Microsoft wasn’t behind Flash when Windows 8 launched, and had blocked most flash sites on Internet Explorer (Metro version). Today however, Microsoft has overturned this verdict and will activate Flash for all sites, minus four percent of the sites that were tested and ran Flash on Windows 8 “poorly”. This activation comes in the form of an update for Internet Explorer 10, as highlighted in the official Microsoft blog.
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Arstechnica reports that all Flash sites were “whitelisted”. In other words, every Flash site was blocked from running on Windows 8 Metro and Windows RT versions of Internet Explorer. The change now is to a blacklist, which selects certain sites and prevents them from opening. Here’s Microsofts official word on opening the doors to Flash.
“As we have seen through testing over the past several months, the vast majority of sites with Flash content are now compatible with the Windows experience for touch, performance, and battery life. With this update, the curated Compatibility View (CV) list blocks Flash content in the small number of sites that are still incompatible with the Windows experience for touch or that depend on other plug-ins.”
This part is our favourite: “Some popular Web sites require Adobe Flash and do not offer HTML5 alternatives,” says Microsoft. Some sites? Try most sites. Flash is still the prevalent interface chosen by most sites, so blocking flash from the touch environment was always a poor move. We’re glad Microsoft has reversed its decision. So update your Internet Explorer 10 right now if you want the full Flash experience.
