Flash - Today's 8-Track Tape Player

For some of those reading this the reference to 8-track tape will not even resonate.  8-track was a technology that came and went because it was only a temporary solution and never really that good.  There was no point in fighting it, if you invested heavily in 8-track tape media (as some have invested today in Flash media) you were going to be left with the hefty cost of  replacing your media and hardware (in today's case streaming infrastructure).

Flash advocates and those heavily invested in the plug-in are dragging their heals and fighting a similar yet inevitable battle as the 8-track generation.  Flash was a temporary solution to what is now a 10 year old problem.  Flash was okay, looked cool and solved some challenges but it has never been that good.  And now with the proliferation of mobile computing on handheld devices Flash has met the end of it's useful life cycle.

Why is Flash today's 8-track?  Because as it was with the 8-track, the delivery systems and technology has advanced to a point where Flash is too bulky.  Mobile devices need to run light so as not to consume battery life too quickly.  Flash as a plug-in takes a lot of computing resources, thus consumes energy rapidly.  Apple's statement to never support Flash on iPhone or iPad was not only prolific but technically correct and the industry has logically followed.  Not because Steve Jobs decreed it but because it is the logical evolution of media to smart devices.

It can be confusing for someone who keeps an eye on the latest gadgets (phones, tablets,. etc.).  At a glance it would seem that Blackberry and Android based devices have adopted Flash, thereby keeping the plug-in relevant.  In actuality this is no different that the cross over stereo of the day which had both a cassette and 8-track player.

In the 10's decade online media appears to be the domain of Apple and Google.  Although Microsoft today has had the unenviable persona as an un-hip and uber behind the times sloth, they still have an install base that cannot be denied or ignored.  So when Redmond announces Windows 8 and IE 10 and makes it abundantly clear that the new age is HTML-5 (plug-in free browsing), one still must take note.

Apple - No Flash
Microsoft - HTML-5
Google - WebM

Like the deprecation of the 8-track, when all the major labels stopped producing titles in the format, it was over.  The web's "major labels" above, have made it very clear what the future of mobile browsing will be and that is a plug-in free software environment.  The desktops, set top boxes and gaming consoles will all follow.

Unfortunately no one is likely going to buy your Flash based streaming media site at a flee market or garage sale even if they are nostalgic for that old format.  Best bet is to cut your losses and look ahead but do be careful.  As I write this today, HTML-5 is still bleeding edge.  Few companies have had the required experience with it nor do they have the knowledge and background on the evolution to make it work correctly.  So when you approach providers to assist you, ensure that you are dealing with a company that has the skill set and can accurately explain the migration to HTML-5.  After all, you wouldn't want to spend a kings ransom only to find out that you had inadvertently banked on the equivalent of HD-DVD