TiPB, Why So Serious?

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I say @TiPB but it seems to only be @reneritchie. Why is it Rene always has to take a knock at Flash or Google/Android at any chance he gets? To be a writer on a blog dedicated to Apple he absolutely loves to do his best to attack Adobe and Google.

Why am I blogging this? Simple. I posted the other day about @AndroidCentral and how they call it like they see it. Well, Jerry Hildebrand [@gbhil] wrote an excellent post today: Editorial: My dog’s better than your dog — but only to me.

Choice.  There’s something for everyone, and none of the choices are wrong.  In fact, maybe none of the Android choices are for you, and that’s OK.

I think this is the fundamental point @reneritchie does not get. If he does, I don’t see it.

Rene, if you read this, I just want you to know [or at least consider] these points:

  • It is ok for people not to want an iPhone or iPad.
  • Adobe can do and does good work.
  • It is ok for Flash to work well on desktop and mobile.
  • It is ok for Flash to still be used on the web.
  • Other tablets provide really good experiences.
  • Google isn’t evil because they serve ads. One of your sites uses them [Google Ads at that] and your job has them too.
I like what I like and can be very protective, at times, but I do my best to keep an open mind. In doing so I do my best to call a spade a spade. When something [or a part of something] bites I’m not afraid to say it does. When something excels I give it props.
Why do I keep reading @TiPB? Great question and I’m glad you asked. Aside from the seemingly weekly posts mentioning something negative about Google and/or Flash, they keep me informed about all things Apple. When they stick to their guns [Apple products], the blog is actually a good resource.
It simply could be better if Rene left the fighting to UCF peeps. ;-)
  • http://www.johncblandii.com johncblandii

    test comment

  • Anonymous

    I’m not Rene but I’ll bite.

    I actually want Adobe to get their act together. There are so many flaws with Flash right now that it isn’t reaching its potential. It isn’t even coming close. I think that Flash should go more in the direction of bringing innovations that HTML5 would not be able to bring to the table quickly. Unless it cuts a lot of the legacy code baggage, I just don’t see how they can move to the next stage.

    I know you could reply by saying I haven’t seen the source code, and you would be right. I do see the growing file sizes, the CPU usage, and I see the heat and light it generates on a five year old iMac. I wish I could use Flash without cursing it, like I wish I could afford a new MacBook Air right now. It just seems to be from my surface analysis that they haven’t cut a lot of the old Macromedia baggage. For better or worse, there’s a reason why Macromedia got swallowed by Adobe in the first place. Yes, this process could potentially irritate people who depend on legacy Flash code but at this point, with more sites shifting to HTML5, what does Adobe have to lose? 

    The more they differentiate Flash in good ways, the better off they are.

    I think that Adobe would be better by bringing forward versions of Flash that go back to the original purpose – scalable vector graphics – and let video be the dominion of HTML5. HTML5 might be a single coherent standard yet, but will be when Windows 8, which uses HTML 5 as the primary programming language and uses H.264 for video, that will shift the majority of computers to HTML 5 over Flash. Apple actually has little to do with HTML5 advancement, Microsoft is really the one that can carry that torch to its full potential. 

    Ultimately Flash is getting squeezed but it can still do certain things better than HTML5 and if Adobe accepted this, they would be in a better place along with Flash developers. The current strategy will hurt Flash developers more than any other group. A better niche strategy would be embracing niche users. That would be best for the Internet, for Adobe, and especially the really good and creative Flash developers I know. That brings me to the other problem… there are too many bad Flash developers. Good Flash devs like yourself would actually benefit from a thinning of the herd.

    • http://www.johncblandii.com John C. Bland II

      Really great comment on Microsoft really leading the way. I didn’t consider that but I agree. 

      One thing I disagree on is Windows 8 using HTML and H.264 for video will bring a major shift. I believe it will definitely help the HTML5 cause but it won’t be cross-browser until they all budge. Keep in mind H.264 is just a wrapper so the different variations is what needs to be standardized.

      I was amped up for a spell about HTML5 video until the browsers went separate ways. That was so disappointing. I’m doing some HTML5 video work now and am loving the potential. It is just niche right now.

      Keep in mind though, until HTML5 can do DRM, p2p, etc Flash will still reign supreme for video.

      Yeah man…file sizes are growing for sure but that’s most likely due to the Flex SDK. Flash Pro swfs can be easily less than 100k.

  • Anonymous

    Because I love Adobe and I love Google and I want the very best from them, and just like a ragged on Apple for the App Store and the quality of their mouses over the years (among other things), and Microsoft for not getting their integrated act together years ago, I’ll rag on Adobe for caring more about locking devs into Flash and owning video than making better production tools (which they should be great at), and Google and ODM’s for making poor ads and not stepping up on patents, because it hurts competition.

    You love Adobe and Google too, so you’re more sensitive to criticism about them. But that’s your issue. It doesn’t involve me. When Google does something great, like Nexus One or search. when Adobe does context aware fill or the Photoshop SDK, I’m overjoyed. 

    I want the very best from all these companies, I want Google to stop BS’ing about Android being more open and just make it the best, open, openy, closed, or whatever. I want Adobe to stop whining about Apple and make mobile Flash so good people will leave the iPhone if Apple doesn’t give it to them.

    I’m surprised anyone would want less.

    Again, we don’t owe these companies anything. They owe us.

    • http://www.johncblandii.com John C. Bland II

      Heyyyyy…I was hoping you’d see the smoke signal. ;-)

      Actually, I’m not sensitive to Adobe or Google rants. I see them all the time and ignore them. You can find me on the web defending Silverlight to Flash devs [from a few years back] and even giving props to other tech I don’t use. :) You may not know but I LOVVVVE Apple. I’m on a MacBook Pro right now rockin’ Lion backing up to a TimeCapsule. Anyone with the dough I push them to go Apple.

      I’m with you on all of the companies doing better but did you notice you didn’t mention Apple doing better. ;-) It is the idea you give off about Apple being spotless and everyone else missing the mark.

      When was the last time Adobe whined about Apple? They moved complete focus away from Apple and focused on everyone else. Then they returned to Apple and provided some really quality abilities for building iOS apps [ex - http://www.leebrimelow.com/?p=2897]. Do you report on the great apps rockin’ the App Store that are built on Flash? No. All of your Flash references are negative even though there are some really great things people are doing with it on devices.

      Also Android being open is what it is but every move they make [delaying Honeycomb source until it is ready is a great example] you have to sarcastically blog about how it is “open”. You guys [anti-Android peeps] are the only one’s who care. Most people don’t but it is a feather in the cap against Google so it becomes constant ammunition.

      The point is: let @AndroidCentral:twitter  report on Android. If Flash does well, report that too. If you report the bad, report the good.

      I enjoy @TiPB:twitter for the Apple news. Focus on that and be impartial. Your users are growing tired of it [see the recent comments; some loyal folks are annoyed].

      • Anonymous

        Seems like you’ve decided to perceive it that way, but again — your issue. All I can do is urge to look again and take your own advice :)

        • http://www.johncblandii.com John C. Bland II

          Ah…the high road. Nice attempt but a fail.

          I do take issue with your one-sided blogging against non-Apple companies but I’m not alone, see your user comments on the T-mobile post. If it were your own blog this post wouldn’t exist ’cause I’d care less. @TiPB deserves better.

          Constructive criticism man. Consider it or you’ll lose readers to other blogs. They don’t owe you, you owe them. :-D

        • http://www.johncblandii.com John C. Bland II

          Oh and perception is reality. ;-)

  • Isaac

    Very well said

    • http://www.johncblandii.com John C. Bland II

      Thanks Isaac.