Breaking News: Adobe Flash's Flame Finally Fizzles

ADOBE FLASH FOR ANDROID OFFICIALLY GETS THE AXE

This is significant, folks... our mobile experience on Android devices is about to change. Here's why.

We all know that Adobe made the announcement in November of 2011 that they would no longer continue development for the Android Flash player. But that didn't mean it would disappear from the devices. You could still install and run the Flash app for Android and enjoy Flash content on your smartphone.

Even though they decided to stop future development, we were still receiving small Flash updates over the past several months. But recently, Google decided to go with a new version of the Chrome browser that is Flash-free, much like the Safari browser on an iPhone.

Google's decision will affect us all. As a result of their move away from Flash with thier OS, Adobe will end all installs of their product on Android devices. Starting tomorrow.

Android devices that have Flash installed on them at the moment will still be capable of running and viewing Flash content. But new devices manufactured after tomorrow will not be displaying any Flash content at all.

What does this mean to the user? It means that you aren't going to be able to view a lot of the remaining Flash content on the web before it is converted to HTML5. While Adobe is now making the commitment to push beyond Flash and transition to HTML5, it doesnt' mean that Flash sites will disappear overnight.

Instead of being able to view all content available on the web with your mobile device whether it is programmed in HTML5 or Flash, you'll have to depend on your desktop device or laptop to enjoy any Flash content if you purchase a new smartphone in the future.

My hope was that Flash content would still be available to be viewed on mobile devices far beyond the last standing Flash site was still available. Unfortunately, we'll have a gap. The next time I upgrade my smartphone, which will be this fall, I will return to my prior frustration of having missing content on sites that I found useful due to the inclusion of Flash content.

While Flash certainly isn't the most efficient, smooth-running programming language, I still had high hopes of a better transition to HTML5 while we are still forced to used it. I'll be the first to admit that Flash content constantly crashes my PC when running multiple windows in Firefox. But I haven't had the same experience with my mobile device.

I guess there's a lesson to be learned here. It is important to have a standard across all platforms, as we have with HTML5. But Flash obviously had its place, and its advantages, to have penetrated the market as deeply as it did.

It leaves me frustrated and undecided as to whom to blame for this: Adobe for making such a widely used but crappy, buggy programming code, or the myriads of major websites for adopting a proprietary standard over pushing HTML5.

What are your thoughs? Who do you think is to blame? Will this affect your web browsing experience on your mobile device, or will you not notice a difference?

Carlton Flowers
Former Flash Fan