A rather clever programmer has managed to get the iPhone to run interactive apps created using Adobes Flash platform. And because it works inside the Safari browser, it isnt subject to the dictatorial rules of Apples App Store.
The software is called Gordon, and it doesnt actually allow Flash itself to work on the iPhone. Instead, Gordon is a JavaScript runtime written by Tobias Schneider which allows the browser to play and display .swf files (the Shockwave Flash file extension). A runtime is a collection of software that allows the running of code inside it. A helpful analogy is a software emulator for a games console which allows you to play the actual code of, say, Super Mario World on your PC.
Does this mean that the iPhone now supports Flash? Not really. You cant just visit any site that has Flash, because the hack only works on sites that have installed it. Developers would need to add this runtime to each instance of Flash on their sites (although calling the runtime only requires a few lines of code).
And while the open source project is available to all, it still doesnt solve one of Flashs biggest problems. These SWF files still hog the CPU. One demo, a simple vector graphic of a tiger, throws my desktop browser up to around 100 percent CPU usage.
Still, the hack potentially opens the door to a new class of interactive, animated mobile websites. While many web developers rely on Flash to accomplish things that cant easily be done in HTML, those Flash apps wont run on the iPhone. And while the lack of Flash support has been one of the most persistent criticisms of the iPhone platform, Apple has done nothing to rectify the problem. Adobes workaround, announced in October, has been to offer developers a way of converting Flash apps to iPhone apps, but that wouldnt support Flash within the web browser, and those apps are still subject to Apples approval before theyre available.
The software is called Gordon, and it doesnt actually allow Flash itself to work on the iPhone. Instead, Gordon is a JavaScript runtime written by Tobias Schneider which allows the browser to play and display .swf files (the Shockwave Flash file extension). A runtime is a collection of software that allows the running of code inside it. A helpful analogy is a software emulator for a games console which allows you to play the actual code of, say, Super Mario World on your PC.
Does this mean that the iPhone now supports Flash? Not really. You cant just visit any site that has Flash, because the hack only works on sites that have installed it. Developers would need to add this runtime to each instance of Flash on their sites (although calling the runtime only requires a few lines of code).
And while the open source project is available to all, it still doesnt solve one of Flashs biggest problems. These SWF files still hog the CPU. One demo, a simple vector graphic of a tiger, throws my desktop browser up to around 100 percent CPU usage.
Still, the hack potentially opens the door to a new class of interactive, animated mobile websites. While many web developers rely on Flash to accomplish things that cant easily be done in HTML, those Flash apps wont run on the iPhone. And while the lack of Flash support has been one of the most persistent criticisms of the iPhone platform, Apple has done nothing to rectify the problem. Adobes workaround, announced in October, has been to offer developers a way of converting Flash apps to iPhone apps, but that wouldnt support Flash within the web browser, and those apps are still subject to Apples approval before theyre available.
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