HTML5 versus Flash: Why Flash Will Endure

These days, even a slight comparison between HTML5 and Flash gets designers excited. There is always someone who joins in with the question: Will Flash survive? I’ve heard this being asked so many times now that I prefer to remain silent. Let them argue, I think to myself as my friends – web developers by trade – start one of their heated debates that invariably end with We’ll see who’s right in a few years. Quite so.

Flash is in good health

I don’t really see any reason why Flash won’t endure. It has been around for quite some time during which it has shown how powerful it is. Many love it, some hate it, but nobody is really indifferent about it. And this I believe says a lot. It will take something truly special to topple it over and I have my doubts about HTML5 being that “truly special” something.. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not at all against it, but I get the impression that some people are a bit too excited about it. So, as Flash has its flaws and HTML5 has its strong points it seems reasonable to assume that HTML5 will take Flash’s place in those areas where the latter has been used simply because there wasn’t anything else available.

HTML5 and video

Flash has done a good job with video, but many think that it’s about time that something takes its place. I fully agree. HTML5 is still not there yet, but it’s going to be. And when it will be fully capable of handling video at the same standard as Flash does now, then it will certainty take over. But, Flash is more that video and all web developers know this.

Surely Flash will become redundant at one point?

At some point, HTML is eventually going to have all or at least the core features that Flash boasts today. There is not much arguing about it. The question then is, when will this happen? Will Flash still be useful or will it become superfluous? And then, if it will still have some value, how will it be used? In the same way as today? Only time can tell.

Flash is likely to continue to evolve itself, pushing new boundaries. Making predictions about its evolution is not something I feel comfortable with, and honestly I think only a few would venture to. I would say though that Flash will continue to bring better and better games to us all. Games? Bah! you may say. There are millions of people playing Flash games, so be careful with your judgment.

It may be a battle, but the battleground is huge

I think that the rapid development HTML is undergoing will bring many good things to web developers as well as to users. This competition after all is likely going to improve our browsing experience. Flash is strong and it’s not going to disappear out of a sudden. HTML5 will come to replace it in some areas but that will still be far way from eliminating the need for it altogether. And besides, this will take some time, years maybe.

All in all, we developers can only be ecstatic with the new opportunities we now have to create websites which are better and better. Why should we worry about Flash’s fate when there’s so much to do and so many new things to experiment with? What will be will be.

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