It is no secret in the Internet world that Adobe Flash Player is slowly dying and that inevitably HTML5 will take over. The web browser companies continue to create compatibility issues for Flash that only seem to get worse. For online catalogs that are based in Flash, this results in users receiving error messages when trying to load the online publication.
Only recently have the browser companies become more aggressive in their stand against Flash, as pointed out by CSO (a research group that tackles online security topics). They point out that Internet Explorer is going to be the only major web browser with Flash enabled, now that Microsoft is taking some initiative in a recent update to Windows 10 that automatically blocks Flash content. The update makes Edge another browser that can be considered an enemy to Flash, with Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox as the most problematic browsers for Adobe’s platform.
The article continues to point out HTML5 as the successor to Flash’s streaming throne, considering the faith Chrome, Firefox and Apple Safari has placed in the newer technology.
Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari and Microsoft Edge require users to download Adobe Flash plugins, creating errors messages for many online catalog users.
Such changes began taking place for good reason. About two years ago, Firefox led the way by blocking Flash content after serious security problems arose from the platform. HTML5 grew in popularity as a supplementary option that had mobile capabilities; on the other hand, Flash was linked to a few critical online security breaches. It was not an ideal trade-off for Adobe.
There was already dissent toward Flash for not working on mobile devices — a defining blow delivered by Apple when its iPhone’s began growing in popularity — and when security vulnerabilities began to crop up, there seemed little reason to trust Flash. Last year, IAB guideline changes also set in motion the transition away from Flash, helping give reason to Google to no longer accept Flash-based ads.
The result for some online catalogs is a troubling scenario, the possibility that users aren’t receiving any content at all but rather a loading error and security risk message.
As the leader in online publications, Dirxion began a migration away from Flash toward HTML5 about seven years ago. Dirxion released its first HTML5-based product in 2012. Today, the online catalog is one of Dirxion’s most-reliable platforms, using HTML5, Javascript and CSS to provide a custom design for the user’s shopping experience.
Needless to say, these online catalogs load on all browsers and mobile devices. Dirxion also provides frequent product updates to support changes to browsers and operating systems.
