10 Flash Things You Can’t Do With HTML5

10 Flash Things You Can’t Do With HTML5

on Oct 28th 2010 with 198 comments

You could almost hear the collective gasp when Apple announced that it was no longer going to be supporting Flash on its upcoming devices. Like a scene from Monty Python’s Holy Grail, it seemed the bell had tolled for Flash and designers and developers were going to be dragged into the street to await the body wagon.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The reality is that Flash is far from dead..

..and if one listens carefully I think you can hear developers whispering “I feel happy.” So with HTML5 adoption still a way off, what are some things that Flash can do better than HTML5? Come along as we showcase 10 examples from the ActiveDen marketplace demonstrating why Flash is not quite dead.

For a more comprehensive discussion about HTML5 and Flash, head on over to our Roundup post: HTML5, Flash and RIAs: 18 Industry Experts Have Their Say.

1. HTML 5 can’t interact with a webcam.

augmented_reality

Augmented Reality Surprise Cake

With privacy and security concerns at the forefront, it’s unlikely that HTML5 will support webcam interaction any time soon. Augmented Reality Surprise Cake gives a good idea of what can be done with Flash’s webcam integration.

2. HTML5 video cannot be used on a 3D plane.

3d_plane

XML 3D Video Showcase

Along with snakes, HTML5 video cannot be used on a plane. 3D, like joke telling, is better left to the experts. XML 3D Video Showcase shows what you can do with a few images and Flash’s powerful 3D engine.

3. HTML5 cannot record audio from your microphone.

sound_recorder

Sound Recorder

While there may be plans in motion for HTML5 to support audio recording from your microphone, currently the best option is to use Flash. Sound Recorder shows how easy it is to record WAV files from your computer’s microphone.

4. HTML5 cannot do any sort of web conferencing.

web_conferencing

Web Video Conference

Who doesn’t want to see their coworkers’ smiling faces during their next online conference? Since video streaming is not part of HTML5’s core standard, you’ll have to use Flash to make sure your coworkers are not working in their underwear on their head (I’m looking at you Roger!) Web Video Conference is a web-based application that allows you to create multiple rooms for audio and video conferencing.

5. HTML5 cannot add dynamic objects to go over the video, like captions, titles, or navigational items.

sequential_xml

Sequential XML Playlist Video Player

Feel like localizing your next video for a foreign audience? While Safari 5 has recently added the ability to add captions to your HTML5 video, Sequential XML Playlist Video Player shows what can be done with not only captions but also titles and navigational items in Flash.

6. HTML5 cannot record from your webcam.

video_camera

Record Camera To FLV

It may go without saying that since HTML5 can’t interact with your webcam that it also can’t do any recording from your webcam. You’ll have to use Flash and an application like Record Camera To FLV to record all the crazy things your cat does while you’re at work.

7. HTML5 cannot create desktop apps.

desktop_app

Desktop Reader App

I know what you’re thinking “HTML5 is for the web so of course it doesn’t do desktop apps. Duh!” Well let me just say this – you are absolutely correct. And why do you have to be so angry all the time? Desktop Reader App is just one of the many desktop apps that can be put together within Flash.

8. HTML5 can’t handle video with alpha channels.

alpha_channel

fireSmoke

Ahh alpha channels. You have to be one of my favorite types of channels. This fireSmoke file gives you a glimpse at what you can do with animations and alpha channels.

9. HTML5 doesn’t yet support Peer-2-Peer.

peer2peer

Multi User File Sharing System

While P2P is in the HTML5 spec, it hasn’t been turned on in any of the browsers yet. Flash has built in P2P frameworks that help you share all your beautiful files with the world. Multi User File Sharing System is just one of the many P2P apps available.

10. HTML5 Doesn’t do Full Screen Mode.

full_screen

Full Browser Flash Image Viewer with Video Player

Who doesn’t love a full screen? If you want to put your widescreen monitor to its best use, you’ll have to use Flash since HTML5 currently stops browsers from going into full screen mode. .Full Browser Flash Image Viewer with Video Player. shows what can be done when you have the full screen to work with.

Wrapping Up

While none of us are rabid Flash fanbois (except for Lance, maybe), we thought you would like to take a closer look at what’s currently not possible with HTML5. Of course, you could make the case that it’s me who should be dragged out into the street and left for dead. But after all, isn’t that what comment forms are made for? =)

Travis King is KingDog on Photodune
 
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Travis King is a freelance web designer and Japan travel blogger. He would also like to give a big 'hello' to whoever actually reads these author bios! :P  

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  • Jafar

    So if HTML5 has all the same things Flash does or is going to, who is copying whom?

    Also, people trying to put one or the other down are going to miss the boat on the combination of the two to make awesome websites.

    By the way, people saying they don’t like plugins are lying because everyone likes adding more accessories, even if they don’t use it very much. If you have Java installed on your computer please raise your hand. If you have some kind of weather gadget installed please raise your hand.

    The coolest thing about HTML5 is web sockets.

    The thing that doesn’t ever get mentioned between the HTML5 vs Flash debate is the difference between using a loose typed language (JS) versus a hard typed language (AS3) and how that effects people writing the code and reading other peoples code.

    Having used both extensively I prefer writing and reading code in Acitionscript 3.0

    Since we’re on the standards trip we should also explore Javascript 2.0 and make it a hard typed language.

    One last thing, if you don’t develop with both of these tools then why are you commenting.

    • http://twitter.com/codetonowhere Rich

      It’s nothing to do with copying, I don’t think anyone is suggesting that. Flash has definitely pushed the web forward over the last decade and a lot of ‘html5′ technologies have been created because of the features flash introduced. However, the point is that html5 offers something that is more in keeping with the open nature of the web instead of relying on a proprietary plugin that you have no direct control over. That’s why people are excited by html5, not because it can necessarily do anything that flash can’t.

      Regarding the development environment, I’m surprised you think this isn’t raised enough – I hear it talked about endlessly. Firstly I do develop both flash/flex and javascript applications and I am pleased that the ECMAScript 4 specification (i.e. the one AS3 was based on which promoted strong-typing) was rejected in favour of dynamic-typing. I find it bizarre that the majority of the flash community seem to consider strong-typing as the one-true-way and necessarily better than the alternatives. In reality dynamic typing is not an issue with sufficient test coverage, which should be in place in all applications regardless of the language used. Javascript’s typing and prototypal inheritance are certainly different from as3, but when used correctly it is an extremely powerful, concise language.

      • Yotam

        While dynamic typing has its advantages you can spend days looking for typos that break your code. Not to mention looking for that method someone injected/replaced in your prototype… when building large scale apps strict typing is a plus.

      • http://twitter.com/codetonowhere Rich

        And that’s why you have unit tests.

    • http://nivas.hr Daemon

      Copying? So what you are suggesting is that if one browser has Scrollbars, all others should not copy that feature.

  • http://www.frontendr.com/ Johan

    Sorry, but for most points you’re simply wrong:

    Check Paul Irish’s presentation at Fronteers and you’ll see my point:

    http://vimeo.com/channels/fronteers10#15988666

    • Brandon

      Your points are wrong….allow someone else to explain my point of view. LOL!

  • http://twitter.com/tehk tehk

    wow… amazing FUD! Way to spread the love of closed framework by telling lies about the open alternative.

    #2, #5, #7-#10 are completely wrong!

    #2 – You can use html5 video elements inside both 2d and 3d elements or manipulate them with 3d transforms from css3.

    #5 – Since a element is part of a page, you can position elements wherever you want overtop of your video. I cant believe something like this was even mentioned.

    #7 – HTML5 can create apps that completely mimic desktop apps. The only thing it can’t do is create a shortcut link on your desktop. Fortunately, Chrome and Firefox handle this situation elegantly.

    #8 – I’m not sure if your saying that the video cannot itself be alpha blended, because it can. However if your stating that the encoded video itself cannot have alpha channels, well, no video formats today including WebM and H.264 support this either. So, big deal.

    #9 – Peer 2 Peer apps will surely come to HTML5 with websockets. No one has written them yet, but the capability is there if you understand what sockets are capable of.

    #10 – Your correct that HTML5 does not do fullscreen mode. But then again, HTML6 won’t either. Fortunately browser makers let us choose when we want to go fullscreen instead of allowing web apps to decide for us.

    Your article was so full of mistakes its amazing. Do some research a little next time.

    To summarize the ACTUAL benefit your claiming Flash has over HTML5 (that aren’t lise): audio and video capture. Currently Chrome and Firefox (not sure about the others) allow this via plugins and since the HTML5 spec is not currently finished yet, this make actually still make it in before it closes.

    • Dan

      I believe your missing the point. The objective here isn’t to trash HTML5. His intention was to point out situations in which you would want to use flash over html5. Granted, to phrase it as what HTML5 can’t do may sound antagonistic, but I don’t think that was his point. Let me address some of your points.

      #2 I’m not an expert in 3d elements in a website, so you may very well be right. I’d like to read more about it if you have a link. However, he is specifically talking about using HTML Video element on a 3d plane, so there may be a limitation.

      #5 He was talking about dynamically updating items, like subtitles, things that change over the course of the video. It can be done, but apparently not through html5 alone. I did a quick google search and found this example. http://blog.illyism.com/html5-video-subtitles-experiment/ It places subtitles over the video, but since html5 doesn’t inherently have a subtitle option, they are timed and placed using ajax.

      #7 Yes, it can mimic desktop apps, but he’s talking about actual apps that open and run on a computer rather than through a browser. I’m not sure why you would want to make a desktop application with HTML5. It was created for a different purpose.

      #8 This however is my specialty. If you encode a video to flv with the On2 VP6 codec, you can encode an alpha channel. The alpha channel allows transparency of the video itself. For example, using a green screen, you can remove the background and rather than replace it in a video effects program, you leave it transparent so you can see the background of the page. What he is saying is that html5 doesn’t support that.

      #9 He did point out P2P is in the spec, and they will be able to use it eventually. However, he said it doesn’t appear any browsers have it enabled yet, so if you need to create an application with P2P immediately, you will have to use flash.

      #10 Again, he is just saying that if you want to enable the user to easily switch to full screen mode, use flash. He’s not suggesting that html5 should or shouldn’t include this feature. He’s just expressing how it is.

      Again, there’s no need to get super defensive. He’s just pointing out differences in the two languages/methods so we as programmers can choose the right one for the job. Perhaps he should do a follow up “10 things Html5 CAN do that flash can’t”

      • http://twitter.com/tehk tehk

        The article could probably better be titles: “Thing I prefer to do in Flash and not HTML5″.

        As per your comments, the >canvasvideo< tag to do color replacement its really irrelevant. Check out http://hacks.mozilla.org/ (I can't find the exact demo but they demo blue screen alpha transparency techniques using this in the past).

        @Author: It's not too late to re-title your article ;)

    • http://yayquery.com.br Leo Balter

      I can’t agree more with you, Tehk.

      And whatsoever, HTML5 is not trying to kill flash, it’s only getting the web experience closer to your browser.

      • http://kevinvs.net/ Kevin Kelly

        Leo: That needs to be said more. And more. And more. Isn’t that the intention of the new HTML rendition? isn’t that one of the reasons why HTML 5 was created, outside of building web applications?

  • Georgia

    10 Things that are Wrong with this Article

    1. It’s an oversimplification
    2. It’s designed to generate traffic instead of enlighten readers
    3. It assumes HTML5 is trying to replace Flash.
    4. It has 10 parts because 10 is a good number from a tag-line/marketing stance.
    5. It says the same thing 4-5 different ways.
    6. It’s inaccurate
    7. Its premise is false.
    8. It’s an oversimplification
    9. It says the same thing over and over in different ways.
    10. The fact that flash isn’t dead doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be.

    • Dan

      I understand the point you’re trying to make, but instead of trashing the article because of personal feelings, you could look at it objectively and counter it with a discussion on when you’d want to use html5 over flash. You can see my response to tehk above on my opinion of this article. But as for your list, here we go.

      1) You list oversimplification twice. It’s an oversimplification of what? The capabilities of html5? I’m sure you can find ways to make html5 do all those things if you put forth enough time and custom programming. He’s just listing what it is capable of now right out of the box.

      2) Can’t it do both?

      3) Does it? He does mention how the common belief is that it will kill flash, but i think he’s trying to illustrate what you would still use flash for in an html5 world.

      4) So is 3, 5 and 15. If you have a list of items, you might as well number it.

      5) That may be true. Each point is technically different, but if HTML 5 doesn’t support webcams, it is a logical step to assume that it doesn’t do video conferencing either.

      6) You’d have to go into more detail on which parts are inaccurate for me to agree or disagree.

      7) The premise is false? What would that be? Is it completely unreasonable to think that Flash, which has been around and developed for years, may do something better than a brad new html spec? Things grow with time and programmers right now need to program for functionality today, not years from now.

      8) see number 1

      9) See number 5. (I realize again you’re making a point, or at least I hope so.)

      10) And that’s the point that’s being made. If there is still things it does better in the rest, it is viable to work with. He’s asking people not to count it out. Use flash for what it’s good at and use html5 for what it’s good at. That’s all.

  • Fulano

    Hahahaha!

    “It cannot interact with a webcam. Also, it cannot use a webcam for conferencing. AND it cannot record from a webcam!! OMGWTFBBQ!!!!1!11!oneone!”

    Seriously? 10 things? TEN THINGS?

    Gimme a break. You just lost a few minutes of my time, so much so that I felt I have to lose even MORE minutes just to comment on your crap.

    • sf

      I’ll second that.

  • Jeff V.

    More like 7 things, since four of them are “Can’t interact with webcam / microphone”.

  • http://sarcasticreplies.com Michael Andrews

    Can’t is not a word that should be in a developers vocabulary. Just because it hasn’t been done, doesn’t mean it can’t. There’s always a workaround…

  • http://about.me/scottasavage Scott

    I’ve been working with HTML5 for about six months now, doing a lot of experimentation with <canvas> and embedded video/interactive objects and the comments from “tehk” and “Georgia” are spot-on.

    It’s also important to set the right context for any kind of comparison between Flash and HTML5: Flash has existed for over a decade and has extremely wide distribution and usage. There’s thousands and thousands of people who use it, who’ve helped to improve it’s functionality and reliability. HTML5 and integration of H.264 video are relatively new, and are still “draft” proposals.

    The listserv for the HTML5 workgroup is constantly going back and forth about adding and removing features to <canvas>. It’s too early in the life of HTML5 to make these comparisons.

    I’m a big proponent of (eventually) moving to HTML5 as much as possible, but I’ve used Flash and developed interactive content for over 10 years (still have my first Flash 4 book from Macromedia!) with it. Flash has its strengths and weaknesses, but until HTML5 is further along its life cycle it’s just not a fair comparison.

  • http://www.russellheimlich.com/blog Russell Heimlich

    http://people.mozilla.com/~prouget/demos/DynamicContentInjection/play.xhtml

    This is a great demo of using a element just like any other element in an HTML document. You can add text on top of it, scale it, rotate it, all kinds of stuff.

  • http://www.eggplantanimation.com Eggplant

    I don’t like this because Flash crashes a ton and HTML in all forms is superior. I am on one hand glad that someone is creating a debate, but on the other disappointed that someone is putting down HTML. It’s like advertising for Apple computers: No point, Macs are useless.

  • Lennie

    OK, if you want to start to make it a Flash vs HTML5 thing… I’ll bite.

    Even Microsoft and Adobe now feel plugins should eventually die:
    http://www.osnews.com/story/23961/Adobe_Shows_Off_Flash-to-HTML5_Conversion_Tool
    http://www.osnews.com/story/23966/Microsoft_Changes_Silverlight_Strategy_Focuses_on_HTML5

    Many things were already mentioned about what already is possible in HTML5, but I would like to point out some more things:

    First of all, as you mentioned webcam-support quiet a few times in your post, they are already working on device support in HTML5 and that is not just webcam, but even serial-port, etc.:

    http://ajaxian.com/archives/video-conferencing-with-the-html5-device-element

    There has been much progress in recent years by the browser vendors to implement HTML5, have a look here:

    http://html5readiness.com/
    http://vimeo.com/15988666

    Concerning audio/video, their really is no need for Flash for that as well. There is even an audio-manipulation API in Firefox:

    https://wiki.mozilla.org/Audio_Data_API
    https://developer.mozilla.org/en/Visualizing_Audio_Spectrum

    And Mozilla created a browser-addon which leverages non-yet-in-the-spec browser capabilities as well:

    http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Web-Services-Web-20-and-SOA/Mozilla-Launches-Rainbow-Video-and-Audio-Recording-for-Firefox-4-461909/

    • Tomas

      A conversion tool is seldom perfect, you can only use what features that is available and the performance is slower with compromises. But making a tool makes Adobe stronger and proves that they do the best of this redicilous war.

      It’s funny that you mention odd things liks Firefox API and browser-addons, shouldn’t we make the world easier? Requirement of multiple formats in video/sound for different browsers in HTML5-tag doesn’t make it easier. HTML5 need to be better to have a quicker growth.

  • http://franksting.net.au franksting

    Because Flash is a great Technology for building Desktop Apps, isn’t it?
    And while some of these examples are accurate, most of them are about as useful for making a decision as comparing a carrot with HTML 5 or something

  • http://bocoup.com F1LT3R

    When I first saw this article I thought it must have been written years ago, but when I got to the bottom and saw the date, I have to say I was very surprised. Kind of confused as to the nature of your post, as it appears to be so out of date that I can’t tell if you are joking or being serious, or if you are talking about the HTML5 spec or the all-encompassing HTML5 buzz-word.

    In the event that you were not joking, you might find the following links to be of much interest…

    1) “HTML 5 can’t interact with a webcam” – NEWS FLASH
    Mobile companies like Sony Ericsson are working on HTML tags, making sure it does not stay this way for very long, video in the browser is a big win for all mobile companies: https://labs.ericsson.com/developer-community/blog/beyond-html5-implementing-device-and-stream-management-webkit

    2) “HTML5 video cannot be used on a 3D plane” – INCORRECT
    I have no idea where you got that idea, but it’s plain wrong, We do it all the time. The Mozilla Flight of The Navigator Demo has plenty of video on planes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUOIS3jtD8Y

    3) “HTML5 cannot record audio from your microphone.” – NEWS FLASH
    As well as web-cam support, Mobile and VOIP companies are driving the support of the microphone as well as browser developers like Mozilla, who are working on the ability to record, edit and encode all your media from within the web browser with projects like Ranbow: http://gul.ly/jq

    4) “HTML5 cannot do any sort of web conferencing.” – SAME ARGUMENT AGAIN?
    The points about the device tags apply to here, this is essentially the same argument as both arguments 1 & 3.

    5) “HTML5 cannot add dynamic objects over video, like captions, titles, or nav items” – WRONG

    Again, this seems so wildly inaccurate that I suspect your post may have been a joke all along. There are all sorts of W3C specs popping up to define video-regions for click-able objects that can be used in advertising (something you Flash guys seem to love), as well as subtitle and video navigation libraries like Popcorn.js

    Popcorn.js Demo:
    http://webmademovies.etherworks.ca/popcorndemo/

    In fact, some 11yr old kid just used popcorn for his homework book report project:
    http://bit.ly/a31c8I

    The kids know where it’s at! ;) … and I bet an 11yr old wouldn’t have been able to do *THAT* in Flash !! Even if he did, it probably wouldn’t have worked on the school computers anyway.

    6) “HTML5 cannot record from your webcam” – WRONG

    Any information coming into the browser window can be recorded if the user approves the source, these can be saved to files or to local-storage sessions. Again you are belaboring previous points. The device APIs and the movement towards total web-based media mastering and recording with Firefox Add-Ons like Rainbow: http://links.visibli.com/links/43c10b – but you raise an interesting point, that goes both ways… connecting to things in the window with Flash is very tedious, the compile process you then have to go through to test something works is annoying. HTML5 lets you rock n’ roll without compiling, pulling everything together live, in real-time.

    7. “HTML5 cannot create desktop apps.” – WRONG
    It totally can. You can compile and export machine code from the web browser if you know what you’re doing… but it would be absolutely freekin’ pointless!! Why? Because the Web is the new Desktop and the Browser is the .Next OS. Tools like AIR give you the ability to make desktop apps, and yes they do, kind of, but they run on Web technology, so +1 for HTML5. On top of this, AIR apps always seem buggy and un-responsive to me both on Linux and Windows and have really awful problems with fonts.

    8. HTML5 can’t handle video with alpha channels. – WRONG
    No idea how you came to this conclusion. Alpha video with HTML5 has been going on for years. http://hacks.mozilla.org/2009/06/pop-art-video/

    9. HTML5 doesn’t yet support Peer-2-Peer. – WRONG
    Websockets allow you to support any network software with the TCP/IP protocol: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WebSockets

    10. “HTML5 Doesn’t do Full Screen Mode” – NEWS FLASH
    Are you kidding me?! Please tell me you were not expecting a tag, just Press F11. ( I thought everyone knew that! )

    • Tomas

      The thing is that you can do all that in Flash TODAY. When HTML5 compare to Flash for 5 years ago and isn’t there yet, we seem new features coming like true 3D in next version of Flash and looking forward to that next year. When will WebGL reach the common people?

      HTML5 is full of compromises, it doesn’t work consequent across browsers, performance issues, javascript has its limits compared to actionscript. Fine if HTML5 add video and some tags etc but it isn’t mind blowing.

      You mention a lot but has no clues about the details. But that the problem about this religion war.

      • http://bocoup.com F1LT3R

        WebGL is already switched on in Chrome. Firefox4 1st Q 2010. Webkit I would guess…. very very soon if not on already. IE, God only knows. Opera, Odin only knows…. but it appears to have been being developed for some time now.

  • http://fanaticproductions.net Rg

    I agree with Georgia and Filter. You know, the next article you should write about is your poor knowledge of the subject and not compare things if you don’t know much about it. You wasted our time, seriously.

  • Marc

    I may be alone in this thought, but I’m far more interested in following web standards than I am in the features of Flash that HTML 5 won’t do. When I read the article I kept thinking, point after point, wow, that doesn’t effect me as a developer. By the end I was thinking the article was written to show exactly how well HTML 5 is going to reduce the need for Flash.

    As a standards concerned web designer, I am glad to hear it!

    • zehro

      I was thinking the exact same thing actually. Although in the past I did a lot of work in flash, if these are the only features that Flash has over HTML5 at the moment, then I’ll happily keep avoiding it.

  • http://outro.lt raveren

    Just came here to see how this crap article is shredded in the comments. Satisfactory indeed.

  • http://www,blog.highub.com Shi Chuan

    I am a big tuts fan, and I have to say this is the worst article I have ever read on tuts network or on the web. I am a front-end Flash and HTML developer. I love both technologies. But this post doesn’t make any sense at all. HTML5 can do most of the things using Phonegap or Appcelerator.

    I love Flash development, it can really allow creative developers to fully stretch their imagination. But on the mobile phone, I really prefer mobile web with HTML. The reason is rapid development and to avoid third party channels (appstore).

    The information provided in the post is simply misleading. It’s neither fact nor personal opinion, just false statement.

    I really hope tuts can have some quality control and have some peer review before allowing authors to publish work on this website.

  • randygland

    Well If HTML5 is being worked on so that it will be able to support webcam, as many of you have pointed out, then the author is correct.. HTML cannot support a webcam.

    The comments just prove a simple statistic, that javascript/html devs out number flash developers by about 10 to 1… It doesn’t stop them creaming their little panties every time someone does something in javascript/html5 or Canvas tag which was done if Flash 5 years ago.

    The author has a point, Flash can do more than html5, and if you don’t believe me, make a game in both as I have done, and compare how easy it was in both.

    I would also like to add another point: HTML5 doesn’t work in IE6, HTML5 doesn’t work in IE7, HTML5 doesn’t work in IE8.

  • Mark

    What this article proves is that html5 cult fanboys are a really nasty and immature lot.

    Look at all the angry, emotional and frenzied aggression they rabidly spew out at the merest hint of criticism and the pointing out of facts. It’s like little babies screaming because mummy won’t buy them sweets.

    Flash is just a web technology like html5, either use it or don’t, it’s really not that important in the bigger picture.

  • http://brunobuccolo.com Bruno Buccolo

    Title is wrong, it should be:
    “10 Flash Things You Can’t Do With HTML5 Yet”

  • Jason

    I admit The list is weak. There are so many other things that makes Flash superior to HTML. Here’s a few samples to wet your whistle:

    http://www.youtube.com/user/Doritosuk

    http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/flash/molehill/

    The bottom line is, Flash will move forward faster than HTML5. And because of this, HTML5 will always be tailing it’s rear. Sorry HTML guys, I know the truth hurts lol!

    • Kason

      Well, someone is pretty sure that Flash will move forward faster that HTML5. In the end, who gonna laugh?
      We see about that in coming years. Make sure you stick to your “Flash” and don’t learn HTML5 :D

  • http://www.alchymi.com Alchymi

    11 : HTML5 is Slow and not hardware accelerated -> wmode=”direct” wmode=”gpu”

  • http://ethan.heroku.com Ethan
    • Tomas

      But the author is correct, it doesn’t work well in HTML5 and most of people doesn’t care about an excuse that it going to be fixed somewhere in future or just work good in a few browsers. HTML5 have its places but is not a magic solution that solves everything.

      • jonny

        That’s the point, you can’t offer a client a solution that might work in most browsers in 5 years time maybe, HTML5 is a great standard to aim for but considering that we still have to use a 10 year old javascript version and css2, first specified in 1998, still doesn’t render properly in all modern browsers, i’m wouldn’t hold my breath for a smooth, fast, quirk free uptake of html5.

  • http://www.giulianoliker.com Giuliano Liker

    Wow, this is almost like Apple vs PC fight. So many people with hurt feelings here. Some even might cry, and I believe some already did.

  • http://www.stevefenton.co.uk/ Steve Fenton

    “HTML5 cannot create desktop apps” – why not? You can totally create a desktop application with HTML5. You probably need to at least explain why you think it can’t.

  • amy

    With all due respect, and I say this even though I spend a large percentage of my day in Flash, the above list is arguably some of the more annoying things Flash does.

    - I generally don’t want a platform as insecure as Flash utilizing my iSight or microphone and typically deny and navigate away from those sites.

    - I still find that desktop apps built in Air are less stable as desktop apps that are built platform specific.

    - Dynamic objects over video is 99.999% of the time used for ads, so I really don’t care and welcome the change.

    - How often am I going to really be doing AR? Honestly? I do client work, it would be rare that I would find a client where AR would add something of substance. AR on a website that’s being viewed on a desktop or notebook computer is more “wow” factor than useful. Unless it’s on a mobile device where it’s actually showing me something cool that I may be walking by or near, is unnecessary more often than not.

    - The video on a 3D plane is cool and all, but I’d hardly say it’s something I’d use in everyday development, but it is nice to know the option exists in case I have a client site where something like that would be useful and add to the site.

    - Video with alpha channels, to me, falls in the same category as the 3D plane video. It’s nice to know the option is there, but honestly, how often am I going to be using this?

    - Last but not least, there are PLENTY of P2P applications out there that don’t utilize Flash at all. I have a hard time crying over this point

    • Jay

      Security in flash is not inherent, it’s a script so it’s as secure or insecure as the developer makes it, just like every other script.

  • IlPalazzo

    lol

  • http://christianmontoya.net Montoya

    Author’s status:
    [ ] not told
    [x] TOLD

  • Oliver

    As mentioned above you are wrong with a lot of points, but hey I got a new point for you:

    Flash can definetely crash Xorg on Linux and Firefox on Macs – very often. The newest version even crashes the complete soundsystem on Linux. That something, that never happens in pure html5.

    • http://wallacesilva.faciliteweb.com/blog/ Wallace Silva

      truth, :(

  • Rafael Masoni

    I can’t take this article seriously.

    At least you made me laugh a bit.

  • Really!

    HTML5 devs sure do catch feelings easily… One thing I cannot stand is you saying flash crashes your browser… when in reality its quite the opposite, around 90% of the HTML5 sites or examples I have looked at have brought my browser to an unusable jittery state.

    CHECK OUT THE MOLEHILL API… and then come back here and bad mouth Flash.

  • http://www.vibesphere.com alex urdea

    yet

  • Johnny

    Well, #7 is wrong, and all of the rest sound like good things!

  • rIO

    I’m raising my hand…I do have java installed and NO, I don’t have any sort of weather prediction tool.

    This article also contains “some” small errors about HTML5 capabilities.

    And hummm starting a flamewar between Flash and HTML5 is like trying to choose if the refrigerator is better than the shower…

  • http://blog.juliencrouzet.fr Julien CROUZET

    Do you know that EVERY POINT in your article is just wrong ?!
    Did you ever read the HTML specs ?!

  • Ozren

    The big difference is, Flash devs usualy know JS/HTML/CSS very well, on the other hand, HTML guys have no clue what OOP is and how to program in Flash.

    Its good to know both sides of web development if you want to be relevant in market.

  • http://janbuschtoens.tk/ Jan

    1. But they are planing it.
    2. Yes, it can: Canvas.
    3. Same as 1.
    4. Yeah, but they are working at Peer to peer, which will make it possible.
    5. Well, that’s just a lie. You can use the -tag and lay another over it an track the time via Java Script. You could even use the -tag.
    6. Ehm, same as 1 and 4? xD
    7. Is that necessary?
    9. Same as 4?
    10. But Browsers do.

    All in All, your post is not very true and useful.

  • http://abeall.com Aaron Beall

    I think the justification for Flash is deeper than a feature vs feature comparison. Flash has never been the only way to do what it does… it’s simply been the “best” way (definition of “best” subject to intense debate), as evidenced by market penetration with developers and users alike.

    The feature gap between HTML and plugins is definitely narrowing, which is new and exciting after years of stagnation — in the past plugins sort of dwarfed the capabilities of HTML, but the future competition will be the same as it’s always been: the better experience wins.

    I frankly have no clue what the long-term future of HTML vs Flash (vs anything else) will be, but right now to me Flash is a far better experience as a developer, and I can get far better user experiences (minus the iPhone), which is why I use it most of the time.

  • http://sekta.pl Maciek

    points 1=4=6.

    I would add one word to a topic : ” ..yet. “

  • http://johncblandii.com John C. Bland II

    #6 is a duplicate. You already mentioned webcam.

    #7 You can create desktop apps w/ the very tech you mentioned: http://www.adobe.com/devnet/air/ajax/articles/air_and_webkit.html.

    I think you should clarify #5. Folks like tehk are getting wound up but I think you mean you can’t listen to dynamic cuepoints in HTML 5. Setting up timers to update captions, etc is easy in JS.

  • http://www.makehello.com Alan_S

    Technology agnosticism is good practice. Get religious with (or against) any one technology, and you may be excluding a portion of clients or worse, you’ve ensured that your council is biased.

    I rarely suggest Flash to a client because it rarely suits their needs. At the same time, the majority of my income comes from agencies that can’t find a decent AS3 developer.

    So I guess I take back what I said. Do rally against Flash, because the clients don’t attend developer rallies. :)

  • Justin Case

    I like that both the flash and html5 devs seem to be looking forward to a hardware accelerated web.

    Stuff like Molehill http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/flash/molehill/

    And WebGL http://learningwebgl.com/ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64TcBiqmVko)

    This is exciting! This will be awesome, soon we will se web games with normalmapping and stuff like that!

  • http://www.mostwanted.com.au Fan

    well, most of these things don’t really matter. 90% of interactive web purpose is none corporate stuff.

    so who cares. plus its still immature, once browsers build all those things in, then poooo.

    I don’t think its about dying.

    Flash needs to do something to continue its market share otherwise html5 will take over.

  • http://markbiegel.com Mark

    I had MUCH more enjoyment reading the comments!

  • http://michiel.vanderros.nl Michiel van der Ros

    The thing I’m missing is sites where the source code should *not* be viewable, like advertising campaigns/games where you can win prizes.

  • Carol X.

    Why do people keep wanting to kill things? Flash gained market because it was useful, easy to use both by designers and programmers and, at the time, was the best toll for delivering rich content, video and animation on the web.

    HTML5 came and will make it easier for us to design useful and beautiful content. But Flash already has a handful of resources available, it adapts better to designer needs, and people are used to it. The “Flash is dead” choir forgets to consider an important fact:

    Technology ends up being adapted to people’s needs and wishes. Technology will serve our lives, not the contrary.

    And because of this simple fact, Flash will only be dead if at least 1 of these 2 things happen:
    1) Adobe abandons the platform and it becomes obsolete
    2) Consumers (not developers) start hating Flash for some reason

  • R

    Oh look, Eczmascript and Flasher retards arguing with each other about who is mentally defective.

    The obvious answer is: both.

  • openstandards

    Sorry but you missed the part about html 5 doesn’t allow vendor lock in, please in future understand what you’re writing about writing.
    You just wasted my time well you can have a A+ star for that.

  • gina

    it just seems so silly how HTML5 people are often so hateful (honestly, not too far from the way people express hate for other people based on race, politics, sexuality, etc). i’ve never met a Flash person that hates or isn’t willing to embrace HTML5. i don’t get it. why can’t 2 technologies coexist or be seen differently? are we really giving Steve Jobs that much power? Flash is just on the defense because it is being attacked from many angles. it’s unfortunate that it’s not seen for the creativity that it allows, especially for people who don’t have comp sci degrees.

  • http://creatia.us/ Ryan Doss

    This is beautiful. I love watching communities getting there panties in a wad :D

    I have to say I lean towards the hope and dream of HTML5 running the internet world. Until the day it does, I will design and develop with both. Why pick a side? I agree with “R” up there… you can’t win with one of the other so you have to work with both. Provide HTML5 if supported and flash if not. Period. (NOT Menstrual Cycle)

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