Thoughts from our Experts

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The Death of Flash

For literally decades, now, Adobe® Flash®, along with its native programming language ActionScript, has been the go-to development tool for serious eLearning developers.

In my opinion, and I'm not alone in this, there was simply no other tool (including the HTML5 + JavaScript combination) that could rival Flash® for creating truly professional looking, custom content that could really engage the learner.   It was a programmer's dream of superior functionality matched with relatively simple coding. It also benefited from being installed on 99 percent of personal computers not all that long ago, which meant that there was no need for students to have to install a separate plug-in to make courses work (a serious problem in the early days of eLearning development).

The First Rumblings

Unfortunately, not everyone in the technology sector was of the same mind as we in the eLearning industry; so, due to a number of factors (some legitimate and some corporate politics) there were always some platform issues with playing Flash®. Apple® has never fully supported Flash® well on its computers and not at all on the iOS mobile operating system.

In December 2013, Adobe® announced that they would no longer support their Flash® player for Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and later. However, the PC and laptop markets were not affected.

The Bell Tolls

July, 2017, however, was the true beginning of the end. Adobe announced it would no longer support Flash® after the year 2020. On July 25, it was announced that Microsoft was implementing a stepped plan for removing Flash® support from Windows and their two Internet browsers (Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge) by the end of 2020; and Google, Mozilla, and Apple followed suit.

In a nutshell, here's a very simplified timeline of what's going to happen and when (please refer to the browser manufacturers' own documentation for the most accurate information):

2017 - 2018

All major browsers (Microsoft Internet Explorer/Edge, Google Chrome, Firefox, Apple Safari)

• Apple currently requires explicit approval for each website.
• Chrome sites have started asking permission to run Flash®.
• Firefox users must choose which sites may run the Flash® plugin.
• Microsoft Edge will continue to ask users for permission to run Flash® on most sites the first time the site is visited, and will remember the user's preference on subsequent visits.
  • In mid to late 2018, Microsoft will update Microsoft Edge to require permission for Flash® to be run each session.
• Internet Explorer will continue to allow Flash® with no special permissions required during this time.

2019

Microsoft Internet Explorer & Edge

• In mid to late 2019, Microsoft will disable Flash® by default in both Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer. Users will be able to re-enable Flash® in both browsers. When re-enabled, Microsoft Edge will continue to require approval for Flash® on a site-by-site basis (same as end of 2018).

All other major browsers

• Other major browsers will continue to downgrade Flash® availability (we have not been able to find any specific roadmaps at time of writing).

By the end of 2020

All major browsers

By the end of 2020, all major browsers (along with the Windows operating system) will remove the ability to run Adobe Flash®. Users will no longer have any ability to enable or run Flash®.

What do I do next?!

So, the sad truth is that Flash® is already on the way out and the clock is ticking to the final deadline. What makes this worse, though, is that there is a common misconception out there that although browsers will stop supporting Flash®, it will still be able to run. This is based on the perception that, if software that you install on your computer is no longer supported, it will often still work until such time as you upgrade your operating system. Unfortunately, this is not the same thing. It's not the Flash® development software that will stop on a dime - it's your students' ability to play it in their browsers. You have your own LMS? Chances are, it's still playing Flash® content through a browser. So, yes...it's going to stop dead. Anyone who has Flash® content they want to continue providing after December 31, 2020, should be seriously thinking about converting it to HTML5/JavaScript NOW.

Created by Margaret Werdermann, President & CEO of Werdermann eLearning Inc. Apr. 23, 2018.

 

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