Adobe flash is an authoring tool for creating multimedia and interactive content. Allows you to connect graphic components and technical programming. You can create new graphic objects or integrate existing ones. At the same time, they can be easily directed and animated by ActionScript code. At the same time, audio items can be added quickly. So it applies from games to banners.
Flash development
You can create graphic objects with Flash. These can be easily animated, even without code. It is done between two forms, and can be programmed using the ActionScript object-oriented scripting language, which allows multiple apps.
Interaction is feasible with ActionScript, since it can respond to mouse and keyboard input. You can work on a .fla file. As a result, this file is eventually converted to a .swf file (pronounced swiff = shockwave flash). This type of file can be easily integrated into a web page and can be played on any platform. Even offline, a .swf file can be played with many media players, alternatively only in a browser window.
Application areas
Flash apps are very varied. At the same time of banners and games, you can create a video player or a full page. Flash is also used many times in e-learning and interactive presentations. There are many items on the web that have been created using Flash. Generally, Flash is browser and operating system independent. However, the Internet user must have the Adobe Flash plugin installed.
Current issues
Vulnerabilities have been found repeatedly in Flash Player. Sometimes these vulnerabilities are used by criminals. In February 2013, there were reports that attackers could take control of a computer when the user opens a malicious file with the player. In May 2013, new vulnerabilities were reported. The software has been tweaked with updates to handle any issues. In this way, it is essential to quickly install the updates offered.
Future
It is speculated that Adobe is no longer interested in further development of Flash. In early 2012, Adobe announced that Flash Player would be radically revised to meet future requirements. Flash Next was to be created, in which both the Flash Player code and the ActionScript Virtual Machine would undergo refactoring.
The official statement was that Flash Next it would not be backward compatible Flash, which would have meant a lot of work for developers. This disadvantage of Adobe gives the impression that Flash does not have much of a future. At the same time, critics also note that the staff who had participated in the previous development was being reduced, and currently less is being developed with Flash than before.
Apple Inc. provided another reason for this assumption. Many Apple mobile devices do not support Flash. This is a signal to software developers that Flash is in decline. If you put a swf file online, you should pay attention that many users will not be able to see it, because they use an Apple product. This is surprising, given that Apple and Adobe have a very good commercial relationship. Apple declares the various security vulnerabilities as one of the reasons for the lack of Flash in its products. Another is that Flash is not suitable for touch screens. In general, it is criticized that Flash is not made for mobile devices, but for PCs with a mouse[1].
Relevance for SEO
If the items are created with Flash, they have a fixed size. So it differs from pure HTML pages. An HTML page can be programmed in such a way that it is adjustable, and remember that users do not always visit a website from a single device. There are a multitude of screen sizes. As a web operator, you must ensure that a Flash element is not limited due to its size or becomes unusable.
What has changed over the years is relevance to search engines. At this time, they can read the content of the Flash files. Adobe has worked with Google and Yahoo to make this feasible. This is different from JavaScript apps, for example, whose content cannot be read by search engines.
Previously, search engines couldn't read Flash. In this way, pure Flash pages, like typical intro pages, did not rank. It is always recommended to include plain text on a page. Using HTML5 offers good possibilities for website design.
If you use Flash, you should pay attention that not all users have the Flash plugin installed. If it is not installed for any reason, the visitor you will not be able to view or use the item.
If you deliberately don't want to load Flash or JavaScript files into your browser, you can install a NoScript plugin.
