Farewell Flash

Farewell Flash – what does this mean for your organisation?

Published May 20, 2020 at 8:10 AM

Adobe Flash will be phased out by December 2020

In 2017 Adobe, in collaboration with several of their technology partners, announced that by the end of 2020 they would pull the plug on Flash.

 

“Specifically, we will stop updating and distributing the Flash Player at the end of 2020 and encourage content creators to migrate any existing Flash content to new open formats.”  (Adobe)

But why kill Flash?

Flash is a multimedia software platform used to produce animations, desktop applications, and mobile games and applications. Flash graphics and animations are usually viewed in a web browser using Flash Player. The cause of Adobe Flash’s death was multifaceted. For all its ability to produce complex interactions, it had some notable flaws. It required constant security updates as privacy was a concern and it didn’t work on most mobile devices. 

How does this affect you?

Flash is a widely used technology to create e-Learning content. Neglecting to convert Flash to HTML5 will have implications for several industries. This is because learners will no longer be able to access existing online courses featuring Flash content. 

Do not fear, HTML5 is here!

HTML5 is set to succeed Flash. HTML, which stands for Hypertext Mark-up Language is a coding language used by the World Wide Web. The ‘5’ means this is the fifth generation of the HTML standard.  While Flash is based on plugins, HTML5 uses standardised browser features which results in increased security, improved performance and lower energy consumption. Furthermore, HTML5 is mobile-ready and responsive which means content automatically adjusts, for both size and usability, on different mobile devices.

So, what happens to your old Flash content?

Now is the time to devise a plan to convert e-learning courses, animations and other content to HTML5, which will address modern design standards. In some cases, a course or other asset may have to be re-designed or revamped altogether. You may also be able to leverage a portion of the old content for your redesigned content. It really depends on what’s contained in the published content including how many any animations you have, and how many flash units are contained in your published app, course or other content.

Of course, the option of converting the Flash content only applies if developers have the source files. If you don’t own the source files and have purchased flash content including an app, game, animation or course, for example, you may have to replace your content or programme.

The demise of Flash gives you the opportunity to revive outdated content and spring clean your learning library, making it accessible to more people and devices. You can use HTML5 and responsive design to create fast, gorgeous, engaging learning that works on any device – creating more effective learning at every level.

How Ceed Learning can help you

Converting dated content into a sleek modern programme is a challenge for even the most experienced learning professionals – we know. However, we’ve been working with our clients to re-engineer and re-think learning content in all shapes and sizes.

Click here to talk to our team about how we can help you smooth the path from legacy training to next generation learning and beyond.

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Angela Behan

Angela Behan

Learning and Performance Advisor

Published May 20, 2020 at 8:10 AM

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