> Flash hasn't been an issue for quite some releases in Ubuntu
Your personal experience doesn't make it true for everyone.
The official flash release has to be run through nspluginwrapper on 64-bit systems, which can be a pain when it doesn't work. Suggesting that the average user stick with the 32-bit release removes any support issues related to 32 vs 64-bit plugins (java included too) and nspluginwrapper, with no noticeable drawback for most users.
That's simply not true any longer. It just isn't. It's not "my personal experience". If you install ubuntu-restricted-extras, all of this is done transparently without ANY work on the users' part.
I would know, because I've never installed Flash manually on this system.
Yes, this is done transparently, and most people won't have a problem. As with most things Ubuntu, as long as you go with the defaults, everything will work smoothly.
What I'm saying, is that flash, java (plugin), and nspluginwrapper can be broken. It happens; and when it happens, it's not obvious what went wrong or how to fix it. Going 32-bit simply removes this support issue altogether.
Your personal experience doesn't make it true for everyone.
The official flash release has to be run through nspluginwrapper on 64-bit systems, which can be a pain when it doesn't work. Suggesting that the average user stick with the 32-bit release removes any support issues related to 32 vs 64-bit plugins (java included too) and nspluginwrapper, with no noticeable drawback for most users.