Adobe has announced the end of its stalwart Flash browser plugin, and there's been an outpouring of emotion (sadness and joy) across the internet. To be fair, this has been coming for the best part of the last decade and it therefore seems apt that 2020 is the year to finish Flash off.
Flash Player's final days were announced with the release of its final update, named AIR 32. You'll have until 31 December 2020 to enjoy Flash, at which time Adobe will stop supporting it. It will then block content running in Flash Player from January 12 2021. (For Adobe tools that aren't about to die, check out this Adobe software list.)
The cancellation of one of the internet's most well-known plugins is due to a cacophony of issues including a lack of users and a rise of (more secure) replacement programmes. Given Flash Player's buggy, often annoying, performance issues and the fact it's a target for malware, we weren't surprised to see there are many users unbothered by the situation (and see our Adobe Flash Pro CS6 review for a dose of nostalgia).
But, outnumbering these guys is a cohort of users who are lamenting the decision, labelling it the end of an era. Many of these folks are sad about the ending of certain games, animation and sites, which are reliant on Adobe's plugin. We especially enjoy the use of the term 'Flashpocolypse'.
Flash Player continues to be evocative of a different era of web design, and its departure is clearly bittersweet for some – and fraught with nostalgia. If you feel the same, and you've got a long-forgotten game to complete, now's the time to get on with it.
Adobe, though, is looking to the future. The company said goodbye with a statement, stating its pride that "Flash had a crucial role in evolving web content across animation, interactivity, audio, and video," and that it is "excited to help lead the next era of digital experiences."
We look forward to seeing what Adobe comes up with next, and how it would fit into its current smorgasbord of over 50 apps (yes, really, 50. See them all in this video).
Read more:
