News for the Hospitality Executive |
Future of Flash Development - Is Extinction Imminent?
By Laura
Ingle March 27, 2013 The reports of my death are
greatly exaggerated”
Mark Twain was quoted as saying after hearing that his obituary had
been
published in the New York Journal. Before we dive into predicting a
similar
demise for that tried and true friend to online developers, Flash,
let’s take a
look at its life over the past decade. Adobe
Flash has played a leading role on the web as
the standard for rich, engaging, expressive, and animated features
highly
regarded by marketing and advertising industries. It began as a
platform merely
for animation and quickly evolved into a major multimedia giant,
creating
experiences on the Web like never before. Some of the highly expressive
contributions of Flash include:
Designers
and developers began creating
new Web features displaying highly interactive and animated content,
like those
dazzling banners and videos, with almost universal reach. Flash Player
has been
a major expressive Web standard. So, what happened? The move to
mobile
happened! Mobile applications and mobile browsing capabilities
flourished and brought forth major competition with Apple iOS and the
ushering
in of technologies such as HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript programming with
cross-platform and universal capabilities. While Apple restricted Flash
Player
from its iOS platform, Flash seemingly found its presence in the
Android
market. However, this presence was short-lived as Adobe recognized its
inevitable competition and as of August 15, 2012 ceased support for all
mobile
devices except those older Android OEMs that still functioned with
Flash
Player. With HTML5 becoming a universal standard with support for all
mobile
devices, Adobe decided it would work to enhance its capabilities to
work with
HTML5 technology, it would resolve to place its primary focus on the
gaming
industry and premium video playback
for standalone and
native applications, both desktop and mobile. Many Flash applications
can be
downloaded through app stores from both Android and Apple. With
that said, is it really time for Adobe to
"Flash and burn?" Not just yet many would say. While Flash has
discontinued its presence as a player for mobile browsers it has
decided to
take its primary focus out of the mobile industry and concentrate on
its unique
and high quality features available to support interactive, gaming, and
premium
video deployment for which it is well suited. While Flash Player
appears
plagued by extinction in the mobile world as far as browsers go, its
Adobe Air
Runtime will enable the continuation for mobile native apps and games.
Additionally there are still Web sites that thrive on the highly
expressive
multimedia properties that provide benefit where HTML5 is still
lacking. HTML5,
while still in its infancy, does not provide the extensive capabilities
that
Flash can boast of, at least not yet, leaving Flash as a viable force
for Web
sites who still depend on it. However, Flash is making strides and
improvements
on working with HTML5 rather than against with converters and
integration.
While competition continues to increase, Adobe aims to play an active
part in
working with other players. In the meantime, its focus will remain on
what it
does best through the use of its unique Adobe Air Runtime software
providing
universal opportunities for desktop and native mobile applications in
all
platforms. So, it's my belief that obituaries for Flash are as
premature as the
New York Journal’s report of Mark Twain’s passing. I see Flash not so
much dying,
but perhaps simply evolving. For more
information about Adobe Flash development
initiatives, check out http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flashplatform/whitepapers/roadmap.html. About Laura Ingle: Laura Ingle is a Sr. Instructional
Designer for
Orgwide Services and is responsible for planning, development, and
delivery of
engaging and effective scientifically-based eLearning and
instructor-led
learning experiences. Practicing sound
instructional
design principles and standards with emphasis on engaging, interactive
development tools, Laura has completed over 60 eLearning projects in
the areas
of application-based training, customer service skills, brand culture,
human
resources, sales, and food and beverage.
Prior to joining Orgwide Services in January 2007, Laura
managed a
computer service company, Computer Nerdz, where she trained all
existing and
new employees as well as developed training manuals for application and
procedural skills. Laura lives in Corpus
Christi, Texas with her husband and two girls.
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Contact: Jim Hartigan Chief Business Development Officer & Partner OrgWide Services 165 N. Main Street, Suite 202 Collierville, TN 38017 office: 901.850.8190 Ext. 230 mobile: 901.628.6586 [email protected] www.orgwide.com |