14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft announced a few hours ago that it would roll out a platform update for Windows 8 and Windows RT systems to allow Internet Explorer 10 to load all Flash websites out there, thus removing a previous restriction that blocked pages not included in a whitelist.
While only 4 percent of the Flash webpages are considered off-limits, Microsoft indirectly makes Adobe Flash Player updates absolutely critical for Windows 8 and RT users, as patching vulnerabilities in this piece of software will become essential.
Flash Player remains a very vulnerable browser add-on, as new bugs and issues are discovered on a regular basis.
With Internet Explorer 10, Microsoft has pledged to release its own updates for Flash Player, working together with Adobe to deliver patches as soon as possible. In addition, Adobe has decided to synchronize its patch release cycle with Microsoft’s Patch Tuesday, in an attempt to bring fixes to the market at the right time.
From now on, only websites placed in a black list will be blocked on Windows 8 and RT, the Redmond-based technology giant said but, given the fact that only 4 percent of them are labeled as incompatible, users should finally get a seamless browsing experience.
“Of the thousands of domains tested for Flash compatibility to date, we have found fewer than 4% are still incompatible, in the most part because the core site experience requires other ActiveX controls in addition to Flash. With Windows 8 in the hands of customers and developers, we listened to feedback around the experience of Web sites with Flash,” Microsoft explained.
The good news is that Microsoft seems to go beyond its Patch Tuesday update cycle and release fixes whenever users need it.
Last month, for example, Microsoft rolled out not only the typical Patch Tuesday updates, but also a bunch of other fixes aimed at Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows RT two weeks later.