14 DAY TRIAL // Adobe has finally made the announcement a lot of Linux users have been waiting for, a 64-bit version of the Adobe Flash Player is again available. Not only that, it's a significant improvement over previous releases.
Linux users generally like to be on the cutting edge. That's part of the reason why they're using Linux in the first place. A lot of them are using 64-bit versions of their favorite distros, not that 64-bit is cutting edge at this point.
So it makes sense that Adobe first created a 64-bit version of its Flash Player for Linux, back in 2008. In fact, until today, there was not 64-bit Flash for either Windows or Mac OS X, experimental or otherwise.
What made less sense though was Adobe's decision to apparently pull the plug on the 64-bit Flash project, angering quite a few Linux users in the process.
"The community has been very vocal around the need for native 64-bit support and we’ve heard you loud and clear," Adobe's Paul Betlem, said.
"Today we’re also sharing a refresh of the Linux 64-bit version of Flash Player together with the first preview of both the 64-bit Windows and Mac versions," he announced.
This should appease most Linux users and it's clear that Adobe is committed to creating a native 64-bit plugin. A stable version should be coming soon now.
Unfortunately, although part of the announcement today was support for hardware acceleration in Internet Explorer 9, there is still no support whatsoever for GPU acceleration on Linux.
"If you’re using a 64-bit browser, I encourage you to install a 64-bit version of Flash Player and give it try. Those using the previous 64-bit version of Flash Player for Linux should find this new version even faster and more reliable. These new versions are fully functional, so all content should be compatible," he explained.
Adobe Flash Player "Square" 32-bit for Linux is available for download here on Softpedia. Adobe Flash Player "Square" 64-bit for Linux is available for download here on Softpedia.