The Internet Progresses: Adobe Flash Discontinued
Flash was a language written to display dynamic content and enhance the look and feel of web pages. There are many things that Flash did that couldn’t be done by most browsers during its era. The problem with Flash is that every browser built had to include, or at least support a plugin version of flash, to display the content. Flash constantly gets updated so there have always been many issues with it. There was a disconnect between Flash and the Browser, it was just something else that needed to be maintained.
This issue happened with Java and Javascript. Javascript replaced Java not because it was “better” but because it was lightweight and able ot be built into the browser. Java’s Javascript is HTML 5. The difference is HTML5 is lighter, better, and promotes new and cleaner standards without the need to update an app, as it is built into your browser.
With the dawn of mobile computing, flash has been a struggle. Most mobile browsers didnt support flash natively, and Adobe wasn’t ready to have flash installed in a non PC/Max/Linux environment such as iOS (iPhone, iPad). Porting it to Android wasn’t as big of a problem because it uses a near-true linux kernel.
So Adobe is killing flash, and I say, for the better. HTML 5 is quickly becoming the standard that all browsers can follow, and allows different content to be displayed based on what browser the user is using.
The biggest holdback has been browsers such as IE 6, 7, and 8, which have no HTML5 compatibility. A large part of the world still uses these browsers but it is losing hold. Most people who use them are either locked down by their operating system or don’t know what a browser really is (Sound Familiar? “I use Windows as my Browser!”).
I think that Microsoft killing off Windows XP, and requiring Windows 7 to use IE9 has helped in this decision. Forcing users to use a modern browser is a must for progress.
Not only is there rich dynamic and beautiful content out there to be had with modern browsers, but there is security too. Internet Explorer has been the defacto browser for many corporations because it gave direct access to the OS through the browser. As nice as that is, in a stacked environment like Microsoft Windows, it becomes the number one problem with using IE as your browser, you open up the guts of your PC to the rest of the world, whereas Browser like FireFox and Chrome do not.
Farewell Adobe Flash, it was nice knowing you. I am excited to see all the web tech that will start to be created in HTML5.
Oh…and worried all your Flash Content is all for not? Guess What ? Google provides a free bit of code that you can run in your browser to convert (most of) your SWF (Flash) files into HTML 5!!
Here is the link to this sweet project: http://www.google.com/doubleclick/studio/swiffy/
Out with the old, in with the New! Thats how it works with Tech!
