Flash Player Versions

Just as web browsing has moved from PCs to handhelds and now mobile phones, the Flash Player has morphed into new versions to support each of the different platforms. The Flash Players available currently are:

The Flash Player

The standard player used with a web browser. At the time of this writing, the Flash 8 Player was the most current, supported by Internet Explorer, Safari, Netscape, Firefox, Mozilla, and Opera for PC, Mac, and Linux operating systems. For a closer look at the specific browser and player versions that are supported, check Macromedia’s web site, http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/alternates/.

The Stand-Alone Flash Player

The player used for standalone Flash content. This player can interact with the computer’s filesystem, though interaction is limited. This player does not require a web browser to view Flash content.

The Flash Player for Pocket PC

The player used with Pocket PC 2002 and 2003. This player is supported by most current personal data assistants (PDAs) running Pocket Windows Explorer; it currently supports Flash 6.

Flash Lite

The player used for mobile devices. The Flash Lite 1.0 player currently supports Flash 5 objects and Flash 4 ActionScript. Flash Lite 2.0 supports Flash Player 7 and ActionScript 2.0. For more information about Flash for mobile devices, see Macromedia’s web site: http://www.macromedia.com/devnet/devices/.

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