Adobe Flash blocked content. I can no longer read my content

[Emmanuel0D45]

So, i have some of my program text online supported by Adobe Flash player. I see the EOL has been enforced and I am now frustrated especially because I do not know how I can continue accessing these materials. I am not seeing any alternative. Each time I tried to access the material, I see Adobe flash has blocked content. I tried for hours to see if there are alternative solutions on the website, but all I see was EOL on Adobe Flash player.  Does anyone know what I can do as this is quite frustrating? 

[Nancy OShea]

There is no replacement for Flash Player, sorry. 

The Flash Player EOL was announced 3-1/2 years ago giving IT experts, software and website developers more than enough time to prepare for this.  In addition, announcements were all over the news channels as well as  Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Mozilla.  

Contact whoever made your software or system to see if they created an updated version that doesn't require Flash Player.

[Moderator moved from Using the Community (forums) to Flash Player.]

[default5cxn2aiiinqo]

And if they won't?  What is the alternative?

The service manual for the Dell Latitude XT2 computer (a .pdf document published by Dell)  contains a notice stating that Adobe flash player is required to view some of the images.  Now that flash player is disabled, there are large blank spaces in the manual where some of the pictures should be.  As Dell ceased production of the XT2 about 10 years ago, there isn't any chance that Dell will ever publish an updated service manual that doesn't require flash player.

[Nancy OShea]

You'll need to contact DELL about the manual as they may have have alternate versions in HTML or plain text. 

However, to read PDF files, you do need a modern version of Acrobat.  See links below.

FREE Acrobat Reader -- view, comment, print & sign PDF.
https://acrobat.adobe.com/us/en/acrobat/pdf-reader.html

Paid Acrobat Pro DC -- the complete solution for creating and saving PDF.
https://acrobat.adobe.com/us/en/acrobat/acrobat-pro.html

[Guest]

Maybe you can access it if you change the date on your computer temporarily.

[default5cxn2aiiinqo]

That worked.  Thanks.

[jeromiec83223024 · Accepted solution]

If you haven't already, update to the latest version of Acrobat or Reader.  The Acrobat team did a lot of work to address Flash dependencies from actual Acrobat features (things like PDF portfolios created Flash dependencies, but current versions continue to support that functionality sans Flash).  If Dell actually embedded Flash content that's critical to using the document, that's a problem.  If updating to the latest Acrobat or Reader doesn't help, you'd need to ask Dell for an updated document without embedded Flash content.

[default5cxn2aiiinqo]

Re: Update Reader - I'm currently using ver. DC MUI (20.013.20074), and
it says "No updates available".

Re: Asking Dell to update the manual - I can ask, but Dell's response
will surely be "The warranty on that computer expired xx years ago.  We
don't support it any more.  Buy a new computer." Dell is in business to
make money.  They make very little from the sale of repair parts for
discontinued equipment, and updating older documentation would require
considerable effort (i.e. expense) which would contribute almost nothing
to their sales income.

Adobe needs to make sure that any change they make to their software
does not render it incapable of properly rendering legacy files.

[Nancy OShea]

#1 Right and this is not the DELL forum.  This is the Flash Player user-to-user community. 

"Adobe needs to make sure that any change they make to their software
does not render it incapable of properly rendering legacy files. "

===========

#2 That's an unreasonable expectation.  No company on planet Earth can ensure that what brand X did with their old documents 10+ years ago will continue to function properly in 2021 and beyond. 

#3 Adobe removed Flash from latest versions of Acrobat Pro DC and FREE Acrobat Reader.  But that doesn't fix old documents that were created with obsolete methods & software.  Unfortunately, nothing can fix old documents because they are what they are.

FREE Acrobat Reader -- view, comment, print & sign PDF.
https://acrobat.adobe.com/us/en/acrobat/pdf-reader.html

Paid Acrobat Pro DC -- the complete solution for creating and saving PDF.
https://acrobat.adobe.com/us/en/acrobat/acrobat-pro.html

[default5cxn2aiiinqo]

Nancy,

I agree with only your first point  - This is the Adobe forum, not the
Dell forum.

However, you got the other two points completely backward. Specifically:

#2: This is the exact opposite of the truth.  Old documents do not
change.  Updated apps do.  And it is the responsibility of EVERY company
(both on Earth and anywhere else for that matter if there ever are any)
to ensure that their apps /continue/ to function properly with input
that has */not/* changed (and in most cases /cannot/ be changed).

#3: Old documents shouldn't *ever* need changing just because the app
changed.  If the document was valid input to the app when the document
was produced, it is the responsibility of the app maintainer to ensure
that any changes/updates/enhancements to the app do not break that
existing functionality (i.e. the ability to continue to properly process
input that was valid when it was written).  Enhancements and
modifications to an app should only add new functionality, not remove or
break existing functionality.

[Nancy OShea]

@default5cxn2aiiinqo,

Like I said, unrealistic expecatations...

Anyway, goodbye & good luck!