Google Chrome Puts Flash To Pasture Starting Next Month

There really is no stopping Flash's demise. Not when all the major browsers have ganged up on it. The latest to pull the plug is Google's Chrome, which is kickstarting the process to Flash's exit from the Web scene starting in September. Of course, that doesn't mean that annoying ads, especially video ones, will be going away forever, though some will undoubtedly see some downtime on Chrome browsers. It just means that, eventually, they will be taking on a more resource efficient, standards compliant form.

So here is how it will go down in the next few months. Starting September, users on Google Chrome version 53 will see that their favorite browser now blocks Flash. Google promises a significant and palpable improvement in responsiveness and efficiency. That's because most sites that previously used Flash for analytics are now mostly using HTML5.

Then once December comes around with Chrome version 55, HTML5 will be the default experience, for videos, ads, and whatnot. That said, it's impossible to wipe out all traces of Flash from the Web, no matter how many wish it to be so. Chrome will prompt users visiting a Flash-only site to let them decide whether it's really worth the hassle. Or the security risks.

Google does credit Flash to have played a very important role in the history of the Web, inspiring creativity and helping both consumers and developers embrace interactive multimedia. But it is way past its prime and has become more of a liability than an asset these days. Even Adobe, who owns Flash through its acquisition of Macromedia, has practically conceded that HTML5 is the future. It's finally time to give Flash a long overdue, but also well-deserved, retirement.

SOURCE: Google