity that they didn't recognize what made it all possible though, and follow suit! (and go open source)


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I'm just guessing here but Adobe might be loosing Flash-64 for Linux first to get (proportionally) more bug reports and workarounds than it would on other platforms, making a beta version actually useful.


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