The fact that in modern computer systems one of the required components to install is a flash player, almost all users know. That's just an understanding of what this plugin is, why it is needed and how it works, not everyone has it. Let's try to deal with all these issues, separately touching on the topic of installation and mandatory updating of this software.
What is Adobe Flash Player: A General Understanding
If you deal with what this plug-in actually is (and this is a plug-in, or an extension / addition), it should immediately be noted that it is not a player as such in the usual sense, since it does not have its own interface, but consists only of software modules that are involved in the process of reproducing multimedia content that may be present on web pages.
Roughly speaking, a flash player is a set of software directives embedded in Internet browsers that activate an environment for playing audio, video or animation directly in a web browser. But it is only now that the player began to be produced precisely in the form of a special extension, this was not always the case.
The history of the product and its analogues
Initially, the idea and implementation of this development belonged to Sun Microsystems Corporation, which was the first to try to create a software player for animated videos and games in flash format (today it is presented in the form of files with the SWF extension). A bit later, a similar software product released by Macromedia appeared. But in the end, all these developments were purchased by the IT giant Adobe Systems, and the player itself underwent quite serious qualitative changes.
Apple also did not stand aside, having created independent software similar to the described development, in the form of its own universal QuickTime player.
This player is mainly distinguished by the fact that it is presented as a separate player that supports the reproduction of many universal and specific multimedia formats, and as additional modules that are integrated not only directly into the Internet browsers of the "apple" operating systems, but also in Windows, if Apple’s software is installed in their environment, for which QuickTime Player is required to function correctly (the most striking example is the use of virtual sound Recordable studio Pro Tools).
How does Adobe Flash Player work?
Now a few words about how this all works. What is a flash player from this point of view? As already mentioned, the plugin does not have its own interface. The add-in itself, when installed in the operating system, is embedded exclusively in Internet browsers, and absolutely everything that exists, regardless of the developer. In some browsers, this plugin is already preinstalled (for example, in the Google Chrome browser).
Actually, the player’s modules are triggered just at the moment when the user clicks the audio or video playback button on the page of the visited resource. If the animation or sound is activated immediately upon entering the resource, the program code is activated automatically. Thus, speaking about what a flash player from Adobe is, it can be noted that this is an automated system that does not need additional activation (unless for the cases when in the list of browser extensions this add-on was manually disabled by the user or due to exposure viral threats).
Add-on installation and update issues
As for the installation and updating of this software, which from time to time as new versions need to be produced without fail, they have a lot in common. The fact is that the update comes down to just downloading the latest version of the plugin and installing it yourself (the same initial installation). But download the installation file from the official website of the developer, as you can get virus infection on other resources (and viruses like this extension scary).
When visiting the site before downloading, you should pay attention to an additional proposal for installing affiliate software. It’s a paradox, but you need to install the player yourself, and additional programs are installed automatically. To avoid such situations, in the central part of the window it is better to immediately uncheck the box. The installer must be run exclusively with administrator rights. In this case, all browsers must be closed. Upon completion of the first plug-in installation or update process, the installation file will be automatically deleted from the system.
Afterword
What is a flash player, sorted out. It remains to say that the client applet, which is responsible for monitoring plug-in updates, which is created in the startup section of the system, can be safely disabled.
A reminder about the obsolescence of the add-in in this case will be issued not at the operating system level, but directly in the browser, when multimedia playback becomes impossible. This will be a signal that for the add-in you need to download and install the latest update.