In 2010, Steve Jobs openly ATTACKED Adobe Flash.
A decade later, Flash was completely shut down!
But, why did Adobe shut down Flash, after it acquired its parent startup, Macromedia, for $3.4B?
Letβs find out! π§΅
A decade later, Flash was completely shut down!
But, why did Adobe shut down Flash, after it acquired its parent startup, Macromedia, for $3.4B?
Letβs find out! π§΅
Structure:
1. The story of Adobe Flash
2. The birth of Adobe Flash
3. The Peak Era!
4. Many problems with Adobe Flash
5. Did Steve Jobs kill Flash?
6. Lessons!
1. The story of Adobe Flash
2. The birth of Adobe Flash
3. The Peak Era!
4. Many problems with Adobe Flash
5. Did Steve Jobs kill Flash?
6. Lessons!
1/ The story of Adobe Flash
- Flash is an animation tool that allowed users to view and stream video, audio and multimedia.
- It reached 2M professionals and 99% of Internet-enabled desktops.
- But, the tool couldn't keep up with the changing times and was shut down in 2020!
- Flash is an animation tool that allowed users to view and stream video, audio and multimedia.
- It reached 2M professionals and 99% of Internet-enabled desktops.
- But, the tool couldn't keep up with the changing times and was shut down in 2020!
2/ The birth of Adobe Flash
In 1996, Jonathan Gay and Charlie Jackson launched FutureSplash Animator to help people create animations easily.
FutureSplash was acquired by Macromedia, which was later acquired by Adobe in 2005 - which gave birth to Adobe Flash!
(contd.)
In 1996, Jonathan Gay and Charlie Jackson launched FutureSplash Animator to help people create animations easily.
FutureSplash was acquired by Macromedia, which was later acquired by Adobe in 2005 - which gave birth to Adobe Flash!
(contd.)
But what is Adobe Flash?
- Flash was used to stream and view media on websites.
- It supported multiple formats - GIF, PNG, and FLV.
- Was compatible with most browsers
- Its vector-based graphics resulted in better download speed.
And, it could be used through a simple plugin!
- Flash was used to stream and view media on websites.
- It supported multiple formats - GIF, PNG, and FLV.
- Was compatible with most browsers
- Its vector-based graphics resulted in better download speed.
And, it could be used through a simple plugin!
3/ The Peak Era!
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Flash RULED the online landscape and made many careers and companies in the animation industry.
Anyone serious about building websites used Adobe Flash. It was especially a huge HIT among creative folks.
(contd.)
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Flash RULED the online landscape and made many careers and companies in the animation industry.
Anyone serious about building websites used Adobe Flash. It was especially a huge HIT among creative folks.
(contd.)
For example, Tom Fulp created NewGrounds in 1998 - a website where people could submit and play Flash games.
The website quickly got 18 million monthly visitors in the 2000s!.
And, the creators who were featured on the website's front page became wildly popular!
(contd)
The website quickly got 18 million monthly visitors in the 2000s!.
And, the creators who were featured on the website's front page became wildly popular!
(contd)
But, Flash's glory didn't last for long.
The number of people viewing a page in Flash on Chrome decreased from 80% in 2014 to less than 8% in 2018!
In 2017, Adobe officially announced that it would be shutting down Flash and the tool was discontinued on December 31, 2020.
The number of people viewing a page in Flash on Chrome decreased from 80% in 2014 to less than 8% in 2018!
In 2017, Adobe officially announced that it would be shutting down Flash and the tool was discontinued on December 31, 2020.
4/ The many problems with Flash
1. Accessibility β New versions could only be installed after uninstalling previous versions. Users had a poor experience when HTML was mixed with Flash.
2. Privacy β Flash used local data storage, which caused privacy concerns.
(contd.)
1. Accessibility β New versions could only be installed after uninstalling previous versions. Users had a poor experience when HTML was mixed with Flash.
2. Privacy β Flash used local data storage, which caused privacy concerns.
(contd.)
3. Security β Adobe failed to fix a critical security issue for an entire year in 2010 even though Adobe officially recognised & apologized for the same.
This led to people disabling Flash on their devices to avoid potential security risks.
(contd.)
This led to people disabling Flash on their devices to avoid potential security risks.
(contd.)
4. Poor performance β Flash was often criticized for being slow and resource-intensive.
5. Lack of mobile support β Flash was not supported on most mobile devices, which made it difficult to use on the go.
5. Lack of mobile support β Flash was not supported on most mobile devices, which made it difficult to use on the go.
5/ Did Steve Jobs kill Flash?
On top of this, Steve Jobs openly criticized Flash in a letter called "Thoughts on Flash" in 2010.
He voiced some of his major concerns which are as follows:
1. It was a closed system and was proprietary in nature.
(contd.)
On top of this, Steve Jobs openly criticized Flash in a letter called "Thoughts on Flash" in 2010.
He voiced some of his major concerns which are as follows:
1. It was a closed system and was proprietary in nature.
(contd.)
2. It was wholly owned and controlled by Adobe
3. It required installing a separate plugin by the user
4. It was designed primarily for mouse input and did not support touch gestures.
Flash was also the number one reason for crashes on Apple devices.
(contd.)
3. It required installing a separate plugin by the user
4. It was designed primarily for mouse input and did not support touch gestures.
Flash was also the number one reason for crashes on Apple devices.
(contd.)
Adobe was slow to address these issues.
Jobs was very particular that any software running on Apple devices should make full use of the native features of iOS.
So, even though Adobe and Apple had a long-standing relationship, Flash created a war between the two companies.
Jobs was very particular that any software running on Apple devices should make full use of the native features of iOS.
So, even though Adobe and Apple had a long-standing relationship, Flash created a war between the two companies.
6/ Lessons:
Flash Player, the browser plugin, is as good as dead. But technically, Flash, the authoring tool, is still alive and kicking.
Its usefulness has been reduced, but it remains a popular tool among animators.
(contd.)
Flash Player, the browser plugin, is as good as dead. But technically, Flash, the authoring tool, is still alive and kicking.
Its usefulness has been reduced, but it remains a popular tool among animators.
(contd.)
In this whole saga, Adobe was extremely slow to solve these glaringly obvious problems.
That's in spite of receiving criticism from Steve Jobs.
Flash had the first-mover advantage and easily dominated most of the internet. But, there is an important lesson here β
(contd.)
That's in spite of receiving criticism from Steve Jobs.
Flash had the first-mover advantage and easily dominated most of the internet. But, there is an important lesson here β
(contd.)
π‘ Lessons
1. Software doesn't last forever.
When you build something, don't expect it to run magically forever. Deprecation & other maintenance issues are bound to come up.
2. Startup battles are won by people who can run longer than those who can run faster.
(contd)
1. Software doesn't last forever.
When you build something, don't expect it to run magically forever. Deprecation & other maintenance issues are bound to come up.
2. Startup battles are won by people who can run longer than those who can run faster.
(contd)
So, keeping up with changing times and constant re-invention is the only way to survive in this fast-paced world
Flash is a symbol of how a tool can go from being essential to a HUGE PAIN in a matter of just a few years!
Flash is a symbol of how a tool can go from being essential to a HUGE PAIN in a matter of just a few years!
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