John Kodis wrote:
http://www.macromedia.com/software/flash/open/licensing/fileformat/license2.html
The format is "open" only if you sign an NDA to receive the specifications. If you read that page, you will see that they allow you to only make apps that output SWF files, not play SWF.
There seems to be some ambiguity in the license. While they specifically allow you to generate SWF files, I don't see any prohibition against writing software that can interpret SWF files listed in the "Restrictions" section of the agreement. I don't know whether these types of licences default to an assumption that anything not forbidden is allowed, or to Mr. Togami's assumption that anything not allowed is forbidden.
"... you are granted a nonexclusive license to use the Specification for the sole purposes of developing Products that output SWF."
I think "sole purposes" implies you cannot use the specification to implement a flash player.
Keith Winston wrote:
>>The format is "open" only if you sign an NDA to receive the
>>specifications. If you read that page, you will see that they allow you
>>to only make apps that output SWF files, not play SWF.
>
>
> And this is a good reason to not use or support it.
>
> I guess flash can be useful for making kids web games, but I'd rather
> see java games. Anyway, flash is one of the things that annoys me most
> about the web.
>
> Best Regards,
> Keith
Many share your view, but unfortunately Flash is one of those things that many end users (non-techies) think are absolutely necessary for a desktop operating system. There is no way we will win the desktop battle against Windows without it. For example at a LTSP thin client lab here in Hawaii usage was as low was 20% before Flash was functional. A few months ago Flash 6 beta was released, and now the lab is being used 80% of the time and the school asked for another LTSP lab next semester.
While it is true that most uses of Flash are annoying advertisements, there are a few excellent examples of Flash used effectively to quickly convey information or educate. Probably the best example that I've seen is Cisco's training site. Many high schools have dozens to hundreds of kids learning about networking, java programming, Unix and even Linux from online tutorials made in Flash. They can be are surprisingly effective supplements to classroom instruction.
Two other examples effective Flash:
http://www.redhat.com/software/linux/flash/redhat6_5.html
http://randomfoo.net/oscon/2002/lessig/free.html
Warren
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