NEWS FLASH: Flash is Outta Here!

Let Udutu convert your old Flash courses into HTML5 before it’s too late!

Flash to HTML5 — What Does the End of Life for Flash Mean for You?

You may have noticed already that some browsers have already stopped supporting Flash and that it is becoming harder and harder to view Flash objects online. If you have e-learning courses this problem is only going to become larger. On December 31, 2020, Adobe Systems will officially stop updating and distributing Adobe Flash. Neglecting to convert Flash content to HTML5 will have implications for a number of industries. There are a number of issues facing online courses that will need to be mapped out and risk management plans put into place.

What is Flash?

Flash is a multimedia platform used to produce animations, mobile games, and applications. Flash graphics and animations are viewed in a browser through the use of the Flash Player.

What is HTML5?

HTML is coding language that allows us to see stuff online and does not require a player. HTML5 is mobile ready and responsive so content will automatically adjust on different mobile devices.

Why Discontinue Flash?

Over the years Flash has become a target of hackers and malware authors. It requires a lot of memory and is not power efficient, one of the main reasons Apple chose never to support it on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. With the convergence of the mobile and desktop web, these are all compelling reasons to eliminate Flash.

Mozilla has already discontinued support for Flash back in 2016 due to excessive security vulnerabilities that Flash was continuing to patch for. At the end of 2020 will completely block Flash.

Google Chrome discontinued using Flash in 2018, although the software can still be enabled through Chrome settings. Google will completely block flash by the end of December, along with Internet Explorer.

How does this Effect E-learning?

This means that you will no longer be able to deliver any e-learning containing Flash content on any of the major browsers after December so you must convert it to HTML5 to ensure the longevity of your e-learning programs. It also means that after you convert your e-learning to HTML5, you will be able to deliver it to a broader audience via tablets and mobile devices.

Udutu Supports HTML5

All Udutu templates are HTML5. As well, our rich text editor is a full HTML editor so it is easy to create compatible content. Another advantage to switching to HTML5 is that HTML course content is easy to edit and update, unlike Flash which requires specific software to develop and update.