Some technologies, like mainframe computers and vinyl records, have survived obsolescence, but not Flash. Windows XP and Internet Explorer 6 persisted long after Microsoft wanted to move on, too. The timing of Mozilla's move, years after Flash's fate was sealed, shows how hard it is to uproot widely used technology. In 2017, Adobe set 2020 as the date for complete Flash removal. Since then, browser makers have been working to steer developers off Flash as they made it harder and harder to run.
That crippled its central promise, a cross-platform programming technology that let developers reach many devices with the same software.Īdobe's loss of Flash faith began in 2011 when it killed the mobile version of Flash.
Adobe acquired the company and advanced Flash, but despite an aggressive effort to bring Flash to Android phones, Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs barred Flash from the iPhone.
But security risks and other problems led browser makers to bypass Flash by expanding the web's built-in abilities.įlash began at software maker Macromedia in the late 1990s, injecting new interactivity to the web and paving the way for sites like YouTube. 12, 2021.įlash expanded browser abilities with features like streaming video and gaming graphics that boosted the abilities of the web more than a decade ago. Firefox 83, released Tuesday, is the penultimate version of the web browser that will run Flash software, and Firefox 85 will completely disable it when it arrives on Jan. If you're still using Adobe's Flash Player, you've got 55 more days until Mozilla fully banishes it from Firefox.