Yes, you read the headline right: Adobe Flash, or Flash, is pretty much near the end of its life!
This software was once the king of animated features on websites. It was a decent program that enabled a lot of creative people online to come up with animations, videos, and games that you could replay and peruse at your own leisure. There was a certain period called the Flash era back in the early 2000’s where lots of websites hosted these Flash videos for entertainment purposes.
Now, that era has pretty much come to a close, and those types of websites we talked about have basically shifted all of their videos and animated content over to other platforms such as YouTube. Why? Mainly because back in July 2017, Adobe made the official announcement that Flash would basically be reaching its end of life at the end of 2020.
What does this mean for your business and your website, exactly? This is what we’re going to cover in our article.
Why is Flash ending?
Flash is ending for a number of reasons, but the main explanation for it is also the simplest: it’s over 20 years old. The thing you have to know about technology is that the older certain plugins and software is on newer computers, the less likely those computers are going to be able to support that software and also the greater the risk will be of cybercrimes taking place. So the end of Flash, while disheartening, is also for the best in terms of security. Ending Flash will also improve the battery life on laptops and several other mobile devices that are still supporting the technology needed for Flash to run properly.
Eventually, you’ll have no choice but to replace all features using Flash on your website once the end of 2020 arrives. Microsoft has already been gradually but surely disabling Flash by default across several programs.
What it means for your business
Flash’s end of life means that if your website used any features that relied on Flash to keep it running (videos in particular), then that feature will be rendered useless since support will no longer exist. Google, Firefox, and even Internet Explorer will no longer be able to host Flash, nor will the software be compatible with any of their browsers.
There are still many educational and entertainment websites that use Flash, but even now they are also at great risk of vulnerability to harm such as hacks. Your site, too, would pose that risk to your customers and your own staff. Also, if your customers were to attempt to access your website post-Flash, and your website still relied on the software, they would simply get a blank screen or no response. Those are both no-nos if you want to give them the best browsing experience on your site!
What can I use instead for my business’s website?
Ever since the official announcement was made, there have been gradual but certain changes made to browsers and software. HTML5 standards are already being established across all of the modern web browsers we use. Publishing alternatives such as Javascript and HTML5 will give you and your customers the best overall browsing experience online while also being widely compatible with all browsers in the long term. Several other animation programs are available to those who rely on more creative efforts to draw in their customer base.
If your business website was relying a lot on Flash to function properly, then you need to change that pronto! Give us a call and we can build you a new website that doesn’t rely on older software or programs to function. Seriously, a new website is the better alternative because 1) it will actually cost you less money and 2) Flash may not be the only outdated software your site is running on. It never hurts to double-check and update your current site with more up to date and cost-effective software that won’t make your website crash upon trying to access it!