Macromedia Flash · FutureSplash Animator · Flash Player
1996 CE2020 CE
The plugin that taught the web to move — born FutureSplash in 1996, banished from the iPhone by Steve Jobs in 2010, switched off worldwide when Adobe ended it in 2020.
Born
1996 CE
Died
2020 CE
Lived
24 years
Dead for
6 yrs
At its peak
Installed on over 90% of internet-connected desktops at peak
Cause of death
Replaced
Replaced by
HTML5, CSS3, WebGL and JavaScript
The Obituary
For over a decade Adobe Flash was how the web came alive. Born as FutureSplash in 1996 and later owned by Macromedia and Adobe, it powered animated banners, browser games, restaurant menus, and the early years of YouTube, reaching well over 90% of desktops. Its weaknesses were chronic: security holes, battery drain, and a closed, proprietary core. Steve Jobs banned it from the iPhone in 2010, and open standards like HTML5 absorbed its tricks. Adobe ended support on December 31, 2020, and a built-in time bomb stopped Flash from playing anything after January 12, 2021.
Worth remembering
Steve Jobs's 2010 'Thoughts on Flash' barred it from the iPhone and sealed its decline.
Adobe built a 'kill switch' so Flash refused to play content after January 12, 2021.
Gallery
Screenshot of the Adobe Flash Professional CS6 authoring environment with its stage, timeline, and tool panelsיִרְדֵּן כּרְמִי · CC BY-SA 3.0A web page blocked by a large black 'Please install Adobe Flash Player' prompt in FirefoxANordal · CC BY-SA 4.0
Sources
Adobe ended Flash Player support December 31, 2020 Wikipedia
Steve Jobs's 2010 'Thoughts on Flash' open letter Wikipedia
Adobe Flash (as FutureSplash) was acquired by Macromedia in December 1996 and renamed Flash 1.0; Adobe acquired Macromedia in 2005 and inherited the product Britannica
Adobe ended Flash Player support on 31 December 2020 and began blocking Flash content from running on 12 January 2021. Adobe
Flash grew from Macromedia's FutureSplash into the dominant platform for web animation and video in the 2000s before Steve Jobs's 2010 'Thoughts on Flash' and the shift to HTML5 ended it. History of the Web
A graveyard tradition: leave a stone to show you came, and remembered.
Buried nearby — by shared fate or a neighbouring lifespan.
