Death of Flash

Thanks to this great cartoon http://laughingsquid.com/a-brief-history-of-adobe-flash, the end of the use of Flash is summed up quite nicely.

If you have Flash on your website, it is time to make a change!  I know we have said it before, but really, now really is the time. Not only is it not supported on Apple iOS products, it is considered an “old” technology” that isn’t keeping up. Flash consumes a lot of power and slows down browsers (and your computer). It is essentially dead in the era of tablets, smartphones and touch screens.  Mobile is “king” so web technology needs to be light and efficient. Steve Jobs thought so back in 2011.

First of all, you are probably asking what is Flash?

From 1996 up until about 2010,  if you wanted a video or animation on your website, you would have designed it using Adobe Flash. When Adobe released their multimedia platform Flash in 1996, it was revolutionary and changed the way websites looked and worked. But now, many users don’t keep their Flash players updated and many users are encouraged to block Flash sites because of security issues.

Even though Flash was cool, it has had a long history of security flaws, malware, and bugs.

If you don’t believe me, check out this site.  They give additional Adobe Flash Player details and documents security vulnerabilities, versions and detailed reports.   So please, be nicer to your IT folks when they tell you to stop asking for Flash updates or access!

So now you are probably wondering, what can you do if you have Flash?

Well, now is a great time for a site update or a remodel using the new standard – HTML5 Canvas element.  It is supported by all browsers, more efficient, and works on all devices – even mobile! You don’t have to have special software to view it and there aren’t security issues to worry about. Or maybe you don’t need all that movement to share your message anymore?  In any case, if you are using Flash, then it is time for your team to re-evaluate your website’s missions and goals.  Check your website stats to see if users are even going to the Flash content anymore.  Check to see if you can view it on your own desktop.

Then, if you are ready for a remodel, give us a call and we can all say together “Flash is dead!”