Flash is dead, long live Flash!

Flash is under fire from all corners at the moment:

• The release of HTML5 and subsequent testing by Google of a Flash free YouTube. HTML5 will play video without the need for any extra plugins such as Flash.
• Apple won't be supporting Flash in the iPad or on the iPhone. So that's a mobile barrier.
• Apparently you can now play Flash videos through JavaScript thanks to some clever bod's coding skills and perseverance.
• SilverLight is a competitor and has the weight of Microsoft behind it.
  

Personally I don't think Flash is under any imminent threat. HTML5 won't become standard until 2022, iPads and iPhones will only count for a tiny percentage of mobile devices. The performance of running Flash through JavaScript isn't there yet and it requires some deep technical knowledge, that your average Flash designer won't have. SilverLight never seems to have taken off and we all know that even with MS behind something it doesn't mean it's successful - Vista anyone?

I think that Flash is established on enough people's browsers and is standard enough that even if they were to stop work on future versions of Flash today it would still be around for a few years to come. I mean people are still using IE6! As it is Adobe are on the ball and I have no doubt will keep Flash relevant in the future for web developers.


Read more:
http://www.flashmagazine.com/community/detail/everyone_to_their_bases_-_flash_is_under_attack/

Flash in JavaScript:
http://ajaxian.com/archives/gordon-flash-runtime-implemented-in-javascript