Flash vs. HTML5: It's Not Over Yet
Is Flash dead? Some would say so. On November 9, Adobe announced that it would discontinue development of Flash for Mobile, and would concentrate on HTML5 for browser-based content and AIR for mobile applications. Numerous pundits declared this the beginning of the end for Flash—a technology they say has always been too slow and ungainly for mobile devices and virtual machines, both of which are becoming increasingly important.
But to paraphrase a famous old skit, Flash isn’t quite dead yet. Flash’s wide user base and consistency across browsers, its advanced video features, and its ability to protect your proprietary materials still make it the best choice for many situations:
- For desktop users, Flash isn’t going anywhere; in the meantime, HTML5 is still gaining traction. Even if Adobe stops producing new versions of Flash, existing versions of Flash will be available to almost all desktop users for many, many years. Meanwhile, HTML5 is supported by maybe half of desktop browsers; many of its multimedia features are unavailable in Internet Explorer 8, released in 2009 and still widely used. This makes HTML5 problematic if you want a broad user base, though less so if your users are highly sophisticated and use the most modern browsers.
- Flash has tricks up its sleeve that HTML5 can’t match yet. The most prominent of these tricks is 3-D rendering, introduced in Flash 11; HTML5’s 3-D abilities are in a lesser state. Webcam interactions, live video streaming, fullscreen videos, and echo reduction are also in Flash but not yet possible in HTML5.
- Flash protects your copyrighted content; HTML5 doesn’t. It’s possible to apply DRM to Flash videos so that users cannot download and share them at will (at least not without a degree of effort that will deter casual users). HTML5, in contrast, does not currently support DRM in any meaningful way; it’s easy to download an HTML5 video, at least for now. This is a big reason why copyrighted materials are almost never shown in HTML5.
- Flash code is hidden; HTML5 code is open source. Anyone with a browser can review the source code of an HTML5 application simply by clicking “View Source.” This is a plus for members of design and programming communities who want to share their techniques publicly, but it’s a disaster for anyone who wants to keep their code proprietary.
However, there are also situations in which HTML5 is a better choice than Flash:
- The same HTML5 code can run on desktop and mobile devices… if that’s what you want. Because mobile devices such as smartphones have much smaller screens than do PC’s, a different interface will be appropriate for them to a greater or lesser degree. There may even be situations in which a different feature set would serve mobile devices better. In such cases the cross-platform nature of HTML5 is reduced in value, although it will still offer efficiencies.
- Because HTML5 is an extension of HTML, it’s better than Flash for jazzing up interfaces. For example, HTML5 can provide small animations and validation tools that make forms easier to use. Flash is completely unsuited to such a task, because it must have total control of a region of the screen that is independent of the rest.
- With HTML5, you join a community of cutting-edge developers and leading designers. Sharing drafts and ideas can lead to creative collaborations and new features and interfaces—but be sure to protect your proprietary techniques and content!
The Bottom Line
Flash is still the better choice in many cases—for its advanced video capabilities and for its ability to protect proprietary materials, but most of all for its wider user base. But HTML5 shows promise for the future, and is a good choice now for exploring ideas and for adding enhancements to non-Flash websites.
