Steve and the Beanstalk...

My initial thought when I saw the iPad was that little Stevie Jobs went to the market one day, met a mysterious man who looked a lot like John Scully and traded his black turtleneck for some magic beans and a can of Pepsi. He planted the magic beans, poured out a few drops of the can of Pepsi while saying "para los Newton" and then went to bed.

The next morning little Stevie woke up and saw a giant bean stalk stretching toward the Heavens. He decided to climb the stalk and find out what was at the top. Ok, to make a long story short little Stevie stole the iPhone that belonged to the giant, brought it home and then decided to call it the iPad.

To me, the iPad sort of seems like Wonkavision in reverse.

After Jobs descended Mount Horeb and the dust settled people began to wonder why the Flash Player wasn't on the iPad?

This is a very simple issue for me. I'm very libertarian I don't like excessive regulation or being told what I can and can't do. Whether it's by the Government or by a company that I buy a product from. My point is very straight forward. Let me choose whether or not I want to install the Flash Player on the iPhone, iPad, or iWhatTheFuckEver. If it crashes, or it's buggy, or it sucks my battery like a $25 hooker then I won't use it. But let me make that decision. To be honest I think the real reason the Flash Player is not on the iPhone is that AT&T's 3G network that is held together with duct tape and bailing wire couldn't handle the load.

Whatever the reason, I don't need Uncle Sam or Uncle Jobs deciding what's best for me or in this case what technology I will use. Being told what to do breeds resentment and ultimately rebellion. Which is probably why I have a MacBook Pro but use an Android based phone. I did have an iPhone but AT&T's phone service stank like three-day-old Thai food vomit.

I develop using the Adobe Flash Platform and as I transition into developing apps for mobile devices, I'm working on a top secret one right now, I won't be developing for the iPhone or iPad. I will be developing for devices that are involved in Adobe's Open Screen Project. That's just about every device but the iPhone. I'd rather lose the iPhone users than have Dr. Jobs examine my prostate before allowing my app onto his precious app store. That and I don't want to have to do double the development. Trust me it's not double the pleasure or double the fun. Just double the headache. It's just not feasible for a one man operation.

The last thing about the iPad that I don't understand is all the vitriol that has been directed at the Adobe Flash Platform and Adobe in general. I know what it is, it's the same thing with Adobe ColdFusion. Ignorance. One of my favorite sayings is "If ignorance is bliss, this must be Eden." That rings very true today. I have always been of the opinion that people should use the tool that works best for them. For me, it's Adobe ColdFusion and the Adobe Flash Platform. For other developers it may be HTML5 and PHP. That's your choice. I will tell you why I like Adobe ColdFusion and the Adobe Flash Platform, but I won't tell you that PHP or HTML5 is steaming heap of maggot infested donkey shit.

However it does seem that there are those who feel that way about Adobe's development platforms. I can't figure this out. Did the Adobe Flash Platform slaughter and disembowel their puppy when they were young? Based on what I've seen on Twitter and blogs, it isn't that the Adobe Flash Platform mutilates innocent young canine's but rather those against it don't fully understand it. With most thinking that Flash is only for obnoxious ads or YouTube videos. If you feel that way, I would suggest you do a little research and try to fully understand what the Adobe Flash Platform is. And while you're at it, do the same with ColdFusion as I'm getting tired of explaining it to you.

I will freely admit when I don't know about the capabilities or draw backs of a technology. And I certainly won't say negative things about something I don't fully understand. That makes me look like an idiot, just like those who think that Flash is only about annoying web site intros.

Of course there are those, like religious zealots, who will feel they are right now matter what and will do anything, right or wrong, to proselytize the product they love. You know the kind, they think they are going to get 72 virgins when they get to Heaven. But, in the end, to those of us who are normal about things, they just end up looking like they can't wait to get their lips around Steve Jobs' old wrinkly scrotum.

In the end this all boils down to a simple concept for me, choice. Let developers and users choose what works best for them. Period.