Two years ago, Microsoft declared that the future of video on the web would be powered by HTML 5. Today, however, a lot of web video content is still delivered via Adobe Flash technology. So, in a somewhat surprising move, Microsoft is integrating Flash directly into Internet Explorer 10 on Windows 8 and doing so in a way that does not undermine the safety and reliability of the Metro environment.

Flash will be built in, so this doesn't (strictly) break the "no plugins" rule for IE10. And it will update directly in the browser. Still isn't as good for security as not having Flash, though. It's also retrograde - the web is going mobile and Flash is not part of it.

Entertaining, though not as bad as in the past. One point that always resonates:

One day, maybe, an Adobe engineer will understand that, when the user has to go through a length installation process, the best approach is to let him enter all the required information (password, serial number, etc.) right away, and then — and only then — go through all the lengthy processes that are of no interest to him without asking for any user input, so that he can switch to something else and, you know, actually make valuable use of his time.

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First reports are very positive - notably that you can now search layers by name. (Thanks @ClarkeViper for the link.)

The [DoCoMo] deal [in Japan] was a breakthrough for Macromedia. Instead of giving away the flash client, the way it had on the PC, Macromedia could charge for the client, have it forced into the hands of every user, and continue to also make money selling development tools. The company had found a way to have its cake and eat it too! In late 2004, the iMode deal was extended worldwide (link), and I'm sure Macromedia had visions of global domination.

Unfortunately for Flash, Japan is a unique phone market, and DoCoMo is a unique operator. The DoCoMo deal could not be duplicated on most phone platforms other than iMode. Macromedia, and later Adobe, was now trapped by its own success. To make Flash Lite a standard in mobile, it would have needed to give away the player, undercutting its lucrative DoCoMo deal. When you have a whole business unit focused on making money from licensing the player, giving it away would mean missing revenue projections and laying off a lot of people. Macromedia chose the revenue, and Flash Lite never became a mobile standard.

More trouble followed. A very interesting potted history with smart lessons.

"As we’ve mentioned before, we’re focusing on enabling amazing Flash based experiences via apps on phones and tablets, and this release will be the last major version of the mobile browser plug-in.

Just let that sink in for a moment.

"The most stunning, innovative content and games for mobile devices are delivered and consumed through apps. The most impactful, engaging experiences on the desktop are delivered through the browser. With Flash Player for desktop and AIR apps for mobile, Flash allows you to craft and deliver beautiful experiences for both."

However, since smartphones will be on par with PCs in terms of installed base within a couple of years, don't bet on the Flash experiences for that much longer.

"As always on the second Tuesday of the month Microsoft and Adobe release their monthly security bulletins.

"This month Microsoft has released 13 bulletins, although they had originally announced there would be 14 this month. In the final stages of QA, Microsoft discovered a application incompatibility with a major software vendor."

It's very hard to grasp just how complex the process of introducing, checking and verifying patches is - but it's probably one of the hardest tasks Microsoft has. And it's almost perpetual - the Sisyphean rock of software.

"Flash is alive and well. It will be receiving continued improvements for desktop web apps and mobile apps (don’t forget, Adobe Touch apps are built on the Flash Platform. You better believe the Flash Platform will continue to improve)."

Later he adds that "The preferred method for deploying content to mobile devices is creating apps (which both Flash Professional and Flash Builder can create) or using HTML5."

So: Flash for mobile apps and for desktop. In which case why not use HTML5 for the mobile apps too? And if mobile is a bigger platform than the desktop (which it soon will be..) then...?

Mike Chambers is in charge of developer relations for Flash at Adobe: "given the fragmentation of the mobile market, and the fact that one of the leading mobile platforms (Apple’s iOS) was not going to allow the Flash Player in the browser, the Flash Player was not on track to reach anywhere near the ubiquity of the Flash Player on desktops.

"This effectively meant that if you wanted to use Flash to deliver a rich web experience in the browser on mobile devices you would have to provide both a Flash based, as well as HTML5 based solution. Given the strong support for HTML5 across modern mobile devices, it simply made more sense to create an HTML5 based solution. Now, there are some exceptions to this, especially around advanced video content, but it is very clear that HTML5 is the solution to turn to if you want to provide a richer browser based experience that works across browsers on mobile devices."

Impressive how Adobe has grasped this - and wants to win it.

Dan Frommer makes a number of really good (factual) points about where Adobe really is - and especially what its user base thinks about its HTML5 authoring tools. That's key.

You usually expect this stuff to be snarky, don't you. But this simply says it better. And it isn't snarky. It's just better and briefer and more direct.

What's not mentioned in the headline but is in the body: "In order to better align resources around Digital Media and Digital Marketing, Adobe is restructuring its business. This will result in the elimination of approximately 750 full-time positions primarily in North America and Europe. We expect to record in the aggregate approximately $87 million to $94 million in pre-tax restructuring charges."

Brutal. That's about 7% of staff.

"Critical vulnerabilities have been identified in Adobe Flash Player 10.3.183.7 and earlier versions for Windows, Macintosh, Linux and Solaris, and Adobe Flash Player 10.3.186.6 and earlier versions for Android.  These vulnerabilities could cause a crash and potentially allow an attacker to take control of the affected system.<br />
"There are reports that one of these vulnerabilities (CVE-2011-2444) is being exploited in the wild in active targeted attacks designed to trick the user into clicking on a malicious link delivered in an email message. This universal cross-site scripting issue could be used to take actions on a user's behalf on any website or webmail provider if the user visits a malicious website."<br />
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We've forgotten - when was the most recent security update for HTML5?

Just in case you needed another HTML5/CSS3 playground: "HTML5 and CSS3 bring loads of new features and functionality to the modern web. This site is a resource and showcase of some of the newest, and most expressive features being added to the web today."<br />
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However, here's what you might not expect: it's by Adobe.

Sure to be someone who'll like this: "Landscape photographers typically wish to plan their shoots around the times of sunrise/sunset or twilight, or alternatively when the moon is in a particular place in a particular phase.<br />
"While times of sunrise etc. are readily available on various sites on the internet (direction of sunrise etc. less so, but still readily found), there are fewer programs available which combine such information with a topographical map allowing the photographer to match the astronomical to the location.<br />
"A typical use might be to determine when the sun will set along the axis of a mountain valley, or when a full moon rise will rise across a lake.<br />
"The application uses Google Maps providing users the ability to select a location and determine the time and azimuth of sunrise or sunset for a given date or dates."

"The World’s Most Ethical Companies designation recognizes companies that truly go beyond making statements about doing business “ethically” and translate those words into action."<br />
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Winners in the computer software: Adobe Systems, Microsoft, Salesforce.com, Symantec Corporation, Teradata Corporation.

"Perhaps it’s foolish of me to be surprised by the extortionate software prices set by Adobe — it’s certainly their usual practice — but the shocking aspect is that Adobe are going to charge recurring fees on top of the standard software price. That’s totally understandable, since releasing an iPad magazine incurs a hosting overhead (primarily for in-app purchasing), but these fees are astronomical."<br />
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Though if you buy the software in the US, then the prices are merely extortionate. But this seems like a retrograde step by Adobe: extracting a rent on software? HTML5 is quite cheap, we hear.

"The fact is that [at the NAB video conference] Adobe previewed video technology, not general Flash (or SWF) capabilities [streaming to iOS]. I’m not sure if they disclosed what kind of source video was being streamed to the iOS, but there’s nothing new being revealed from a capabilities point of view."<br />
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In other words, it's not Flash video, but equally Adobe isn't giving up on Flash. Adobe and Apple are still at loggerheads over this, but some Adobe clients want to get video onto the iPad and iPhone, and Adobe isn't about to leave money on the table.