Flash is responsible for more Firefox crashes than any other plug-in
A recent article about upcoming updates to the Firefox web browser contained an offhand remark about how often Adobe's Flash Player plugin causes the browser to crash:
Flash is responsible for more Firefox crashes than any other plug-in.
Of course, the linkbaiters and Flash-hating bandwagoners were quick to isolate the quote and link away as (supposedly) yet more evidence that Flash sucks!
Newsflash: Flash is so ubiquitous that the only way that statement would be surprising is if it said that "Flash is not responsible for more Firefox crashes than any other plug-in."
If you think that the statement that Flash causes more Firefox crashes than any other plugin is an indicator of what a piece of junk Flash is, you're reading it incorrectly. Flash is an integral part of the web experience. It causes more crashes, because it's being used more. Saying that Flash causes more crashes than other plug-ins is a "no duh!" statement. Like saying that cars are responsible for more road accidents than any other mode of transportation. Of course they are, there are more cars on the road than bicycles, motorcycles, etc! And this is an apt metaphor, actually, because in my experience it's less the cars fault than the drivers (Unless it's a Toyota!). Give the keys to just any bozo you meet at a party and you're likely to end up in a ditch with a broken arm.
Try browsing for a week, or perhaps even a day, without Flash Player installed. You'll end up bookmarking a lot of content to come back and experience after you've got Flash back.
If you want to harp on problems the Flash Player may or may not have, get some useful data. How about the percentage of times that the Flash Player crashes out of the times it runs? How about the percentage of users that experience a Flash Player related crash? How about an average number of times per week a given user may experience a Flash Player crash?
Don't get me wrong. I'm not shilling for Flash or Adobe. Flash has its problems (near constant security updates, anyone?), just like anything else. And I for one am very excited about the inclusion of these new "Lorentz" and "Electrolosys" features. I thought the idea was brilliant when Google announced Chrome, and I still do. I'm glad that I won't lose unsaved work in one tab because of a stupid flash-based banner ad in another.
But really? Flash haters? Get over yourselves.
Posted in Firefox | Flash | 6 Responses
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/browse/type:7
That's the list of available Firefox plug-ins. Think long and hard about how much you use each of those, and exactly why Flash might be responsible for more crashes than the others are.
I think that if Flash hadn't been there, the web wouldn't be what it is today ... Javascript has been compared to shit many times, and since a few years all of a sudden it's "the thing", one day you (Flash haters) might start seeing the bright side of Flash and not only it's weaknesses, nothing's perfect