As announced in July 2017, Adobe will stop distributing and updating Flash Player after December 31, 2020. The Flash Player plug-in was ahead of its time in the old days of the internet. Flash Player was the standard way YouTube played its videos, as it was for many websites. Security vulnerabilities with Flash and open standards such as HTML5, WebGL, and WebAssembly continually maturing over the years, Flash has become a thing of the past.
“Adobe will continue issuing regular Flash Player security patches, maintain OS and browser compatibility, and add features and capabilities as determined by Adobe through the end of 2020.” (adobe.com)
According to Google, as of three years ago 80% of desktop users went to a website with Flash every day. That number has fallen to below 17% and continues to drop. “For 20 years, Flash has helped shape the way that you play games, watch videos and run applications on the web. But over the last few years, Flash has become less common,” Anthony Laforge, product manager for Google Chrome, stated in a blog post.
“Adobe will be removing Flash Player download pages from its site and Flash-based content will be blocked from running in Adobe Flash Player after the end of life Date. Adobe always recommends using the latest, supported and up-to-date software.” (adobe.com)
Adobe recommends customers not using Flash Player after the end of life date since it will no longer be supported by Adobe. Any versions of Flash Player, even ones found on a third-party site, are not authorized by Adobe and should not be used. These unauthorized downloads are a common source of malware and viruses. “Adobe has no responsibility for unauthorized versions of Flash Player and customers’ use of such versions is entirely at their own risk.” (adobe.com)
Are you still using Flash with your business? If yes, there will be issues! Your website will have low functionality due to no more updates and content being blocked. Your website is also likely to lose its’ aesthetic appeal. Your clients will have trouble viewing the site and will get errors when trying to load the page.
If you are still using Adobe Flash and need a new site, please give us a call at 440-322-4537. We can create a stunning site with the latest technology that works well on computers and mobile devices!
