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RIP Flash!

CTIL, My Dundee Emma

What’s happening?

Flash, the software that developers have used to create interactive software (e.g. games, video players, elearning content) is being deprecated by Adobe, who have owned it for a number of years. They’ve stopped selling the software needed to create Flash items, and they’re ending the support for Flash player at the end of 2020.

Why is this happening?

Flash is being removed because there are much better ways to present interactivity in the browser – ones that don’t require users to install browser add-ons. HTML5 fulfils most of what Flash could do; and Adobe recognised this in 2017. (If you’re interested in software history, Flash had its origins in the early 90s, was acquired first by Macromedia, and then by Adobe).

Browsers are also starting to end support for Flash, soon you’ll find that you will actively have to enable Flash in your browser, for example, Firefox 69 will disable Flash by default.

What you’ll have to do?

Many of the tools we use have already removed Flash from their requirements, for example, Collaborate Ultra stopped using Flash and started using WebRTC in the March update. CTIL and the Equality and Diversity team updated the Equality and Diversity student organisation to a version that’s got HTML5 in December.

You may have some Flash based content in your modules – the most likely items are:

  • Screencasts you created using Jing.
  • Resources created using older versions of Captivate.
  • Resources created using older versions of Articulate
  • Some 3rd party scorm packages.

If you’ve got content that you’re not sure about, or you’d like support moving to a non-Flash based resource, please contact us via Help4U, or come along to one of our drop in sessions in the library.

Further info

Adobe’s announcement about the end of Flash

 

 

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