How can HTML5 “replace” Flash? [closed]

Answer 1

I think some people here are programming snobs and aren't listening. I, too, am a beginning Flash developer and I don't want it to go away. You know why? Because CREATIVE people can use Flash to develop what's in our brains very easily. A person who likes to draw and create scenes does not necessarily like to code. Typing a bunch of "sentences" is NOT drawing and animating! What you're saying about HTML5 is like saying that Picasso and Dali should have learned a programming language in order to paint. Ridiculous, right?

That's why people prefer Flash to HTML5. It's not self-serving, it's just acknowledging that the people capable of creating cool animated web content would rather be able to create our own visions rather than learn an unrelated skill or rely on someone else to interpret for us.

Instead of ridiculing, you might want to come up with an HTML5 visual environment that rivals Flash.

Answer 2

A scathingly obvious and wider angle point that is rarely made, is that the vaguely referenced "flash" term actually encompasses the entire Flash Platform, and that includes the Flash IDE.

Animators and other artistic types who use the technology to create complex cartoons and animations depend almost entirely on the IDE for their work. It is just simply not possible without it. End of story. It's not just the technology at the language specification level that matters! It's also about the "supporting technologies" in this case IDEs (I say "supporting" but the Flash IDE is very much a technology integrated with the rest of the Flash Platform).

If someone builds an HTML5 IDE that has features that rival the Flash IDE, that's great, but I'm surprised the point is so rarely made. Artists are as much part of the debate as programmers, and it's unreasonable to say it is not their business.

So, to answer your question directly: HTML5 would be considered a totally reasonable alternative - or even replacement - to a multimedia framework such as Flash if and only if a proper IDE is built for it, thus elevating it to a multimedia framework also.

It is just not realistic to make an argument without taking into account IDEs. If the question is specifically "Can HTML5 in it's completed state, without an IDE, be an alternative to Flash for applications apart from manually animated complex animations?" then the answer would most likely be yes and we'd all go home.

Answer 3

Interesting topic. I echo the sentiment of most posters here that while HTML 5 makes great leaps in basic multimedia presentation, it won't be able to replace Flash. All the online gaming sites are a good example. Flash is can run on most browsers except on certain mobile devices.

On that note, I believe battery drain was the original reason why Steve Jobs did not want to support Flash on the iPhone and iPad. This might bite Apple (no pun) down the road. Android 2.2 will have flash support (but it not clear if all the hardware manufactures will support it -they'll have be confident in their batteries).

Also, it looks like Flash 10+ will be a sure thing on Blackberry devices going forward including BB phones the upcoming BB Playbook tablet (btw, this toy has some killer specs - can't wait to get my hands on it when it comes out next year).

I am willing to bet that Flash will continue to be big in Web Dev even after HTML 5 support becomes universal.

Answer 4

I sure hope that HTML5 can deliver the goods and maybe not replace flash entirely but at least when it comes to video. Although flash video is small in size it does takes up way too much processing. Go to youtube without flashblock enabled and then open task manager. Now you can see how the processes for firefox suddenly leaps off the page whenever you visit a flash driven site like youtube. My advice get Flashblock.

Answer 5

It is not so much that HTML5 can replace Flash by matching it feature by feature. It is more that the HTML5 stack (including JavaScript and CSS) can be used to build the same sort of rich web applications for which Flash was the only viable option before. Because HTML holds the promise to also address some of the shortcoming of the Flash platform, there is a potential that it can replace Flash in this space in the future.

This discussion is very much centered around the technology that is used to render the application at the users end. It does not address the ease with which authors are actually able to create the content which will be delivered to their users. You already mentioned that Flash is associated with a set of commercial tools which are specifically built and marketed by Adobe to address the need of rich-content authors. Such solutions for HTML5 are not that much adopted yet. For developers who view authoring mostly as coding this is not a big concern and they will not have a hard time getting traction with HTML5 (and many already do). For those authors that don't have a developer/coding background, this may be another story and for them the viability of HTML5 will greatly depend upon the availability of integrated authoring tools. Maybe the Adobe Flash tools will output to HTML5 instead of SWF in a few years...

Answer 6

It is possible the text-based markup language (HTML5) could replace a multimedia framework (Flash).

The solution is simple, just move the framework into the browser and become an open standard. Not only multimedia framework, the browser can include lot of other stuffs which belong to the operating system now.

It is possible eventually browser will be the OS (user mode). Current OS will be limited to the kernel mode, mostly deal with hardwares.