Metro-style Internet Explorer 10 ditches Flash and plugins

Oldie, but i didn't see it on forums

[URL="http://arstechnica.com/" said:
http://arstechnica.com[/URL]]Metro-style Internet Explorer 10 ditches Flash, plugins

By Peter Bright | Published 3 months ago
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Windows 8 will have two versions of Internet Explorer 10: a conventional browser that lives on the legacy desktop, and a new Metro-style, touch-friendly browser that lives in the Metro world. The second of these, the Metro browser, will not support any plugins. Whether Flash, Silverlight, or some custom business app, sites that need plugins will only be accessible in the non-touch, desktop-based browser.
Should one ever come across a page that needs a plugin, the Metro browser has a button to go to that page within the desktop browser. This yanks you out of the Metro experience and places you on the traditional desktop.
The rationale is a familiar one: plugin-based content shortens battery life, and comes with security, reliability, and privacy problems. Sites that currently depend on the capabilities provided by Flash or Silverlight should switch to HTML5.
Microsoft has been vigorously promoting HTML5 for the last year and a half as the best way of providing rich interactivity on the Web. HTML5 potentially has reach far beyond that of Flash, since it can target both conventional browsers and closed ecosystems (such as iOS) alike. However, until now, Microsoft's messaging has been tempered somewhat: use HTML5 when you can, but if you can't—if you need support for DRM-protected media streaming, for example—then it's reasonable to switch to an alternative, plugin-based technology.
With Windows 8, however, those reasonable decisions to use Flash or Silverlight will now be heavily penalized. Technically, there's nothing wrong with the desktop browser, of course; the rendering engine and performance will be identical between both Metro and desktop. But the experience will be substantially inferior. The desktop browser isn't designed for touch inputs, meaning that users will either have to switch to a mouse and keyboard, or fumble around with an interface that wasn't built for fingers. The switch to the desktop browser also appears to discard things like back button history and current page state.
This puts the Metro browser in a peculiar position. Microsoft has positioned tablets as merely a different kind of PC. That, the company argues, affords capabilities and features not possible on iPad-style devices. But PCs have browser plugins—more generally, they have the ability to use the right technology for the job. If Metro doesn't include that flexibility, that could be seen as diminishing the "PCness" of the platform.
HTML5 still isn't a total replacement for plugin technologies, either. The gap is certainly narrowing: Web Sockets, Web Workers, built-in support for webcams and microphones, and more, are all coming to HTML5 browsers (or are available already), and these features will obviate the need for plugins for many applications. But certain corners are likely to remain; DRM-protected video, for example, might forever be impossible in HTML5, and while many people find DRM distasteful, many broadcasters feel they have little choice but to use it.
The solution to this conundrum on the iOS platform has been the app: companies like Netflix and the BBC have applications to watch video on these devices. The result is that in the desire to push an open, plugin-free Web, companies are being forced to migrate away from the Web entirely. Silverlight developers, at least, will have an easy migration path available to them: the new Metro development environment, used for producing native Metro applications, borrows heavily from Silverlight, and making the switch from an in-browser plugin-based application to a standalone Metro application should be relatively easier. Flash developers will have to wait to see what tools Adobe delivers.
HTML5 design and developer tools also remain weak, though this situation is improving with the creation of products like Adobe Edge.
With Microsoft's promotion of HTML5, and the precedent set by iOS, the decision to get rid of plugins in the Metro browser is perhaps unsurprising. But it's not clear that this will truly help Windows 8; the awkward user experience penalizes users who, for no fault of their own, need to use plugins, and detracts from Windows 8's PC claims. A switch to a more HTML5-powered Web will happen regardless—does Microsoft really need to force the issue like this?
origin.static.arstechnica.com

Metro-style Internet Explorer 10 ditches Flash, plugins
 
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And it still pisses me off that we are being forced to move to html5. Not that I hate html5 just that years of developing under flash only to have the carpet pulled from under us is kind of ignorant. I am waiting to see how adobe handles this be it through some new software for developing in html5 in a similar way to the current flash or what.

The one advantage I do see is that html5 is supposedly secure and cross platform stable which means no more limitations on who will be able to see what you have created where flash becomes restricted due to security issues. Goodbye .swf and .gif etc as we know them.
 

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So ultimately do you think these things happened to enhance security or to have greater control and propriety ownership of components that run on windows? I hate Windows 8 on a non touch laptop. Would hate it even more on my desktop. I donwloaded the start 8 . Pretty sad when you have to purchase 3rd party software to run windows with a start button.
 

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Flash is also pre-packaged with IE10. The desktop version has the full Flash plugin. The Modern UI version has a limited flash plugin.
 

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I have been fighting this battle since I last posted. I am setting up a windows 8 machine and am using the desktop 32 bit browser IE 10 I have downloaded the 32 bit Java and it says it is enabled but does not run So did some research and downloaded the 64 bit also, not really seeing the reason but some said you need both.??? well that didn't work. I uninstalled both and reinstalled . Also used the offline installer as some said that would be the trick. well they installed fine (32 and 64 bit) but even though they seem to be enabled they do not work. and web pages say that you must enable Java. AUGHHHH> I have gone round and round this one. I have disabled the antivirus Windows Defender and the malwarebites on the machine and that makes no difference. I am so sick of Microsoft thinking they are God and messing with peoples productivity and lives. So there is my rant. I anyone has ANY suggestions please help. I am at my wits end and my times end. I am not a stupid person but this stuff makes me feel stupid
 

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leslieo said:
I have been fighting this battle since I last posted. I am setting up a windows 8 machine and am using the desktop 32 bit browser IE 10 I have downloaded the 32 bit Java and it says it is enabled but does not run So did some research and downloaded the 64 bit also, not really seeing the reason but some said you need both.??? well that didn't work. I uninstalled both and reinstalled . Also used the offline installer as some said that would be the trick. well they installed fine (32 and 64 bit) but even though they seem to be enabled they do not work. and web pages say that you must enable Java. AUGHHHH> I have gone round and round this one. I have disabled the antivirus Windows Defender and the malwarebites on the machine and that makes no difference. I am so sick of Microsoft thinking they are God and messing with peoples productivity and lives. So there is my rant. I anyone has ANY suggestions please help. I am at my wits end and my times end. I am not a stupid person but this stuff makes me feel stupid

I am running IE10 on the desktop, and have experienced exactly the same problem when downloading and installing both the 32/64 bit java files from the Java web site. Says it's installed but does not run.

In the end I reverted to running an old Java desktop downloader link file here: View attachment Java 6.0.270.7.zip

It installed Java and runs successfully as I have a tax portal web link which can only run the key if Java is installed and working. And the Java icon comes up in the bottom task bar when running this web page.

Save the Zip file, open and extract the Java downloader and run on desktop.

ps: Suggest you use Revo uninstaller, freeware, to uninstall any existing Java files before using the downloader. And use the advanced mode of Revo which also cleans the registry and gets rid of any left over files.
 

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Another problem I have with the IE10 on both the desktop and (formerly Metro) version is I would click links and nothing would happen. I tried to download Google chrome in both the desktop and metro version and the download buttons would not work plus several other links didn't work, I hope Java will solve this but if they are not working in metro then it may be another problem all together. I was wondering if you had this lack of responsiveness also? thanks Mustang
 

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Thank you anyway Mustang, I followed the instructions and the revo removed Java rebooted and I installed the java from your link and still no java. I went to java verify and it told me that it would only run on the desktop IE 10 and not the modern but I was running on desktop IE10 no confusion on that from me just everything else. Any other ideas, anyone?? I am installing chrome now.
 

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Metro IE has a compatibility white list for Flash sites that gets updated by Microsoft during Windows Updates. You can disable the updating and modify the xml file by adding your own sites that run flash. So far I've been able to get every Flash site I've visited on my Surface RT.
 

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Can you clarify? I should disable windows 8 update? What xml file? (the white list) ?? not clear on that and where do I go to modify the xml file and do I just copy and paste the site into it? Sorry I just don't understand your advice.
 

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@leslieo Don't know if this makes any difference, but I'm running Ex7ForW8 on desktop. This doesn't just restore the Orb Start Menu but imports Explorer 7 shell from Win7 installation disk. So I'm using IE10 desktop version in Explorer 7 shell.
 

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Thanks to.Mustang and ROb R. I am traveling
and will try both (or only 1 if it works) when I get back. i know this.is just the beginning. I hope i can grow to like this little ugly os. Perhaps. I'll keep you posted. Love you big brain guys!!!
 

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