Rocket Record and Adobe Flash

Hi to all

Over the last week, some of you may have noticed issues with using our voice comparison tool, Rocket Record, and the various Testing functions not working properly or at all.

The issues have stemmed from a security issue with the latest version/update of Adobe Flash, which meant that some browsers like Google (Chrome) and Firefox blocked Flash from working automatically. Unfortunately we didn't get any forewarning that this was going to happen, so it did catch us (and I would imagine millions of other websites that use Flash in some form) by surprise.

For those that are interested - a definition of Adobe Flash;

Adobe Flash is a multimedia and software platform used for creating vector graphics, animation, browser games, rich Internet applications, desktop applications, mobile applications and mobile games. Flash displays text, vector and raster graphics to provide animations, video games and applications. It allows streaming of audio and video, and can capture mouse, keyboard, microphone and camera input.

We have spent the last week frantically working on a fix for Rocket Record and waiting for Flash to release a new update that resolves any issues. I am pleased to say that this has just happened so everything should be working as normal.

To prevent a repeat of this we are working on removing this reliability upon Flash and instead using HTML5, which is essentially the code base that the internet works on. Version 5 of HTML offers new functionality around video, audio and graphic content display. Our time-frame for this changeover to be completed is 2 months, at which time we should have removed the need for Flash altogether. Because of the different configurations between Flash and HTML5 there will be some functionality differences but we are looking to improve the system by making the most of what HTML5 can offer.

So, to recap, everything should be working as intended in the members area and within a couple of months we should have some new functionality that makes Rocket Record and the Testing features work even better!

Best of luck with your language learning

Jason Oxenham
CEO
Rocket Languages

Jason: Thanks to the IT team for working to resolve this issue. After the problem became apparent and the cause identified, I do wish that we users had been provided with updates on what was being done to resolve the issue and when resolution was expected. A quick note every day or two would have alleviated some of the concern that we had.
Thanks again,
Dan
 

Caught by surprise? Many websites have started to get away from flash, even Google has steered away from it as well. Oh and Youtube as well so the signs were out there. I am glad this website is moving away from flash as well - just too many security issues out there using flash.

Good luck with the project to turn over to HTML5 :-)

Hi Dan - Apologies, I take responsibility for the lack of communication. I was travelling around Europe when all this started. These things always seem to come up when I am on holiday:)

Hi Luis - We weren't expecting Chrome and Firefox to disable Flash overnight. It was in our Roadmap to move away from Flash before the end of the year. We have now brought that project forward!

Thanks so much for getting a fix so quickly. I work in IT for a large corporation and I can tell you, nothing moves fast in a large corporation.  Happy to have it working now.  Thank you again!

Agreed. I also work in IT and I can't imagine the complexity of having to deal with so many configurations (web browser, plug-ins, etc.) and versions. Great job and thank you.
 

Thanks, I really appreciate your fast and hard work. As also IT-related worker, I know that when things are turning wrong you are in deep swamp, as we say in Finland :)

Will the HTML5 work well with a Mac computer?

Hi Jeanne - It's looking like for the best functionality we will be recommending Chrome as the browser for members to use. The operating system won't matter so much.

In saying that, other browsers will still work but some of those browsers may have to use Adobe Flash still (pretty much like the current system) as they aren't as advanced as Chrome.

In time though other browsers will catch up to Chrome and we can then add the new functionality at that time.

There are still problems with Chrome (and other browsers as well). For example, In the "Hear It" section (and the other sections), before I record my voice and evaluate it, the program has already added points to my score, and therefore, given a wrong evaluation.
Anyway I'm looking forward to an improvement in the program. That would be great for all of us.

Hi Pham - At this stage the points are triggered when the tutor audio plays.

Also, we are still having a few issues with Flash so please bear with us as we work through it. I apologize for the inconvenience, it's very frustrating.

Hi guys, I just did lesson 4.1 today and am having trouble with the "Rocket Record" feature not working too well despite using Google Chrome. I understand that ya'll are working on changing over to HTML5 and doing everything that you can to fix any problems. Hope that you're able to get it done soon. No rush on my problem, it's probably just our Mac.
Muchas gracias y adios!

I still have problems , when I open the lesson study says, " Oops , we have had a slight problem You are not permitted to access this Course Material !   If you believe That this is a bug in our system , please email us [email protected] " I really need to learn English and I hope that in a very short time you can risolvermi this problem . thanks

Hi Clemente - You should email customer support about this as it looks like an account issue.

I thought that it was just my rubbish computer playing up again so I ignored it! All working fine now - thanks.

still having problems with record

I have been experiencing a problem with Flash player; it simply will not activate in my FireFox browser.

Hi Johnson - The good news is that Flash will not be used from next Monday! Flash has been causing an increasing amount of issues. The 2016 Edition will be out at 5pm Oct 12th EST. Make sure you check it out!