RIP Mobile Flash

Out of context: Reply #23

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  • fyoucher10


    IMO:
    I don't see desktop browsers dying anytime soon. Not everyone uses mobile to access the internet. There's always going to be folks at school who are on a laptop, or at a desk at work or school using a desktop. They're not going to pull out their tablet or phone just to search something on the internet. Have you ever tried doing something real productive on a mobile device? Yeah, maybe if you're editing your blog entries. So I don't see desktop dying. I see people having desktops or laptops for work or school for productive things, and mobile (either tablet or phone or some other future incarnation) for everything else (traveling, entertainment, etc). With that in mind, the desktop Flash plugin is already here (most everyone has it) and I don't see that dying off anytime soon as long as there are desktop browsers. I really don't see apps replacing browsers.

    I'm not entirely convinced Adobe will abandon it's mobile Flash plugin technology altogether either. Maybe they're just waiting for mobile hardware and batteries to get better, which will be soon, much sooner than the HTML spec being updated again. Mobile hardware gets better and better every month, just like how desktops became faster and faster around 02'-06'. They'll still keep creating API's for accessing mobile devices with AIR. Whenever mobile hardware becomes fast enough, I can see them totally coming back in and just making a mobile Flash plugin or possibly their own mobile browser (that would be something).

    However, this is not to say that they also aren't in favor of HTML5 succeeding on the web. I think they're putting a focus on HTML5 for now, since it works on most mobile devices. I think the two technologies can live happily together, and think Adobe thinks the same. Let's face it. HTML takes waaaay too long to get updated with a new spec. That's what plugin technologies are good for, to do things that the native browser can't. I think Adobe is going to try (or should be) bridging the gap between HTML5 and Flash capabilities and make it easier to develop for both using one application or similar set of applications. Or possibly having one application that can export to both technologies (for what is common between the two tech's). Right now, we're in a transitional phase, but I don't think the transition will bump the other technology off, just adding onto.

    Related to that...what a lot of people on here don't realize, is that there is an entire infrastructure already in place for online advertising. If you think the actual content, subscriptions is what's making most revenue for most sites, you're sadly mistaken. It's advertising, just like TV. Online advertising isn't going away. Right now that infrastructure is based on Flash technology. That infrastructure isn't going to change unless it's easy to implement into an existing site and the new technology that it replaces it with, becomes widely accepted. And then, on top of that, we're talking about changing that across the entire web. Obviously, it's likely that Flash won't be here forever. But until that online advertising infrastructure is changed (which can be a very long time), Flash will remain entirely relevant, even it it's being accompanied by HTML technology.

    fyoucher1 0Permalink
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    • Very good points here. I can't count how many times I email a link from my iPhone to view later on a desktop, sometimes it's not even flash.CyBrainX
    • not even Flash I want to check on a large screen.CyBrainX
    • < online advertising. My bread and butter. These sites will take ages to change. theyre still serving (max) flash 8 files.shellie
    • not that I wont be making html 5 banners when the work comes in, but for now and for years to come, i'll be rendering flash 8-9 banners. -___-shellie
    • flash 8-9 banners -____-shellie
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