What is HTML5 and why is it replacing Flash? Let’s face it, Flash is very unsecure technology so it’s about time that technology leaders start doing something about it.
Googles’ Chrome browser will be the first to abolish Flash from working as fluidly as it would have in the past in the coming months. Until the end of this year sites which use Flash to serve video, games, advertising and the like will have an opportunity to convert their media to HTML5 or another embeddable format.
More info about Flash
Flash originally started by Macromedia in 1996 which was eventually purchased by Adobe in 2005. The technology was always a plugin based system but unfortunately since it’s inception has been known to be riddled with security flaws. More and more these days it’s common for computer systems to be compromised by some exploit that is a result of the Flash plugin and loading content though a web browser.
So with all these security issues with Flash you might wonder why it’s taken so long for companies like Google to put an end to it’s use in their Chrome browser. The problem is that there hasn’t been a suitable successor to Flash and it’s uses on the web until now.
More info about HTML5
HTML5 (which as been dubbed the successor to Flash) was first incepted in 2008. It’s taken approximately 8 years from that time for the technology to gain enough ground that companies like Google are now in a position to make it the standard for multimedia application online.
Although this was inevitable and moving forward past when Flash is fully phased out will be a good thing for the web as a whole many companies will struggle. Many companies that rely on Flash may need to invest a significant amount of time and money in transitioning their web applications, media, etc… from Flash to HTML5. Companies in the gaming industry in particular will need to re-evaluate their content delivery strategies and make adjustments in order to remain competitive.
One particular industry which as been resilient due to the sheer amount at stake is the online gambling industry. For the longest time now they have relied on Flash to deliver their games content for slots, blackjack, video poker and other games of chance to their audience.
The likes of Playtech, Microgaming, IGT and similar large scale software development companies for this industry saw a need to transition away from Flash many years ago. The change however was not related necessarily to what’s happening now but rather the need to provide games for mobile and tablet users where Flash was not an option.
A great way to see these games in action is to visit a website like this South African gambling guide which provide links to Playtech who has stayed ahead of the curve and already offer HTML5 in browser games to their players.
The adoption of HTML5 as the successor to Flash has also been taken seriously by Google for many years before they decided to make this announcement. They have been transitioning over videos on YouTube for example to HTML5. This change will go unnoticeable to most users but rest assured that you are far more secure and better off.
Watch this space for updates in the Technology category on Running Wolf’s Rant.
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