Is Your Website Still Using Flash?

Is Your Website Still Using Flash?

 

Back in the day, the once glorified Adobe Flash in the web development world was a revolution. Through this multimedia platform, animations, audio, and videos on our websites became possible. It helped web developers produce visually appealing content which resulted in better web surfing experience. It was once heavily used by major tech companies as well.

 

25 years later, modern technology has vastly developed into a more advanced and hassle free utopia. Nowadays, Adobe Flash can be compared to your ex-lover whom you have had a beautiful beginning but became too toxic to handle. You just want to move on and forget it as much as possible, lol.

 

Kidding aside, although it was used to produce amazing animations, web developers have cited a lot of negative issues with regards to using Adobe Flash. Some of which are as follows:

 

• It creates security threats, malware, and bugs
• Not mobile-friendly; it drains batteries and consumes memory
• Slows down web browsers
• Not an open-source platform, cannot be used in Apple devices

 

Adobe Flash Phase-out

In 2017, Adobe in an official announcement said, "In collaboration with several of our technology partners - including Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Mozilla, Adobe is planning to end-of-life Flash. Specifically, we will stop updating and distributing the Flash Player at the end of 2020 and encourage content creators to migrate any existing Flash content to these new open formats."

So, what does this mean to you? What are the necessary measures to make if you’re still using Flash on your website? And what are the new and much-developed platforms to use?

 

 

EOL Effect

Starting January 2021, your website visitors will no longer view your site’s Flash-based elements. With the retirement of Adobe Flash, applications via a web browser will not be usable either.

Adobe also stated that they will no longer issue Flash Player updates or security patches after the End-Of-Life date. They recommend uninstalling Flash Player after the EOL too. And on their update, they also revealed that “As of mid-October 2020, users started being prompted by Adobe to uninstall Flash Player on their machines since Flash-based content will be blocked from running in Adobe Flash Player after the EOL Date."

 

The effects of this phase out could be a disaster if the advised necessary measures were not followed and or worse, ignored. It’s high time to transition to better solutions for your website to function as smoothly as possible.

 

WEBSITE FLASH TEST:

https://www.seoptimer.com/flash-test/

 

 

 

Must-have Transition

Presenting HTML5, the latest version of HTML is currently the golden standard. Unlike Adobe Flash, HTML5 is supported by all browsers, it has no security threats, and is more efficient. With added elements for easier use, it has better audio and video capabilities too….and most importantly, it is mobile-friendly -- a major factor these days.

 

---

Recap

Adobe Flash was once a revolution but as time passed by, using it turned out to be a disadvantage to its users. Technology evolved into a more convenient and uncomplicated experience, and sad to say, Adobe Flash wasn’t able to cope up.

 

Here are the essential information you should remember about Adobe Flash and its End-Of-Life:

• Adobe Flash is a multimedia platform used for animations, audio, and video content.
• By the end 2020, Flash will retire for good. Meaning, if you’re still using it on your website, your Flash-based video, audio and animation content will not be functional and usable starting January 2021.
• You need to uninstall Adobe Flash Player from your computer now, for it will no longer have updates and security patches after its EOL. You may be prone to security threats if this recommendation is ignored.
• Lastly, it’s time to move on into a more advanced and reliable platform which is the HTML5.

As they say, prevention is better than cure. The ball’s in your court now...time to take action, continue to innovate, and change for the better! Don’t forget to share this article to your friends, family, and colleagues to save them from the hassles that will be caused by the retirement of Adobe Flash.

 

 

Was your website built pre 2017?...check your site for Flash here:

https://www.seoptimer.com/flash-test/

If your site has flash elements...best you give us a call!

 

 

---

References:
https://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/faq.html
https://www.wired.com/story/adobe-finally-kills-flash-dead/
https://turbofuture.com/computers/The-End-of-Flash-in-2020-Converting-From-Flash-to-HTML5
https://resources.mojomedialabs.com/blog/5-reasons-why-you-shouldnt-be-using-flash-on-your-website