Flash on Firefox 2.0 beta hangs my machine

Oh, Mike Chambers over at Adobe has some fun at my expense. So, I thought I’d give Flash another try on Firefox. This time with Firefox 2.0 beta 1 release candidate that just came out. So far the License for Flash has hung my machine for more than five minutes. Here’s what my screen looks like.

This isn’t a good experience folks.

Regarding 1.0? Yeah, I finally did load it but it took a half dozen clicks and the EULA is pages long with language that normal people can’t understand (does anyone really read those things anyway?). If I was a normal person instead of a tech geek I’d say “screw this” and hit the back button.

But, I’m sure that I’ll get 60 more comments about how I’m an idiot instead of an engineer from Adobe saying “we got rid of the stupid EULA” or someone from the Firefox team saying “we just included Flash with our browser to make it easier on users (which would require Adobe to give up some of its rights, I guess).”

And, yes, since Mike made the point WMV really pisses me off on the Mac too which is why at Podtech I will try to not use it if at all possible.

  • Ricky

    “And, I’ll have plenty to say about Vista. It’s slow. It has poor driver support. The UI isn’t finished. And application support isn’t very good.”

    You saw it here first:

    Robert Scoble gives his first “I wouldn’t have said it this harshly when I was a Microsoft employee” piece of post-Microsoft perspective-tude.

    Micosoft defenders, please start your engines.

    Robert, you are so0o0o0 in a new world.

    “Hey, what’s different? He used to regularly criticise Microsoft on some stuff but say PR-friendly things about other Microsoft stuff”.

    Yeah, but this latest stuff seems kind of, er, less subtle, less guarded, no?

  • http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/ Robert Scoble

    Ricky: absolutely! But on the other hand you’ll believe me when I say something nice about Vista too and there IS a lot nice to say about it.

  • http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/ Robert Scoble

    Ricky: absolutely! But on the other hand you’ll believe me when I say something nice about Vista too and there IS a lot nice to say about it.

  • Ben

    I guess they’re doing something right with the Flash plugin: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mannu/148867953/

  • Ben

    I guess they’re doing something right with the Flash plugin: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mannu/148867953/

  • http://hypertimemcmultiverse.blogspot.com/ Michael Coderre

    Beta software hangs on beta operating system. Gosh, I didn’t see that coming.

  • http://hypertimemcmultiverse.blogspot.com Michael Coderre

    Beta software hangs on beta operating system. Gosh, I didn’t see that coming.

  • christina

    I used to love Flash and tout it as a solution to video compatibility problems across platforms… but I’m becoming less and less a fan, after running into problems with it in Firefox on Ubuntu 6.06. Although, in this case, WMV is certainly not a solution, nor is Quicktime.

    Nice to know it isn’t just linux users having problems with Flash, though.

  • christina

    I used to love Flash and tout it as a solution to video compatibility problems across platforms… but I’m becoming less and less a fan, after running into problems with it in Firefox on Ubuntu 6.06. Although, in this case, WMV is certainly not a solution, nor is Quicktime.

    Nice to know it isn’t just linux users having problems with Flash, though.

  • solomonrex

    The difference is that now Scoble is SECRETLY on MS’s pay. So the next post will be about Vista’s new graphics sub-system that’s going to kill Flash. You see, it’s less obvious now and everything…
    ;-)

  • solomonrex

    The difference is that now Scoble is SECRETLY on MS’s pay. So the next post will be about Vista’s new graphics sub-system that’s going to kill Flash. You see, it’s less obvious now and everything…
    ;-)

  • http://www.eccosys.net/ Gerard

    Naaa, wmv is not evil on the Mac, that’s what we have flip4mac for. It’s evil on Linux! This is where mp4 really shines. So far it seems to play on anything, mobile phones, media players, games consoles and even computers ^_^

  • http://www.eccosys.net/ Gerard

    Naaa, wmv is not evil on the Mac, that’s what we have flip4mac for. It’s evil on Linux! This is where mp4 really shines. So far it seems to play on anything, mobile phones, media players, games consoles and even computers ^_^

  • kyotoca

    That’s because you use a PC! It took less than 3 minutes to install Flash Player 9 [beta] and a few minutes to use Firefox 2.0 b1!!! PCs suck! Macs are faster!!! PCs stole the interface, and they suck!!!

  • kyotoca

    That’s because you use a PC! It took less than 3 minutes to install Flash Player 9 [beta] and a few minutes to use Firefox 2.0 b1!!! PCs suck! Macs are faster!!! PCs stole the interface, and they suck!!!

  • Frank Centinos

    Plugin problems with a pre-beta browser on a beta operating system? Perish the thought!

  • Frank Centinos

    Plugin problems with a pre-beta browser on a beta operating system? Perish the thought!

  • http://www.cruciallimit.com/ Dave

    I think your just being rejected by the Flash installer based on your pure ignorance… you should put your machine back in the box and send it back.. leave technology alone, it doesn’t appear to be your strong suite

  • http://www.cruciallimit.com Dave

    I think your just being rejected by the Flash installer based on your pure ignorance… you should put your machine back in the box and send it back.. leave technology alone, it doesn’t appear to be your strong suite

  • rob enderle

    Myspace switched to Flash 9 for their embedded videos just recently and everyone that I know running on Windows (its NOT JUST Vista) and Firefox 1.5 has the problem with some Flash files. My friend uses Swishmax and they added a few patches because the new Flash has dropped support for older coding I believe or something similar…

    I blame Adobe as well as those twits like Myspace who always HAVE to have the latest version of a plugin (Myspace claims they switched so quickly to Flash 9 because it offered less security holes than the previous version…)

    The makers of Swish have reacted quickly to their communities needs. Let’s see how many months it will take for something to be done to this Flash piece og crap…

  • rob enderle

    Myspace switched to Flash 9 for their embedded videos just recently and everyone that I know running on Windows (its NOT JUST Vista) and Firefox 1.5 has the problem with some Flash files. My friend uses Swishmax and they added a few patches because the new Flash has dropped support for older coding I believe or something similar…

    I blame Adobe as well as those twits like Myspace who always HAVE to have the latest version of a plugin (Myspace claims they switched so quickly to Flash 9 because it offered less security holes than the previous version…)

    The makers of Swish have reacted quickly to their communities needs. Let’s see how many months it will take for something to be done to this Flash piece og crap…

  • http://blogs.katapultmedia.com/jb2 John C. Bland II

    Scoble, many have pointed out that you are running beta on beta so no surprise there. What most have left out is the simple fact that THIS IS NOT A FLASH ISSUE! Firefox hangs on loading a EULA. Is that Firefox or the vendor? Blame it on Adobe, their site, or Firefox but not the plugin.

    I HIGHLY doubt you would have created this post had you not received a hefty amount of blasting on your last “Flash Bash” post (http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/2006/07/05/why-i-dont-use-flash/). At least you wouldn’t have pointed it at Flash. You would’ve either left it alone, bashed Adobe, or bashed Firefox.

    As a side note, Flock wouldn’t install Flash either. It wasn’t Flash’s fault. Flock was an early beta release and I was on a buggy Vista release. :-)

    It is all about approach. ;-)

  • http://blogs.katapultmedia.com/jb2 John C. Bland II

    Scoble, many have pointed out that you are running beta on beta so no surprise there. What most have left out is the simple fact that THIS IS NOT A FLASH ISSUE! Firefox hangs on loading a EULA. Is that Firefox or the vendor? Blame it on Adobe, their site, or Firefox but not the plugin.

    I HIGHLY doubt you would have created this post had you not received a hefty amount of blasting on your last “Flash Bash” post (http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/2006/07/05/why-i-dont-use-flash/). At least you wouldn’t have pointed it at Flash. You would’ve either left it alone, bashed Adobe, or bashed Firefox.

    As a side note, Flock wouldn’t install Flash either. It wasn’t Flash’s fault. Flock was an early beta release and I was on a buggy Vista release. :-)

    It is all about approach. ;-)