Digital Media Buzz > HTML 5: The End for Flash and Silverlight?

HTML 5: The End for Flash and Silverlight?

By Lauren Fritsky

There’s been a big to-do over whether or not the emergence of HTML 5, already alive in parts of the Web, will render technologies like Microsoft Silverlight and Adobe Flash obsolete.

The answer: it all depends.

On what, precisely? Well, several things. Preeminent is the theory that HTML 5 is still a work in progress that won’t be realized in its entirety across all browsers for quite a while. But some of these plug-in technologies also bring capabilities to the designing table that may still be relevant in an HTML 5 world.

No Flash in the Pan
Flash has in its corner its ubiquity and ability to display content consistently across different browsers and platforms, something that could remain unaffected by HTML 5.

“Because it is so widely used, if you suddenly took away the Flash compatibility for video, it would break 75 percent of capability on the Web today,” says Dave McAllister, director of open source and standards at Adobe. He also stressed that the company listens to the needs and wants of the three principal communities of designers, developers and end users.

Adobe also has a crop of developer tools that could survive post-HTML 5 (there’s also Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR), a cross-platform runtime environment for building rich Internet applications that include some HTML 5 features). And unlike Microsoft, Adobe doesn’t promote a specific browser, so non-platform compatibility issues don’t arise. With no true no end-date for the completion of HTML 5, Flash can evolve quickly before the spec is out the door.  “It’s possible for us to literally update the Web in a single year,” McAllister says. “New technology can roll out that fast.”

Adobe, which is a member of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), one of two groups working on the HTML 5 spec, says a video codec is still absent, an issue that arose last summer.

“In standards bodies, writers try to assume where the space is going before it actually exists, which can lead to some really nasty repercussions down the road,” McAllister says. “In something as broad as the browser space, there are a huge number of standards that relate to that place. In a working group, they should be considering all those other standards.”

A Silver Lining?
Microsoft, which is also apart of the WC3 working group, says Silverlight can still stay in the game despite HTML 5’s evolvement.

“Silverlight offers customers a rich platform they can use today, while HTML 5’s creators say it will be years before its completion,” says a Microsoft spokesperson. “In addition, Silverlight provides a rich, differentiated experience in several key scenarios where rich Internet applications (RIAs) are required.”

The company also points out that Internet Explorer 8 supports several elements of the HTML 5 spec, including: the DOM Store, which allows developers to store content and data on the end users computer; cross document messaging; cross domain messaging; Ajax navigation and ContentEditable.

“We’re investing in what the Web will look like in the future, and we are committed to providing a browser that accurately supports Web standards,” the spokesperson says. “Making the Web easier for developers continues to be important and we will continue to contribute to development of HTML 5, along with other popular Web standards.”

The Public Weighs In
Developers, designers and users all have different things to say about the Flash/Silverlight issue. Here’s a sampling:

“I think you, Flash, does have something to worry about. HTML 5 support is going to catch on faster then you think given the speed at which browsers are being updated now, and as a developer those rich application tools look tasty, cheaper and easier to implement then Flash. I’m not saying Flash is dead, but I do think that it will be used less and less,” says Michael Kussmaul.

“The fact that there is some overlap in functionality between HTML5 and Flash is beside the point. When you are stuck developing for the lowest common denominator you don’t get to tap into a lot of these nice features,” says Ward Chanley.

“I don’t think you’re saying a world with HTML5 is a world without Flash. You guys make your money on tools, not browser plug-ins. So what if browser vendors create a situation where traditional plug-ins are irrelevant? Developers/designers still need tools to create and publish content. I think Adobe may be the best in that space currently. You just may need to embrace standards and openness a little better,” says jL.

“I’d be happy to see Flash go away … but Silverlight won’t be supplanted. The latter is more programmable, more secure and more versatile anyway,” says Astrochimp.

“Performance and development tooling are the biggest challenges/threats for HTML5 implementors [sic], not Microsoft or Adobe. I think the playing field is being continuously leveled, and IE will self-destruct if it doesn’t start following standards,” says Anchormath.