As I'm pretty sure I've said before, but perhaps it bears repeating, as a web designer, I'd never consider using Flash for ANYTHING, because it immediately locks out that content for all iPhone, iPad, Windows phone and with the latest Android release, those phones and tablets as well. (As of July, Android Jelly Bean is in use on about 30% of all Android devices) Considering the ever increasing user of handheld devices to access the web, it makes no sense at all to use a means to present content that is inaccessible to so many. Adobe has been very clear; they've abandoned Flash development for mobile devices to concentrate on Flash for game development and for encrypted video.
All well and good, and all new content should be created in something other than Flash, but there is a hell of a lot of content 'in the wild' that requires Flash. Notably new and sports and if that kind of material is important to you then you need to be able to, and comfortable with, updating Flash as required.
I wasn't suggesting that people never run Flash - just that no web designer should be using it for new content (other than games, perhaps), and efforts should be made to provide alternatives on news sites etc. Many news/online TV sites have already moved to HTML5 for video, for instance.
Given that Flash has become a vector for delivering malware, if you do have it installed on your computer, you should endeavour to keep it up to date, as many of those annoyingly frequent updates are security updates released to plug yet another hole.
Which is why most OSX updates are released, is it not? Security is everyone's issue - not just re Flash.
Not all updates are security updates, but in general, it's usually a good idea to install them. Of course, there are always those rare updates that actually
things...but those tend to be the major .x or new version number updates. If one is doubtful about the need for the update, generally the developer - Apple or 3rd party - provides a summary of the reasons for the update, either in the AppStore updates or at the developer's website.
Yup - you've just run into the other reason that Flash is a pain in the behind - it crashes things. <_<ClickToFlash is a nice add-on available for all major browsers.
