<
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2020/07/the-rise-and-fall-of-adobe-flash/>
"Few technologies have yielded such divisive and widespread passion as
Flash. Many gush over its versatility and ease of use as a creative
platform or its critical role in the rise of web video. Others abhor
Flash-based advertising and Web design, or they despise the
resource-intensiveness of the Flash Player plugin in its later years.
Whichever side of the love-hate divide you land on, there's no denying
the fact that Flash changed how we consume, create, and interact with
content on the Web. For better and worse, it helped shape the Internet
of today.
But now, after roughly 25 years, Flash is finally nearing its end. In
less than six months—December 2020—Adobe will officially end support and
distribution of Flash Player, the browser plugin we all associate most
strongly with the technology. And already, months ahead of this
end-of-life switch, Flash has been disabled in most Web browsers (often
flagged as a security risk should you choose to override the default
settings). Even Google Chrome, long the browser of choice for Flash
content, will soon remove Flash Player.
Technically speaking, the technology will live on. The Flash authoring
tool is part of Adobe Animate, while the rendering engine is included in
Adobe AIR—which will be handed over to enterprise electronics company
Harman International for ongoing maintenance, as it's still widely used
in the enterprise arena. But it's safe to say that, after a decade in
decline, Flash as we know it is about to say goodbye.
In recognition of its service to content creators and consumers of all
stripes, of its contribution to the proliferation of online video and
multimedia, and of that divisiveness that's followed the platform
around, the time has come to revisit the rise and fall of Flash—with a
little help from its principal creator, Jonathan Gay; a raft of Web
resources; and interviews with others who had a hand in its ultimate
success."
Via Jim Douglas.
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
http://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
