Flash clash
Love it or hate it Adobe’s Flash technology is a key part of the Internet as it currently exists. It hasn’t always been so and it may not remain so for much longer if the likes of Google, Apple and Microsoft have anything to do with it.
Although Flash is hugely popular among online developers for creating rich media applications, videocasts and interactive elements, it is also widely disliked by users and browser makers.
The arguments against Flash are numerous: open source advocates don’t like it because it is proprietary; browser makers don’t like it because it creates headaches when it frequently crashes; Microsoft dislikes it because it has its own Silverlight platform; and Apple has flat out refused to include it in its products.
But the real challenge now comes from HTML5, a new generation online platform that is starting to include elements of what Flash can do without needing a separate plug-in. It’s not yet a replacement for Flash but with native video support, scalable vector graphics (SVG) and more, HTML5 is lining up to replace at least a portion of what Flash can do.
It’s also important that Google, a dominant Internet force if ever there was one, is already testing out HTML5 video on YouTube. It is still early days and the success of HTML5 video on YouTube relies on a mix of factors, but success in this area will give HTML5 a huge boost.
Similarly, Microsoft’s new browser, IE9, will also include HTML5 and H.264 video support.
Which doesn’t necessarily mean the end for Flash entirely, but does hint at a gradual decline in popularity in the coming years. The one thing that Flash has in its favour right now is that it is a de-facto standard on the Internet. Not a real standard, but by virtue of its wide deployment it is as core to the Internet as any other technology. Even Linux users, who are usually the last in line when it comes to Adobe product support, have working browser plugins that allow them to consume online Flash-based media.
But, while Flash has a dominant position now this is likely to change in the coming years. Microsoft is doing its level best to push Silverlight, its own rich media platform, into the consumer space. Hooking up with major sporting events such as the Winter Olympics is part of Microsoft’s strategy to spread Silverlight.
At the same time Google is adding Flash and Adobe Air support to Android, its rapidly-growing smartphone OS, which will give Flash a little bit of a lifeline for the foreseeable feature. But it won’t be forever.
It is starting to look like the writing’s on the wall for Flash. Particularly if Apple’s iPad proves popular and maintains its no-Flash policy.
History suggests the iPad will be hugely popular and Apple’s firm stance against Flash means developers will be driven to use alternatives to Adobe’s platform to create their applications.
Flash clash << Discussion
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