Why do websites still use flash

Similarly, the XML-based SVG Scalable Vector Graphics enables the construction of complex user interface elements that scale automatically to high resolution screens like those found on smartphones and tablets.

Google has even taken it upon themselves to warn its users if websites listed within search results are unlikely to work on their device. Would you want your website or web app to have that label applied to it? Flash has a rather unenviable history of bugs, malware and security flaws that have made it a target for nefarious developers and hackers. Nasty code can be relatively easily injected into Flash applications in order to spread viruses that conduct attacks such as denial-of-service and cross-site scripting.

You can forget about Flash videos, Flash games, vintage Flash sites — the whole lot. Why did this happen, and what do you do if you really need to access Flash content later? Is there any browser with Flash support still around, or at least a suitable alternative available? Sunsetting Flash was largely a security-driven move. Flash was once the standard for videos, games, and other Web content, but it was terrifically vulnerable to exploits , thanks to the way it used memory and other issues.

Another issue was its difficulty integrating with mobile technology due both to its tendency to suck power and its lack of support on both iOS and Android. Keeping a piece of mostly-desktop software with more holes than a spaghetti strainer patched and somewhat safe was, as you can imagine, kind of a headache. Up-to-date browsers are no longer able to load Flash, but truly desperate Flash fans could use an older version of a browser, block it from auto-updating, and use it only for Flash content.

Of course, that comes with its own security issues, so do this at your own risk and take precautions like running it in a sandbox and only visiting sites you trust.

Of course, with Flash effectively off the Web, sites that offer Flash-based content are now redundant. There are workarounds to access your favorite Flash content the best of which is Flashpoint , but for the most part, the world has now moved on. Another problematic piece of software is Windows itself, so see our guide on how to fix Windows 10 update problems. To refine your web-browsing, you should also head over to our list of the best Chrome flags.

By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and European users agree to the data transfer policy. I have been hoping for this day to come for quite some time, for all the reasons stated in this article! Irfanview viewer appears to work OK for Flash as well, having done a few random tests.

Flash animation was one of the truly enjoyable features of late 90s early s internet. For many years, the plug-in has been notorious for causing crashes, introducing security holes, and making websites feel unnecessarily bloated. Adobe itself gave up on Flash three years ago , when it first announced its plans to kill off the plug-in at the end of The amateur nature of these creations is a reminder of what the creative web was like before the rise of polished app stores.

Just as importantly, it was also an essential tool for aspiring online creators in the mid- to late-aughts, their work appearing on web portals like Newgrounds, Armor Games, and Kongregate.

Facebook will axe its own Flash game catalog on December 31, taking FarmVille down with it. All of which might explain why, over the past few years, several independent efforts have emerged to preserve Flash content. Taking a little nostalgia trip might be one of the most comforting ways to wind down a brutal year. If you have a Windows PC, the best way to replay old Flash content is with FlashPoint , a free program with more than 70, web games and 8, animations, most of which are Flash-based.

Experimental Mac and Linux versions are also available, but are complicated to set up. If you are wondering how websites are doing in migrating away from Flash, the following data is interesting.

It comes from a website called w3techs. Here is a chart that i grabbed off their website today that shows the percentage of sites that are still using Flash:. As you can see, 3. Even more surprising was their list of popular websites that are still using Flash:.

Now, I don't recognize a lot of these sitenames, but Google.