Flash dropped by IE browser

Posted by Sol Harris in Articles      No comments

Sep 17 2011

For anyone wondering if Flash is still a viable technology for use in webdesign – the advice is think carefully because not all web browsers support it.  This means website visitors may not be able to view a flash site properly.

Flash is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to Web pages. Flash is frequently used for advertisements and games and was once heralded as a breakthrough technology for delivering engaging visually rich media content (or Rich Media Applications).

Flash has lost much of its appeal since Apple dropped support for it back in 2010, citing Flash as “the number one reason Macs crash”.

Now Microsoft is to drop support for Adobe Flash from the web browser that works with the Metro interface on Windows 8, says Dean Hachamovitch, head of IE development at Microsoft.

In dropping Flash support, Microsoft is following Apple’s lead which has had a long-standing policy of not letting its gadgets support the technology.

In an open letter explaining the motives behind the decision, Apple boss Steve Jobs said: “We don’t want to reduce the reliability and security of our iPhones, iPods and iPads by adding Flash”.

Hachamovitch says that Microsoft had worked hard to make Metro rely as little as possible on older technologies. Instead it had concentrated on the latest version of web technology, HTML 5 and that supporting Flash would ” detract from, rather than improve, the consumer experience of browsing”.

Adobe responded to the news by saying they expected most popular desktop browsers to “support Flash just fine… for years to come”.  But this is another blow for Adobe as it fights to keep Flash alive, particularly in the tablet and gadget device market, which is experiencing huge consumer demand.

My personal opinion is that Flash has had its day for a number of reasons, not least because there are a range of alternative technologies available that are better supported, offer an improved user experience and are easier to deliver.

For advice on which technologies or platforms you should consider for your website, just get in touch.

Related article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-14949869