Flash 9 player no longer available from Adobe

[Guest wsxedcrfv]

According to this, Flash 9 was taken down by Adobe yesterday (December 8, 2009):

http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/...tribution3.html

Flash versions 2 through 10 are still archived here:

http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/142/tn_14266.html

Direct download link for 9 is here:

http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/get/flash...fp9_archive.zip

It's 195 mb in size (?).

Flash 9 is also offered on this page:

http://www.adobe.com/support/flashplayer/downloads.html#fp9

This is a direct-download link for Player 9 Update for Windows and Macintosh browser plugins, stand-alone player and Test movie player (release and debug versions). Version 9.0.246.0 (July 30, 2009). 48 mb:

http://download.macromedia.com/pub/flashpl...ate9_flash9.zip

Secunia is stating that there have been 10 advisories for Flash 9 in it's entire history (2003 - 2009). The most recent in July this year. All of them have been patched. There have been several Flash-10 security issues come up very recently:

http://secunia.com/advisories/37584/

I would bet that these new Flash 10 issues are linked to Adobe yanking Flash 9 - perhaps a tipping point where Adobe no longer wants to patch Flash 9?

Edited December 9, 2009 by wsxedcrfv

[Glenn9999]

Most of this has been true for a very long time. This is just an example of the facts of life regarding software development. It's prohibitive to support all your old versions infinitely, so you have to cut off supporting them sometime. For example, Microsoft will just laugh at you if you go to them for Windows 95 (or 98 or ME or NT4 or 2000) support.

That is what is being announced - that Adobe does not license Flash 9 for distribution with other apps. Again, nothing new. As for Adobe's download distribution, Adobe has not offered Flash 9 in any other way than the archival packages you mention in a very long time.

As for your last sentence, there are no conspiracy theories like this. Tech moves on, and people generally move on with it. However, any company in tech can't stay in business if it hamstrings itself to satisfy the minority that refuses to move on.

[bristols]

Regardless of the page on the Adobe site you linked to, Flash Player 9 has just been updated to version 9.0.260.0 and is available from here (direct download links follow):

Flash for Internet Explorer

Flash for other browsers

However, any company in tech can't stay in business if it hamstrings itself to satisfy the minority that refuses to move on.

I'm feeling quite satisfied at the moment.

Edited December 9, 2009 by bristols

[Guest wsxedcrfv]

Most of this has been true for a very long time. This is just an example of the facts of life regarding software development.

I'm not questioning the fact that old versions (of anything) can't be supported forever.

I'm wondering if this EOL announcement for Flash-9 was planned (and publicized) in advance, or if it coincides with reports of security issues or flaws in Flash-10 that were announced a few days ago.

That is what is being announced - that Adobe does not license Flash 9 for distribution with other apps. Again, nothing new.

Nothing new? For how long did you know that the EOL date for Flash-9 was going to be Dec 8?

As for Adobe's download distribution, Adobe has not offered Flash 9 in any other way than the archival packages you mention in a very long time.

You don't count automatic updates as a form of "offering" then?

As for your last sentence, there are no conspiracy theories like this. Tech moves on, and people generally move on with it.

So then these recently-announced vulnerabilities for flash-10 don't affect flash-9 then?

=================

Update:

The web-page where Adobe makes this statement:

"As of December 8, 2009, Flash Player 9 is no longer available for distribution"

Has been indicated by Adobe to be a "private link" not meant for public viewing. The function of the page is largely to offer certain specific Flash-10 download files, and mentions the Dec. 8 termination of Flash-9 distribution in passing.

I don't believe that it means Adobe will stop offering Flash-9 patches and updates.

I can find nothing on the web about any planned termination or EOL date for Flash-9, or any statement about the termination of Flash-9 distribution on any web page (Adobe or otherwise) except as mentioned on the "private" page.

Edited December 10, 2009 by wsxedcrfv

[Tihiy]

Where is it taken down? It's still available from regular place:

http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/otherversions/

[Guest wsxedcrfv]

Where is it taken down? It's still available from regular place:

http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/otherversions/

Just browsing Adobe's website and it's clear that it's not easy to find a link showing the various Flash versions. The link you posted will give you Flash-9 only if you select win-9x/me. Again, it's clear now that if you're using all other OS's that Adobe is making it difficult to download Flash-9. They want you to use Flash 10.

[dencorso]

[...] Adobe is making it difficult to download Flash-9. They want you to use Flash 10.

Aren't that to be expected? They're being much more gentle than HP, that one day yanked all 9x/ME drivers from download all of a sudden.

[cluberti]

Note Flash 9 is no longer available for ENTERPRISE DISTRIBUTION as of December 9th, it is not end of life and can still be downloaded (and is still being actively maintained, see v9.0.260 released this month). This just limits their customers who have enterprise distribution agreements to no longer being able to distribute flash 9 and expect any kind of support from Adobe - they MUST move to distribute v10 as of this date in their enterprises. Considering Flash 10 was released in October 2008, and Adobe's usual ~1 year allowance for enterprises with dist agreements to move to the newer version, this isn't unexpected. Adobe isn't like other companies when it comes to their software lifecycle. In general, they tend to require that for consumer-level applications, people upgrade to the latest version and will stop releasing patches for versions older than v.current and v.last fairly quickly after a new major version is released. Once Flash player 11 eventually becomes available, for example, patches for Flash Player 9 will stop appearing soon afterwards, even security patches. Again, this is how Adobe has worked for years, although it'd be nice if they actually had a lifecycle site we could look up like Microsoft's.

[rloew]

[...] Adobe is making it difficult to download Flash-9. They want you to use Flash 10.

Aren't that to be expected? They're being much more gentle than HP, that one day yanked all 9x/ME drivers from download all of a sudden.

I don't remember if HP gave any warning on their website. I only knew about it in advance because I was on the phone with Tech Support about a couple of months before they removed the drivers. So I had a chance to download most of them.

[dencorso]

I don't remember if HP gave any warning on their website. I only knew about it in advance because I was on the phone with Tech Support about a couple of months before they removed the drivers. So I had a chance to download most of them.

Your precaution may well have saved some of them from oblivion. Myself, I was taken by surprise, so I've searched around the net since HP's withdrawal of the drivers from their site, looking for alternate sources for them, and I've found two places which together still offer most of the missing HP drivers: 9x/ME PrinterDrivers and oldwindowsdrivers, although I cannot say for how long they'll remain active.

[MDGx]

I haven't read Adobe's end-of-life policy, but we should expect Flash 9.0 to be retired soon [probably at end of 2009], so they won't release any more security bug-fixes anymore.

Last Flash 9.0 security fix is 9.0.260.

For end-users [like us] though, newest [bug fixed] versions of Flash 7.x, 8.x + 9.x are still available from Adobe web site:

http://www.mdgx.com/toy.htm#SHFL

Links were valid as of December 19, 2009.

HTH

[Spitfire]

I also find that when you use any internet type browser to download even the newer versions? They redirect you to the FlashPlayer 9 even when you asked for the 10. I also got it using Firefox and Opera as well. They made it harder for you to download the newer ones if you have an emulator like the KEX. I think they will do what Microsoft do, and only allow you to download only updates to your system. This is really sad to see this when there are a lot of people who have no choice of even upgrading to the newer windows and newer versions of software for your computer. I wish these software makers be more considerate and go back to support people who are having troubles as is with the Internet as is.

[Glenn9999]

Once Flash player 11 eventually becomes available, for example, patches for Flash Player 9 will stop appearing soon afterwards, even security patches. Again, this is how Adobe has worked for years, although it'd be nice if they actually had a lifecycle site we could look up like Microsoft's.

Actually I just looked and they have a new Flash player in beta, so this is likely going to come to pass very soon.

http://blogs.adobe.com/flashplatform/2009/...a_2_availa.html

[Glenn9999]

I also find that when you use any internet type browser to download even the newer versions? They redirect you to the FlashPlayer 9 even when you asked for the 10.

This is likely OS-dependent more than browser-dependent, since 10 is specifically stated to be for XP/Vista/probably 7. I find most sites (Adobe included, but the biggest offender I've found is the Chrome site) tend to lock you out of installing/downloading software for those if they can't detect that is what you are running.

[Spitfire]

I also find that when you use any internet type browser to download even the newer versions? They redirect you to the FlashPlayer 9 even when you asked for the 10.

This is likely OS-dependent more than browser-dependent, since 10 is specifically stated to be for XP/Vista/probably 7. I find most sites (Adobe included, but the biggest offender I've found is the Chrome site) tend to lock you out of installing/downloading software for those if they can't detect that is what you are running.

I did wind up fooling Yahoo using the Opera about the message they gave me for the IE based browsers that said I am on an old OS and need to upgrade. I do not have the money to upgrade, and that my old Dell desktop could not handle XP. Not enough processor speed for it.

You could fool those sites at times with the different browsers like I am using Firefox 3.6.