A few days ago, it was discovered that the Windows 8 Release Preview build would be bundled with a version of Adobe"s Flash player. This was an interesting revelation since it was known for quite some time that the Metro version of Internet Explorer 10 will not support any plug-in software. In theory, that also meant that the Metro version of IE 10 in Windows 8 would not be able to run any Flash apps on a number of popular websites.
On Thursday, the same day as the launch of the Windows 8 Release Preview, a memo, sent out to company employees by Adobe executive Danny Winokur, revealed more information about adding Flash support to both Windows 8 and to Internet Explorer 10. The Verge posted up the memo and it basically states that Microsoft and Adobe have worked together to have Flash work in the Metro version of IE 10.
The memo states in part:
Our work together has to a large degree focused on integrating Flash Player into Metro style IE10 with special privileges that enable it to run while other plugins still cannot (consistent with Microsoft’s earlier announcements about plugin-free browsing). We did this work with their support and cooperation on integrating with IE and Windows. We will deliver future updates to the Flash Player (both security and feature upgrades) through Windows Update in much the same way that Microsoft updates IE itself.
This clearly shows that while Microsoft may not want plug-in support for the Metro version of IE 10, it also knows there are going to be a ton of websites out there that will still use Flash and wanted to accommodate all of the Metro users of their web browser to see and experience those Flash based sites. It also is a big feather in the cap for Adobe, who several months ago announced it would no longer update the Flash plug-in for mobile web browsers.
Source: The Verge