We agree. But they key is for now.

“Imagine the internet in the last decade without it.”

An even scarier place than it already was. As I said, Flash has always done a good job of filling the holes the HTML/JS/CSS specs couldn’t fill. But imagine the web a decade ago without JSP and classic ASP and Java (the hot thing less than 10 years ago). Where are all those technologies now?

“You never hear any flash critics attack Silverlight.”

Plenty of critics dismissed it as irrelevant, which is why you don’t hear much about it one way or the other. Whatever your feelings about Flash, it’s certainly relevant. I don’t really consider myself a Flash critic (I did very advanced Flash development back in in the AS2 days), but I’ve personally dismissed Silverlight as far too late to a game (proprietary video / interactive solutions for the web) that’s already begun to wane.

“THE AVERAGE USER LIKES FLASH”

No, the average user could care less what technology lives behind their experience. A YouTube visitor doesn’t care if it’s Flash or HTML5, or some other solution – as long as the video plays and does so reliably. The average user playing a web game could care less whether it’s HTML5 / Canvas / JavaScript or Flash… as long as the game is fun and works.

End users will drive demand for a particular “experience” – but developers will determine which technology sits behind that experience. From Shockwave (remember that Flash precursor?), to Java, to ActiveX, to proprietary browser plug-ins, it’s hard to deny that the trend is continuously away from proprietary and plug-in dependent solutions.

I guarantee they all watch youtube. Flash support is 93% of pcs.

“JavaScript is extremely processor intensive, and very complex interactivity – at the level of gaming – just isn’t there.”

Have you seen HTML5 canvas games? Flash is good for creating games that run smooth and fast.

“Many people wish Flash a long and painful death. I for one do as well.”

Google’s Chrome is coming with Flash built in.
Rickster~ I suggest you learn AS3 and JavaScript. Flash is going no where and is here to stay. You obviously don’t use Flash. Which is fine, just don’t go saying it’s bad. Imagine the internet in the last decade without it. Where’s your video?

“So we doubt Flash will disappear or be replaced within 5 years. But we do think its influence will continue to wane and its adoption will diminish.”

No way. Flash is supported by android and run’s awesome. Have you heard of Moore’s Law? We still have 20 years of hardware advancements that Flash will thrive on.

You never hear any flash critics attack Silverlight. Take an objective view, learn both, be prepared for what comes. All we can do is wait for Adobe to open up Flash and Steve Jobs to acknolodge that users will stop paying for apps and open up the browser that is flash supported. Both will take some losses to keep their products going strong. The only question is how much more money can they squeeze out of consumers (more on Apple here, I believe their time has come.)

Google’s approach is by far the most respectful and utilitarian. Apple and Khronos group’s influence on the W3 disgusts me.

THE AVERAGE USER LIKES FLASH AND USUALLY CANNOT TELL THE DIFFERENCE.

many moons ago, it was cool to see pictures(jpegs,…) on the early web.
… well, “Web Videos” MUST be treated the same.
Its like telling one OS you cannot use html in your browsers, but another OS can ?

Well it is NOW today ppl, could we possibly not get more sillier about something that should have been as standard, and common as web Video for Internet public en mass ?

This is not about OS bashing, its about the freedom of users to be able to “VIEW” the Internet, and of course the “contents” thereof, using their OS/browser of choice.
(Don’t get me wrong here, if you want Adobe Premiere,…, then you have to bloody-well pay for it -I totally agree.)

But, if the means to accomplish mainstream web video were an accepted opensource standard, like ftp, TCP/IP, html, DNS, sendmail, …., we wouldn’t be starring blanky at an Adobe proprietary flash plugin screen, only to find out that it doesn’t even “want” to support a lot of the OS’s/browsers out there.
In this respect, THERE IS NO PLACE FOR FLASH, (or “any other similarly-proprietary web-video-app) ON A PUBLIC INTERNET.
it’s as simple as that.

To create and view “simple” web-video-content should NOT have become an unduly, and overly-complicated mess.

If HTML5 is “truly” opensource then this is a no-brainer for web-developers’.
Your “Flash” has to go bye-bye.

…and maybe then, it’ll finally be “Happy browsing to ALL, and to all a good “net” ”

Thankyou.