HTML5, the fifth version of Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) built on its original goal of interconnectivity is nonetheless a logical evolution of the older language. Armed with advanced capabilities of HTML to include audio and video elements, HTML5 allows Web designers to pull images, audio, and video directly into a Web page. Moreover, the best thing to happen is that all major browsers Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Opera, Internet Explorer now offer HTML5 support – making it all the more accessible to designers.
Flash from Adobe is one of the most popular authoring environments capable of producing everything from simple animations to fully interactive experiences like games, etc. In fact, with the latest edition of Adobe Flash Professional CS5, designers and developers can integrate audio, video, text, and graphics. This can be effectively used to deliver outstanding results for e-learning, interactive presentations, mobile phones, PDAs, and application user interfaces. Flash is also supported by all browsers – Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, Safari, etc. and just requires the installation of Flash Player to start with.
HTML 5 vs. FLASH – KNOW WHAT SUITS YOU THE BEST
Well, there has been a lot of debate and discussion since the advent of HTML5, as to which is better. But truly speaking, this is not worthwhile a debate as you cannot actually compare the two; because HTML5 and Flash are completely different solutions, which makes comparisons between the two a bit baseless.
|
Points for Comparison |
FLASH |
HTML5 |
| LOOKS/PERFORMANCE | A highly presentable, flashy software | Great hardware acceleration, so better performance |
| SEO | Not SEO-friendly | Supports SEO |
| PLUG-INS | Flash requires Plug-ins | HTML5 does not use plug-ins |
| BROWSER COMPATIBILITY | Compatible on all browsers. | Only about 6% of browsers are using HTML5 including Google Chrome and Safari. |
| MOBILE/DEVICE COMPATIBILITY | Not compatible with many mobile devices; won’t show on the iPad | It is compatible with mobile devices; can use on any system |
| DRM (Digital Rights Management) | Awesome! Flash makes it harder for users to right-click and take content, preventing illegal stealing of content. | Requires special types of servers and settings to manage DRM |
| COST | It’s expensive to develop flash apps for video; you have to hire a Flash Pro for development. | HTML5 is FREE and open; users need not pay anything to build HTML5 |
Flash, as you all know is primarily designed to produce media for the Web; however, Flash animations can be added to PowerPoint, digital videos, and even merged into other Flash animations. The one thing that prevails for Flash is ‘consistency’, which sometimes seems to fumble in the case of HTML5 mainly when it comes to its browser compatibility.
Also, when it comes to winning the popularity contest, it’s Flash hands down. Because, the software with an enviable 97% market share goes to show that almost everyone with desktop computers use Flash. However, HTML5 is here to stay if you can deal with its cross browser inconsistency problem and some performance issues.
WHY HTML5 AND NOT FLASH – THE HTML5 EDGE
Well, this is perhaps the hottest debate in the web development industry today that has brought both the respective community of Flash and HTML5 enthusiasts at loggerheads. While both have their own valid arguments, HTML5 in this latest version has brought a revolution in the web development industry as developers are quickly beginning to relate to its advantages. So, what makes HTML5 more attractive than Flash? Let’s find out.
- HTML5 scores a brownie point when it comes to the open source factor. While HTML5 being an open source can be enhanced with innovative features by any savvy developer who wants to do so, this is however, not possible with Flash since it is controlled by Adobe.
- HTML5 also relieves its users from dependency of plug-ins as it is natively supported by major web browsers. This however is not is possible with Flash, as you require to install the Flash plug-in first to view Flash videos or animations.
- HTML5 also scores when it comes to comparison of loading time as it requires lesser time than Flash. Because Flash applications and websites that are loaded with animations and audio, video files, take longer time to download. This also leads to designers requiring working quite hard to optimize Flash.
- Moreover, HTML5 has an edge over Flash especially in the mobile web development sector, since it gels well with devices such as iOS or other mobile OS. Flash, however scores poorly here owing to its poor performance with mobile devices and laptops (Apple has already banned it for iPads and iPhones).
SYNOPSIS
As mentioned earlier, both HTML5 and Flash has its dedicated user segment and will continue to thrive in their own precinct. But with HTML5 that was created to make the coding process easier and more logical, it definitely is ringing warning bells for Flash.
What is your preference and why? We’d like to hear from you.
