SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Adobe Systems Inc’s Flash, a once-ubiquitous technology used to power most of the media content found online, will be retired at the end of 2020, the software company announced Tuesday.

FILE PHOTO: An Adobe Systems Inc software box is seen in Los Angeles, California, U.S., March 13, 2017. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo

Adobe, along with partners Apple Inc, Microsoft Corp, Alphabet Inc’s Google, Facebook Inc and Mozilla Corp, said support for Flash will ramp down across the internet in phases over the next three years.

After 2020, Adobe will stop releasing updates for Flash and web browsers will no longer support it. The companies are encouraging developers to migrate their software onto modern programming standards.

“Few technologies have had such a profound and positive impact in the internet era,” said Govind Balakrishnan, vice president of product development for Adobe Creative Cloud.

Created more than 20 years ago, Flash was once the preferred software used by developers to create games, video players and applications capable of running on multiple web browsers. When Adobe acquired Flash in its 2005 purchase of Macromedia, the technology was on more than 98 percent of personal computers connected to the web, Macromedia said at the time.

But Flash’s popularity began to wane after Apple’s decision not to support it on the iPhone.

In a public letter in 2010, late Apple CEO Steve Jobs criticized Flash’s reliability, security and performance. Since then, other technologies like HTML5 have emerged as alternatives to Flash.

In the past year, several web browsers have begun to require users to enable Flash before running it.

On Google’s Chrome, the most popular web browser, Flash’s usage has already fallen drastically. In 2014, Flash was used each day by 80 percent of desktop users. That number is now at 17 percent “and continues to decline,” Google said in a blog Tuesday.

“This trend reveals that sites are migrating to open web technologies, which are faster and more power-efficient than Flash,” Google said. “They’re also more secure.”

Flash, however, remains in use among some online gamers. Adobe said it will work with Facebook as well as Unity Technologies and Epic Games to help developers migrate their games.

Adobe said it does not expect Flash’s sunset to have an impact on its bottom line. “In fact, we think the opportunity for Adobe is greater in a post-Flash world,” Balakrishnan said.</s>Adobe is finally pulling the plug on Flash.

The software company on Tuesday said it plans to stop updating and distributing its Flash Media Player by the end of 2020.

The plug-in was a pioneer in the early days of the Internet, allowing users to view rich content like videos, games and other media. Flash used to be the standard way YouTube played its videos.

But the software has been plagued with bugs and security vulnerabilities in recent years. Modern browsers support open web standards like HTML5, allowing developers to embed content directly onto webpages. This has made add-on extensions like Flash mostly useless.

"For 20 years, Flash has helped shape the way that you play games, watch videos and run applications on the web. But over the last few years, Flash has become less common," Anthony Laforge, product manager for Google Chrome, said in a blog post reacting to the news.

Three years ago, 80% of desktop Chrome users went to a website with Flash every day. Now, that number has fallen to 17% and continues to drop, according to Google.

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Adobe (ADBE) said it will work with major tech giants like Apple (AAPL), Facebook (FB), Google (GOOG), Microsoft (MSFT) and Mozilla to discontinue Flash.

In response to the announcement, Microsoft said it would phase out Flash from its Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer browsers. Mozilla said Flash will be disabled by default for most users in 2019.

The end of Flash was a long time coming as websites have moved away from using the plug-in. In 2011, Adobe said it would no longer develop the software on mobile devices.

In 2010, Apple cofounder Steve Jobs famously wrote a scathing letter about Flash, saying iPhone and iPads would never support the software.

The news follows Microsoft's announcement that its iconic Paint software was on its list of "deprecated" features and could be removed from future Windows updates.</s>Adobe will stop updating and distributing the Flash Player at the end of 2020</s>Adobe today announced plans to end-of-life its Flash browser plug-in, ceasing development and distribution of the software at the end of 2020. Adobe encourages content creators to migrate flash content to HTML5, WebGL, and WebAssembly formats.The elimination of Flash and Flash Player should not heavily impact most users because popular browsers have already moved away from the format. Starting with macOS Sierra and Safari 10, Apple disabled Adobe Flash by default to focus on HTML 5 , and Flash has never been available on Apple's iOS devices. Google's Chrome browser has also been de-emphasizing Flash since the middle of last year.Adobe's Flash Player has always suffered from a never-ending stream of critical vulnerabilities that expose Mac and PC users to malware and other security risks. Vendors like Microsoft and Apple have had to work continually over the years to keep up with security fixes.Apple also shared Adobe's Flash news on its WebKit blog , and the company says it is working with Adobe and industry partners on the transition from Flash to open standards.Ahead of its sunsetting in 2020, Adobe will continue to support Flash on major operating systems and browsers, issuing regular security updates, maintaining OS and browser compatibility, and introducing new features and capabilities "as needed."Adobe says it will, however, "move more aggressively" to end Flash distribution in countries where unlicensed and outdated versions of Flash Player are distributed.</s>All of those prompts nagging you to update Adobe Flash Player will be no more. Adobe has revealed plans to end support for Flash before the end of 2020 in favor of supporting open standards.

Adobe suggests migrating all Flash content to any combinations of HTML5, WebGL, or WebAssembly before end-of-life status is reached. Microsoft is also on board with this move and has announced plans to phase out Flash for Internet Explorer and Edge browsers by 2019, although end users will still have to option to re-enable Flash.

Both Google and Mozilla have shared similar plans for Chrome and Firefox that slowly work towards complete the removal of Flash before the end of 2020 is reached. Apple made a statement explaining that its mobile devices never supported Flash in the first place, and their computers have only allowed Flash to run with expressed permission since 2010.

Clearly, industry support exists for the removal of Flash in favor of HTML5 and other open technologies. Even Facebook, a company that has a significant amount of Flash content on its site, is encouraging developers to start migrating their games to use HTML5 or other third-party solutions for interactive web content.

Even though Flash now has a scheduled end-of-life date in the distance, Adobe still hopes to remain a relevant a key player in developing HTML5 content and is of course recommending Animate CC for content creation.

This is a step forward for the web as a whole and should greatly cut down on the number of security patches required. Having originally launched in 1996, remaining a household name for over 20 years is an impressive feat given the vastness that the digital world has become.</s>The end of Adobe Flash is near. With the advent of new open standards for the web like HTM5, WebGL and WebAssembly, the old standard is slowly being phased out. And we can’t say we didn’t see it coming.

 During the previous years, browsers like Chrome and Microsoft Edge have been reluctant to give Flash a place in their browser. Consequently, Adobe plans to stop all support by 2020.

“We will stop updating and distributing the Flash Player at the end of 2020 and encourage content creators to migrate any existing Flash content to these new open formats,” says an Adobe spokesperson. But still, some businesses and gaming and education sites are still using Flash and Adobe will remain committed to its partners until 2020 to make the transition easier.

Microsoft will wrap up the Flash feature in Edge browser by default and also from Internet Explorer by 2019. Google will gradually ease out of Flash usage, and Firefox users will be able to choose Flash as an alternative next month. Apple long stopped backing Flash and even now requires users approvals for every website using Flash.

With the end of Flash, we will also see obvious improvements in security and battery life with laptops and mobiles that will start using HTML 5. As the need for Flash is no more, so its lifespan has come to an end.</s>Adobe Flash is set to die in 2020 as company turns its attention to developing next generation open web standards

Adobe has confirmed it will retire the much-maligned Flash platform at the end of 2020, marking the end of an era for web content.

Flash enabled numerous web applications, such as online games, dynamic website designs and educational tools, that simply weren’t possible previously.

However, in recent years it had been regarded as a drain on device resources and battery, while the numerous security flaws had been used by malicious actors to launch cyber attacks and conceal malware.

This has been particularly true of malvertising attacks.

In recent years, there has been a concerted drive away from Flash towards open web standards such as HTML5, with numerous browsers, including Chrome and Firefox disabling Flash by default.

Adobe says several businesses are still reliant on the platform and that it would continue to add new features and fix bugs until its retirement. Furthermore it has worked with Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Mozilla to ensure a smooth migration.

“Adobe has long played a leadership role in advancing interactivity and creative content – from video, to games and more – on the web,” said the company. “Where we’ve seen a need to push content and interactivity forward, we’ve innovated to meet those needs.

“Where a format didn’t exist, we invented one – such as with Flash and Shockwave. And over time, as the web evolved, these new formats were adopted by the community, in some cases formed the basis for open standards, and became an essential part of the web.

“But as open standards like HTML5, WebGL and WebAssembly have matured over the past several years, most now provide many of the capabilities and functionalities that plugins pioneered and have become a viable alternative for content on the web.

“Over time, we’ve seen helper apps evolve to become plugins, and more recently, have seen many of these plugin capabilities get incorporated into open web standards. Today, most browser vendors are integrating capabilities once provided by plugins directly into browsers and deprecating plugins.

“Given this progress, and in collaboration with several of our technology partners – including Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Mozilla – Adobe is planning to end-of-life Flash. Specifically, we will stop updating and distributing the Flash Player at the end of 2020 and encourage content creators to migrate any existing Flash content to these new open formats.”

Popularity of Flash has been decreasing. Google says that three years ago, 80 percent of Chrome desktop users visited at least one Flash-enabled site a day, but that figure was now less than 17 percent and falling.

Apple has arguably been Flash’s most vocal and influential critic. When it launched the iPhone in 2007 it did not support Flash because of concerns about performance and battery life. This was seen as a weakness because of the popularity of Flash content and BlackBerry even marketed one of its devices as capable of supporting Flash in response.

However a decade on, Apple could be seen to be on the right side of history.

Quiz: What do you know about cyber security in 2017?</s>Adobe will no longer support Flash Player in the future the company announced in a blog post yesterday.

The software that is essential for powering some videos, games and multimedia content will no longer be supported by the end of 2020.

The company said: “Adobe is planning to end-of-life Flash.

“Specifically, we will stop updating and distributing the Flash Player at the end of 2020 and encourage content creators to migrate any existing Flash content to these new open formats.”

Adobe said they would be working with Apple, Facebook, Google and Microsoft to progress and develop alternative software as technology evolves.

The popularity of flash has declined over the years as the software has been subject to security concerns due to hackers using it as a way to download malware.

In a separate blog Google said: “For 20 years, Flash has helped shape the way that you play games, watch videos and run applications on the web. But over the last few years, Flash has become less common.

Three years ago, 80 per cent of desktop Chrome users visited a site with Flash each day. Today usage is only 17 per cent and continues to decline.”</s>Adobe Systems on Tuesday announced that it will retire its Flash Player by the end of 2020. The software company said it will no longer release updates for the plugin, and that web browsers will not support it after 2020, BBC reported.

“Few technologies have had such a profound and positive impact in the internet era,” said Govind Balakrishnan, vice president of product development for Adobe Creative Cloud.

Flash was created more than 20 years ago. Developers preferred to use the software to create games, video players and applications capable of running on multiple browsers, though its popularity dropped after Apple decided to not support the plugin on iPhones.

Adobe had acquired Flash in 2005 after it bought the now defunct software company Macromedia.</s>Adobe is pulling the plug on Flash by the end of 2020.

On Tuesday, July 25, Adobe Systems said it plans to stop providing support for the Flash player in the near future. The firm's decision to close down Flash is considered big news since the plug-in has always been synonymous with Adobe since its release. After all, it is widely used for playing different kinds of animations, games and videos in web browsers.

While the technology is popular for playing videos and animation, it also faced criticism for its numerous flaws. One of those flaws lies in its code, which made it an easy target for hackers who use it to infect computers with viruses.

It was also compared to the functionality of its rival HTML5. One of the known advantages of HTML5 is that it can be used for the development of multimedia content available in web pages. This saves users the hassle of installing and updating a separate plug-in.

According to Adobe's vice president of product development, Govind Balakrishnan, the company has chosen to end support for Flash because other coding technologies like the WebGL, HTML5 and WebAssembly have "matured enough and are capable enough to provide viable alternatives to the Flash player."

Ahead of its termination in 2020, Adobe will still continue support for Flash on all major browsers and operating systems. The company promised that they will keep issuing security updates regularly, ensure browser and OS compatibility as well as introduce additional features and other improvements "as needed."

Adobe also stressed that it will "move more aggressively" to end the distribution of Flash in countries where outdated versions of the said plug-in are being distributed.

"Even as we see the usage of flash decline, we want to remain committed to them and flash technology until [companies] can migrate to the new standards," Balakrishnan added.
Adobe Systems announces it will stop updating and distributing its multimedia software platform Flash by the end of 2020.