1. Gnash and Lightspark are nice "cute" projects that try really really hard,
but the web still relies so much on Flash for video content. It would be
awesome if most sites opted for an HTML5 option, but I still see such a huge
reliance on Flash and little adoption of WebM outside of Youtube almost 3
years after it was released.
Maybe content providers want the DRM that Flash offers and it can't happen
with WebM. Maybe they feel that the streaming technologies for native video
isn't up to par with good 'ole Flash.
A plus to the iPhones/iPads and modern Android phones/tablets is that they
don't support Flash. The problem with that though is that content providers
are pushing for apps for their page instead of the page itself where they
serve patent laden H264 content to the phones. Either way, we can't win.
2. Canonical probably prides themselves as an international country and with
it being based out of the UK, they have to cater to their euro markets and
potentially China.
Oh and you are delusional to think that China and the US are on the same
level for free society. We are still a democracy and make it easier for the
citizens to start a business than a country like China or the UK even.
