Microsoft's U-Turn On Flash Player In Windows 8 Modern UI | TechTree.com

Microsoft's U-Turn On Flash Player In Windows 8 Modern UI

Microsoft shifts from its earlier stance of not allowing Flash for the Internet Explorer 10 browser in the Modern UI, on Surface RT and Windows 8.

 

In a move signalling that annoying flash-based ads are here to stay, Microsoft's Internet Explorer 10 (IE10) will have Flash turned on by default, for Windows 8 and Windows RT tile-based touch platforms. Microsoft says that this update will be rolled out starting March 13th.

Content requiring Flash will remain blocked on the 4% of sites deemed incompatible with the Windows 8 Touch interface, as per a list maintained by Microsoft.

Microsoft says in a blog post, "As we have seen through testing over the past several months, the vast majority of sites with Flash content are now compatible with the Windows experience for touch, performance, and battery life. With this update, the curated Compatibility View (CV) list blocks Flash content in the small number of sites that are still incompatible with the Windows experience for touch or that depend on other plugins."

This move is interesting, as Microsoft had stated in Sep 2011 that IE10 in the Modern UI (or "Metro-mode" IE) would prefer open web standards over the Flash plugin, for their Windows RT and Windows 8 touch platforms. Now that websites have been vetted for performance and battery-life, ideology is being set aside for selfish commercial reasons. With Microsoft allowing Flash by default, Windows tablets will gain a slight edge, as Apple's iPad still does not allow Flash, and Android tablets are moving towards stopping Flash support.

For those who did not know, Flash content remained supported on IE10, when run in the desktop-mode of Windows 8. Online image editing sites such as Pixlr.com and Foto Flexer still require users to have the Flash player installed.


TAGS: Microsoft, Internet Explorer, browsers

 
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