Google announced yesterday that the company will collaborate with Adobe to integrate Flash Player into your browser Chrome. The purpose of this is to work
around some weaknesses in the current plug-in interface, which can lead to incompatibility, reduced performance and a degree of security challenges. Most browsers except Internet Explorer, using plug-interface NPAPI (Netscape Plug-in Application Programming Interface), which stems from 1996, but was extended by including the scripting support in 2004.
The integration of Flash Player in Chrome is a step on the road - probably a temporary one - while the browser vendors and Adobe makes himself ready to define what will be the next-generation programming interface for plug-ins.
The new interface will solve the challenges associated with NPAPI. Among other things, it will be operating system and browser neutral. It will be open for closer integration between plugins and the browser, it will offer better performance and make it easier to maintain the security, for example through the use of sandbox techniques.
The first release of Chrome with integrated Flash Player 5.0.360.x, is already available via the developer channel.
The embedded Flash plug-in is activated by running Chrome from the command line with parameter "- enable-internal-flash."
This decision is sure to be controversial. Many people have objections to plugins in general and the Adobe Flash Player in particular, partly because it is exceptionally many security problems associated with this solution.
But Google believes to solve this. Partly by the plug-in will now be automatically updated as frequently as Chrome itself, without the users need to think about having to update the plug-in as well. But Google also plans to expand Chrome's secure sandbox for Web pages with Flash content. That means that content to run in an area that is separate from the rest of the system.
Also Adobe has released a blog post about cooperation and the upcoming plug-in standard.
