A Farewell To Flash

An anonymous reader writes: The decline of Flash is well and truly underway. Media publishers now have no choice but to start changing the way they bring content to the web. Many of them are not thrilled about the proposition (change is scary), but it will almost certainly be better for all of us in the long run. "By switching their platform to HTML5, companies can improve supportability, development time will decrease and the duplicative efforts of supporting two code bases will be eliminated. It will also result in lower operating costs and a consistent user experience between desktop and mobile web." This is on top of the speed, efficiency, and security benefits for consumers. "A major concern for publishers today is the amount of media consumption that's occurring in mobile environments. They need to prioritize providing the best possible experience on mobile, and the decline of Flash and movement to HTML5 will do just that, as Flash has never worked well on mobile."

Comments

Again?

[Lumpio-]

How many times have we already said farewell to Flash and it still refuses to die...

Re:Again?

[grimmjeeper]

YouTube moving away was indeed a big step. The bigger step that is needed will be when porn moves away from Flash. Until they do, the installed base of flash will not significantly diminish and there will be little incentive for anyone else to move away.

Re:Again?

[MickyTheIdiot]

If you can watch it on a screen you can rip it... even if it means you point a videocamera at the screen you can rip it.

Your comment is flawed for the same reason DRM is flawed. The only way to NEVER be able to copy digital content is to not allow anyone to see it.

Looking at you, BBC...

[mccalli]

Go to the BBC site with a desktop browser, it's Flash all the way. Now go on iOS (I would guess also Android) and magically it's HTML 5. Set the user agent to identify as an iPad and you get the identical layout to the desktop browsers but HTML 5 media.

Now why on earth is that? That's actually more effort to maintain than just doing it right in the first place. OK so you have older version browser support, but there are better ways to identify those than just "are you a desktop OS trying to access me?".

Tell your story walking.

[nimbius]

flash is an inextricable touchstone of practically every KVM in the datacenter that doesnt show up on a rickety cart.

Flash is the mandatory model of how VMWare has decided (infuriatingly and incorrectly i might stress) we shall all interact with their products.

Flash still powers billboards and advertisement hardware for countless products.

and most important: Flash is still required to view a substantial amount of internet pornography.

Browsers should have EnableVideo code

[WillAffleckUW]

All HTML5 browsers should have an EnableVideo code setting.

So that I can turn it off.

I don't need your video. I don't want your video. I don't want it to autoplay.

If you have an ad, you can show it in text, and stop sucking up bandwidth.

Now, if you want to give me a box that I can right click on to "play video", great.

But as Leelu would say "Not without my permission!"

Re:Slashdot ads

[WillAffleckUW]

Here's why I disable ads on Slashdot: VIDEO!

If all their ads were static, I would be happy to uncheck Disable Ads...

Agreed. Same here. Back in the days of flat banner ads - which could be "click to follow link that will play video" - I let the ads display. But sound and giant honking autoplay downloads mean I disable advertising on Slashdot.

If advertising behaved, I'd turn it on again.