Image via CrunchBase

The modern story of the fall of a platform is being lived out by the once great Flash.  In a world where it was becoming the most important feature of the web, Adobe's Flash has somehow squandered it all and looks to be on the verge of being displaced by HTML5, which isn't really out of the gate yet.

The nail in the coffin seems to be the continued issues Adobe is having with Apple, and its mobile products.  Apple has made a concerted effort to avoid the technical issues which surround Flash.  And that is to avoid Flash all together.  Many complain about this stance, but if you look at what is happening in hardware and the web, Apple is really just getting ready for the future, a less buggy future.

Steve Jobs comment at a recent Apple Town Hall meeting summed up the point:

"Apple does not support Flash because it is so buggy. Whenever a Mac crashes more often than not it's because of Flash. No one will be using Flash. The world is moving to HTML5."

The main issue that Apple would have had is that Flash is heavy on systems with few resources to spare.  And with the push to Net-books and mobile devices, the future is not heading to more power as much as it is heading towards more portable power.  This sort of move just doesn't have a place for Flash, unless of course Adobe can come up with a better, leaner and faster version.

Will the lack of Flash effect the iPad?

Since the launch, the main problems people have been talking about is the name, and the lack of Flash.  But is the lack of Flash going to hurt the iPad, or for that matter Apple?

Theflashblog.com made an attempt to rally the troops, but really just put the reality out there that no Flash could mean no porn.  The use of a porn site as one of the examples of sites that will no longer work, was a little too real for Jeff, who commented: 

"I know it’s true and all…

… but is the porn screen shot really necessary? What I mean is… is it really in Adobe’s best interest to play up a “Flash = porn” angle?

Just sayin’…."

In response to the above, Daringfireball.net made the important point that this is the Internet age and content providers will go where the users are:

"Ends up a bunch of them, including the porno site, already have iPhone-optimized versions with no blue boxes, and video that plays just fine as straight-up H.264. iPhone visitors to these sites have no idea they’re missing anything because, well, they’re not missing anything. For a few other of the sites Brimelow cited, like Disney and Spongebob Squarepants, there are dedicated native iPhone apps."

In this post, "Who Can Do Something About Those Blue Boxes?" John Gruber points out that the iPhone generation haven't been missing out on content because the creators, even the porn sites, have been supporting them.  So why is it going to be any different for the iPad? And once HTML5 rolls out, then we are all back on a level playing field again.

I do feel for all those developers out there who have been making a good living, but it will be nice not to have to curse them because of a browser crash.  

If you feel differently, comment and be noticed.

Jason Remnant

...if it ain't Broken, play the porn card and hope no one notices.