Adobe has been stringing along Flash for years even though calls have intensified for this outdated web technology to bite the dust. Most web browsers have actively started blocking Flash to safeguard their users against the various threats that materialize due to Flash-based content. Adobe recently confirmed when it’s going to discontinue Flash for good. However, some would like Adobe to keep Flash around, particularly for “future generations.”
An online petition has been launched by web developer Juha Linstedt, calling on Adobe to make Flash open source. The idea is to ensure that Flash sticks around as a part of Internet history after Adobe ends support for the Flash player in 2020.
“Flash is an important piece of Internet history and killing Flash means future generations can’t access the past,” the petition states, adding that the end of support for Flash would mean that “Games, experiments and websites would be forgotten.”
Linstedt adds that by making Flash open source, Adobe will ensure that Flash projects are kept alive and safe. The developer also puts forward a suggestion which involves creating a standalone web browser that’s capable of playing Flash content.
The developer acknowledges that there might be some licensed components in Flash that Adobe won’t be able to offer publicly once Flash bites the dust. “Simply leave them out with a note explaining what was removed,” says Linstedt, adding that “We will either bypass them, or replace them with open source alternatives.”
Adobe has not yet commented on this petition.