Flash 64-bit - First Released to Linux?

Last week Adobe released flash for a 64-bit operating system for the first time. The surprise is that it was first released to Linux.



Adobe stated on there website that there are not any performance improvements. Although this may be true, that fact that it is now native to 64-bit removing the need for NSPlugin wrapper. This alone removes the need for the translation layer from 32-bit to 64-bit. From my experience so far with using it, I have found that it is now more stable and faster. Pages now load faster and scroll smoother.



This release is still in alpha but it works much better than your typical alpha product. Most features work and every site I've browsed has not had an issue. These include YouTube and Hulu.



The big question is though, why did Adobe release this to Linux first? They have been trying to do better at supporting the Linux community. They previously did they by releasing Flash 10 on Linux the same day as Windows.



Is this a big step for Linux? Although this is a great thing, I do not think its as big as it might seam. What needs to be looked at is the number of people complaining about there not being 64-bit Flash and who the larger number of 64-bit users are. If you break it down I'm sure you'll find that the majority of 64-bit users are Linux users. Windows XP 64-bit and Vista 64-bit have not been heavily promoted or installed to the typical user. The main users running these OS's would be your tech users. Also, since Windows has a emulation layer for 32-bit applications, this enables them to run a 32-bit browser making is virtually issue free.



So, kudos to Adobe for ansering the demand of the Linux community. Hopefully this is the first of many big Linux things to come.



Follow the link below to download the new Flash 10 64-bit for Linux:

Download Adobe Flash 10 64-bit



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