A couple of days ago we reported about Occupy Flash – a group that wants to get rid of Flash from all web browsers. And now, it looks like they have an opposition in the form of another movement called “Occupy HTML”. But unlike Occupy Flash that wants to get rid of Flash (you can’t get rid of HTML5) they believe that HTML5 and Flash should coexist peacefully, or at least until Flash can be completely replaced by it. Here is Occupy HTML’s manifesto:
Flash is mature. It’s supported by all major desktop browsers. It’s stable when used properly. If not, it crashes a lot, just like every other technology. It requires constant security updates, just like every other web technology. It doesn’t work well on most mobile devices, and for good reasons. It’s a content plugin, developed during the era of closed standards and unilateral corporate control of web technology. Websites that rely on Flash can present a unique (and often unparalleled) experience for the massive percentage of users on a desktop browser. Flash powers some amazing experiences that work consistently across all of the major browsers in a way that cannot be replicated without Flash technology.
Championing simplistic statements regarding web technologies makes the web less educated. At this point, it’s holding back the web.
Occupy HTML’s manifesto makes sense, and personally it’s something I agree with. I mean, if something can only be done in Flash – why not keep it in Flash, and only replace it when the technology is available instead of cutting it out completely? Forcing everybody to go HTML5-only seems too restrictive to me. What do you think?
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