App and Flash Update
So after A LOT of digging, research and discussion with a lot of people, have ascertained the following info (I have quoted sources as some of this I can't independently verify myself)
- The App is written in Chromium (confirmed by several ppl who inspected the code)
- Chromium is an open source brower project provided by Google (Web Search)
- Chromium is used by Google to produce Chrome and also by several other browers providers such as Firefox (Web Search)
- Chromium used Pepperflash to provide is Flash capabilities (Web Search)
- Pepperflash was initially developed in partnership between Adobe and Google. It is now maintained and distributed by Google (Web Search)
- The app is therefore essentially a cut down web brower, built in a platform for producing web browers (my TL:DL)
So what does all that means for the future of our game:
- It appears Pepperflash will continue to be provided by Google (although I can't find anything on the web confirming this)
- If this is the case annoucements pertaining to the end of Adobe Flash don't relate to or impact Pepperfash (including Adobe's own statements, the alerts you might get from Adobe and announcements that Windows with automatically remove Flash - confirmed by multiple ppl)
- Pepperflash is wrapped into the app and shouldn't be accessable to other applications (I got this from one person but its someone whose technical knowledge I highly respect)
- As such using the App and pepperflash should not pose a security tisk to you i.e. even if you encounter malicious code on a website, it won't be able to activate and use Pepperflash
It seems therefore that the game is secured for however long Pepperflash continues to be supported and distributed by Google. I can't see that continuing forever but equally I saw no references anywhere to it ending immediately either. It might be possible to continue using it, even if it was pulled by Google depending on the exact terms of the open source agreement.
Clearly, whether you want to download an app is a personal choice people need to make for themselves. I know some ppl don't like downloading stuff and that is what it is (which is the reason games like these were written in browers in the first place, to avoid missing out on customers that don't want to download).
Hope this is helpful.
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PS I am not a security expert. I can;t guarantee using the app is 100% safe but it appear so to me from what I have been able to find out. Personally I will be running it on a 2nd machine, completely seperate from anything important.
