Adobe is hyping up its next version of Flash which will be Flash 11. Adobe promises Flash 11 will come with 64 bit support. In this day and age, 64 bit support should come by default, and so for Adobe to promise 64 bit support for its next release of Flash should not be a surprise and should not be something that we have to drop our jaws for. For now, Adobe is releasing Flash 10.3. This release of Flash 10.3 is to provide additional features for developers, and these new features have to do with audio functions. These functions are canceling noise and echoes, detecting voice, and automatic adjusting microphone’s volume levels.
Adobe is continuing to push harder in its development of Flash, because HTML5 is the biggest threat yet Flash has to face sooner or later. HTLM5 is still behind Flash in various features. Still, give it time and HTLM5 will do just as much as Flash. I think the biggest threat that HTML5 has going for Flash is not about who has more features, but it’s all about the standard. Although users do not care about the standard of software development and so on, but in the end the dictation of what is standard of the software industry does translate into the ease of use. Once HTLM5 becomes the standard, browser users do not need to install anything from a third party such as Adobe and yet they can do pretty much everything with HTML5. Have a need of playing games over the web? HTLM5 can handle that for Flash! Have a need of watching videos over the web? HTLM5 can handle that for Flash! Have the need of create a standard HTLM web page but more modern since HTLM5 is more capable than its predecessors, well Flash can’t do that as well as HTML5. The gist is that users don’t even need to know what is HTML5, because the standard makes HTML5 and the browsers one of the same!
I don’t think Flash will ever gain the upper hand once HTML5 becomes the only standard, but Flash can retain some followers if Adobe upgrades Flash to be more appealing. How appealing? How about let start with Flash will be even more efficient in using computer resources — to a point where even a weakest smart phone device out there can still use Flash without a hitch. I notice my 2010 Macbook Pro’s temperature rises tremendously by just firing up Flash! Second, Flash needs to be more secure. I don’t know how secure Flash is now, but I notice too many complaints about how Flash gets to be so insecure in term of computer security. Here is my proof, and I didn’t have to do much to get the proof — clicking the very first link inside Google’s search results of the keywords “How secure is Flash?” and I get the story “How secure is Flash? Here’s what Adobe won’t tell you.” About reliability, Flash tends to crash unexpectedly with Firefox 4 beta. OK, I know it maybe Firefox 4 beta’s fault since this version of the very browser is still in beta, but strangely I don’t see Silverlight and HTML5 have this problem. If Adobe goes extra miles to make Flash works better than anything else on the market to a point where people prefer to install Flash than using HTML5, then Flash may have a winning chance. I have to say, I don’t see that will happen!
In conclusion, I have a strong feeling that Flash will lose the popularity contest against HTML5, but if Adobe makes features that we cannot go without Flash — we have everything to gain such as HTML5 will be improved too so it can compete against Flash. Flash 11 will come out soon, because it has to sink in with everyone fast to prove that even when HTML5 comes out, Flash can still be even more awesome. Unfortunately, HTML5 is very capable too and so Flash has to have to come up with a miracle. My verdict is that Flash won’t have a winning chance! I hope Adobe will prove me wrong, because you and I have nothing to lose but with a better Flash to play with!
Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-30685_3-20040457-264.html
Vinh Nguyen
