PC Magazine is pondering whether Adobe getting into the HTML5 market indicates Flash may be going by the wayside. While not being particularly enamored with Steve Job’s walled garden approach to computing these days, I wholeheartedly endorse the destruction of Flash. PC Magazine notes:
Ultimately, though, this has more to do with Apple and its power struggle against Adobe with regards to Flash. The long and short of it, which is somewhat proved by Adobe Edge, is Apple won. Steve Jobs is a notorious opponent of Flash. Although it’s (reluctantly) supported on Macs, it’s nowhere to be found on iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches. Apple has declared Flash unfit for mobile, and whether or not that’s true, Apple’s massive influence in the space (and especially tablets) makes whatever Apple perceives a reality to a large extent.
Most pages these days are completely usable without having a Flash plug-in installed. I have blocked it by default on my Macs using ClicktoFlash, and it has greatly improved my browsing experience. Now if someone would just tell the folks who do web stuff for NRA that Flash is on the way out, we’d be good, because despite what the developers of that might think, it’s not, in fact, a world class online experience. Well, I suppose that could be argued, but definitely not in a good way.
I think the issue is that many opponents of Flash fail to realize that EVERYTHING they hate about Flash will occur with HTML5 – & worse – if the splintering of prior versions of HTML and CSS is any example.
Bad design occurs regardless of platform. Truthful, I much prefer the Flash ads that ended the era of a bazillions pop ups.
Now. Every who hates those highly interactive ads complaining that they take up too many resources will find themselves in thesame boat. Just without the option of disabling, removing or filtering a plug-in.
Flash will likely remain for sometime as there are still numerous things that it does which HTML5 does not do. At least yet.
One thing you’re right about. adobe will ride the HTML5 bandwagon. Adobe makes money on tools. If HTML5 reaches the point where it an compete with Flash on all levels. Then rest assure Adobe will be more than happy to not have to expend $$$ developing the run time further.
Now if someone would just tell the folks who do web stuff for NRA that Flash is on the way out, we’d be good, because despite what the developers of that might think, it’s not, in fact, a world class online experience.
You may know something I don’t. But for what it’s worth, my wife works at a web design company. And I get the distinct impression that demands for “fancy” flash websites overwhelmingly come from the customer, against the designers’ advice. I strongly suspect this is the fault of somebody within NRA, who thinks those animated menu bars are just awesome.
Meh, Flash doesn’t bug me as I can block it easily. Jobs opposition to Flash is almost entirely derived from his need to control the App market to secure his revenue stream.
I have been using Flashblock for years, and will continue to do the same with any similar nonsense gadgetry in HTML5.
I hate apple more than I hate flash.
@Jeff the Baptist
I’m pretty sure it has a lot more to do with the fact that Adobe never actually, you know, created a version of full desktop flash that worked tolerably for mobile devices. Everyone seems to have this idea that SJ put out his big hand and said “NO!” when poor old Adobe came by with their iOS version of Flash, but there never was an iOS version of Flash. The truth is that Adobe owns flash and the ball was and is in their court. They never created a version of Flash that runs tolerably on mobile devices. It’s their product. They chose to ignore the mobile market, and now consumers are feeling the consequences.
Even this tech journalist gets it wrong when he said that Apple “supports” Flash on Macs. Apple doesn’t do a darn thing; It’s Adobe that provides a Mac version of its own product. It doesn’t for iOS. End of story.
Why people blame Apple for Adobe’s failure to adequately port one of their their most popular products to the hottest new platform in years baffles me to this day.
Amen on the NRA request. I don’t even have them bookmarked because of all the nonsense you have to wait and wade through to use their website.
Flash is good for one thing: video. HTML5 is horrible for video – it’s the browser wars all over again. Even on the iDevices, HTML5 video is very tricky, and Android is just a mess. Flash works nicely for Android video. Hacked up HTML5 works.. eventually.. for iDevice video.
I refuse to buy Apple just for that reason-sort of like that politician telling me I don’t need a gun…
Flash is MUCH more than a way to deliver video-something HTML5 can do. However, HTML5 isn’tgood about making videos and apparently work across platforms without an issue. What video codex(s) is HTML5 going to use, can HTML5 create those cool games my kids like to play (no, BTW…)… choice is GOOD for the consumer. Having a Dingle company with that much clout isn’t to our benefit.
@Nate: Flash works great on my ‘piddly’ Galaxy S phone, thanks :)
I refuse to buy Apple just for that reason-sort of like that politician telling me I don’t need a gun…
A better analogy would be boycotting Smith and Wesson because they refuse to make a revolver in .357 Sig. ;)
Adobe got the ill-formed nascent baby-fetus Flash in the merger/buy-out of Macromedia, which had originally called it “Splash” – no doubt influenced by its at-the-time early 90’s Hollywood infatuation and aspirations.
Since they didn’t originate and the documentation didn’t travel well, it it was an Not Invented Here-orphan project — but with a huge potential for making considerable money if they leveraged it right – which they did with training courses for every monkey to easily program in Flash. And that’s what we have now.
Apple has declared Flash unfit for mobile, and whether or not that’s true
It is – and contra Jeff the Baptist (and as Nate said), we can see that it is so by looking at Flash on the Android tablets.
Even the latest-generation ones?
Flash sucks on them, and that’s with Adobe working with them with special betas and trying their best to provide a good experience.
It’s not that Android is bad – it isn’t – but that Flash is bad. Because it is. It’s a god-damn trainwreck.
(If it works “great” on Counsel’s phone, either he has a definition of “great” that is uncommon [does it include smooth scrolling of web pages with flash content?] or he’s very lucky, since that’s the exact opposite of general experiences on any ARM-based system running Flash, even ones with more beefy CPU and video hardware than a Galaxy S.
Hell, Flash sucks on an i7-920 often enough….)
I have a stock AT&T Captivate. Webpages load and scroll… my mobile is not a dualcore Intel i7, and I have real, fact-based expectations for the performance of my phone. At least I don’t see sqaues as I scroll down pages as I did on the iPhone. Flash provides a platform for cross hardware and crosssoftware distribution of video and games without having to worry about codecs, etc. Fine if you don’t like it-don’t use it. What us right for me may be wrong for you. I am fine with that…why do people seem to need to have everyone agree with them or they get upset? Diversity is a GOOD thing…