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> will be phased out by the end of 2020. At that point, Adobe will stop updating and distributing Flash. Adobes stance on backwards compatibility in Flash has

> will be phased out by the end of 2020. At that point, Adobe will stop updating and distributing Flash. Adobes stance on backwards compatibility in Flash has always been "Don't break the web". Where does this leave all the existing flash content that still exists around the web after 2020? As far as I know, those JS emulators are way to slow for most content.

SkyMarshal 9y ago
I assume they're giving everyone 2.5yrs advanced notice to port anything considered important to something else.
- gpawl 9y ago
  Meanwhile, DOS programs from 1986 still run in DOSBox.
  - itomato 9y ago
    Given enough demand, the same will be true for Flash thirty years hence.
- azinman2 9y ago
  Important to what? Individuals? Digital historians? Those concerned with abandonware? Companies that want people to pay for new porting work? The majority of content that is still in flash and active use probably won’t get ported... the iPhone 10 years ago set that trend.
  - richardwhiuk 9y ago
    The flash player won't stop working when Adobe declare it EOL....
Simon_says 9y ago
> Where does this leave all the existing flash content that still exists around the web after 2020? Hopefully in their quieter moments they'll be reflecting on the wisdom of building on top of closed-source systems.
gumby 9y ago
> Adobes stance on backwards compatibility in Flash has always been "Don't break the web". Flash wasn't the web. Opaque, unsearchable blobs break the web. Screwing around with controls etc break the web. Adobe's hope was to replace the open web.
- TremendousJudge 9y ago
  good thing we nipped that one in the bud, and now we are not embracing another opaque, unsearchable mangle of blobs as the next new thing
  - i_cant_speel 9y ago
    What are you referring to?
    - ihsw2 9y ago
      That would be Encrypted Media Extensions (EME). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encrypted_Media_Extensions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encrypted_Media_Extensions The saga behind media conglomerates, tech firms, pornography distributors and the W3C is pretty unpleasant, and (suffice to say) it has brought us to where we are today. As fast in-browser decryption hits broader swaths of the world's internet users, we should expect to see more and more sections of the web walled off to unregistered users. Considering most/all users are accustomed to being required to register and log in to websites to view content, the outrage will be minimal and isolated to enthusiastic commenters like the parent above you. Let's put this in a familiar context -- remember how Twitter decided to close off its platform to third-party apps? Now most users need either Twitter for Twitter-sanctioned apps. This similar sequence of events can be replicated over all sources of content of the web with mini-walled gardens popping up.
      - agentdrtran 9y ago
        EME is not even close to flash. not being able to steal netflix video is not the same as entire websites being written in flash
sigjuice 9y ago
If another program runs in a rectangle in your browser, it should not be called "the web".
michaelmior 9y ago
I don't know anything about the state of JS emulators, but I'd imagine three years of hardware and software advancements will go a long way to making this feasible.
niutech 9y ago
Don't worry, you will still be able to run SWF files after 2020 using the latest Flash Player Standalone Projector, Swiff Player, iSwiffy, Eltima SWF Player, Gnash, etc.

SkyMarshal 9y ago

I assume they're giving everyone 2.5yrs advanced notice to port anything considered important to something else.

gpawl 9y ago
Meanwhile, DOS programs from 1986 still run in DOSBox.
- itomato 9y ago
  Given enough demand, the same will be true for Flash thirty years hence.
azinman2 9y ago
Important to what? Individuals? Digital historians? Those concerned with abandonware? Companies that want people to pay for new porting work? The majority of content that is still in flash and active use probably won’t get ported... the iPhone 10 years ago set that trend.
- richardwhiuk 9y ago
  The flash player won't stop working when Adobe declare it EOL....

Simon_says 9y ago

> Where does this leave all the existing flash content that still exists around the web after 2020? Hopefully in their quieter moments they'll be reflecting on the wisdom of building on top of closed-source systems.

gumby 9y ago

> Adobes stance on backwards compatibility in Flash has always been "Don't break the web". Flash wasn't the web. Opaque, unsearchable blobs break the web. Screwing around with controls etc break the web. Adobe's hope was to replace the open web.

TremendousJudge 9y ago
good thing we nipped that one in the bud, and now we are not embracing another opaque, unsearchable mangle of blobs as the next new thing
- i_cant_speel 9y ago
  What are you referring to?
  - ihsw2 9y ago
    That would be Encrypted Media Extensions (EME). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encrypted_Media_Extensions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encrypted_Media_Extensions The saga behind media conglomerates, tech firms, pornography distributors and the W3C is pretty unpleasant, and (suffice to say) it has brought us to where we are today. As fast in-browser decryption hits broader swaths of the world's internet users, we should expect to see more and more sections of the web walled off to unregistered users. Considering most/all users are accustomed to being required to register and log in to websites to view content, the outrage will be minimal and isolated to enthusiastic commenters like the parent above you. Let's put this in a familiar context -- remember how Twitter decided to close off its platform to third-party apps? Now most users need either Twitter for Twitter-sanctioned apps. This similar sequence of events can be replicated over all sources of content of the web with mini-walled gardens popping up.
    - agentdrtran 9y ago
      EME is not even close to flash. not being able to steal netflix video is not the same as entire websites being written in flash

sigjuice 9y ago

If another program runs in a rectangle in your browser, it should not be called "the web".

michaelmior 9y ago

I don't know anything about the state of JS emulators, but I'd imagine three years of hardware and software advancements will go a long way to making this feasible.

niutech 9y ago

Don't worry, you will still be able to run SWF files after 2020 using the latest Flash Player Standalone Projector, Swiff Player, iSwiffy, Eltima SWF Player, Gnash, etc.