Flash Vs HTML5 In Google Chrome

FLASH vs HTML5 IN GOOGLE CHROME

The use of audio, videos and animations is inevitable in a large number of websites. Google knows this for a fact and it is among the reasons why it continues to releases newer version of Chrome that readily support online media playback. Chrome holds the top position as the fastest browser, mostly due to its fast pace in rendering images and scripts. This means that the war between HTML5 and Flash puts it on the spotlight as a leading browser. It is not easy for Chrome to take sides in such arguments given that the two have their pros and cons. Here is a closer look on HTML5 and Flash concerning how they handle multimedia files and other features.

Flash On Chrome

Adobe introduced Flash to the world of web programming more than a decade ago. It has become more of a web publishing standard, with close to 98% of both laptop and desktop browsers using it. Its popularity soared to great heights, so much so that a majority of web developers relied on it for eye-catching banners and other advanced features. It is still the leading audio and video plugin, offering playback support on Chrome and many other web browsers.

Unlike other browsers, you do not need to download and install Adobe Flash player to play audio and video files in your browser because it comes embedded in Chrome for Windows. You can however choose to disable Flash on your Chrome browser by using the FlashControl feature. Chrome system updates come bundled with those of Flash, making the process of updating easy and fast.

Despite the rush to integrate the use of HTML5 on websites, Flash is still the most preferred choice when working with advanced video features such as caption, streaming and other interactive features. HTML5 does not yet have a better way of sending embedded and encapsulated data. This means that videos with advertisements will have to be played on a browser containing Flash plugin. Chrome also prefers Flash to HTML5 due to its content protection capabilities. This is a major security issue and so long as Google intends to protect users’ content from illegal distribution, Chrome will continue to support Flash.

Giant companies like Apple stopped using Flash in their products due to claims that it utilizes more power and browsers frequently crush under it. Therefore, it is no surprise that HTML5 is being used to develop iPhone and iPad applications. Chrome for Mac OS does not come with Flash, but you can be able to download and add the plugin. Google too is increasingly embracing HTML5, especially in production of Android apps.

HTML5 on Chrome

HTML5 is a web programming standard that has evolved from the time-tested HTML code. The standard has since gained popularity with leading websites and social networking sites taking it up on their web development projects. Despite being a working draft, it continues draw attention with more than half of the installed browsers being HTML5 compliant, Google Chrome included.

Like other leading web browsers, Google Chrome readily supports the HTML5 technology. The utilization of the famed <audio> and <video> elements in web development eliminates the need for users to rely on plugins such as Flash and Silverlight for purposes of multimedia playback because under HTML5, the two are handled by the browser. This has lead to the big debate on whether HTML5 will succeed in replacing Flash in the near future. Chrome 6 and other later builds are HTML5 compliant but early versions still depend on the Adobe Flash plugin.

HTML5 works well to incorporate other technologies such as Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and Canvas, which has resulted to the production of some of the cutting edge layouts and coolest animations. Google runs Chrome Experiments, a website whose purpose is to showcase the latest and most creative JavaScript apps, CSS layouts and animations done by combining Canvas and HTML5. Latest versions like Chrome 21 support new features which allow a webpage to access your microphone and webcam, making video chats much easier than before.

In online gaming, Flash has outdone HTML5 but Chrome is working on features that will support gamepads directly from the browser level, giving video game addicts a reason to stick with this browser. Support for more devices grows with the introduction of Chrome for Android, which is built on the HTML5 technology. This is bound to increase the performance of mobile devices, an area that has great potential for improved features and further innovations.

CONCLUSION

There have been previous claims that major websites are taking sides in the ever-growing debate on Flash versus HTML5. Apple and Google were among the first ones to embrace the new technology by integrating the use of HTML5 in Safari and Chrome browsers. However, leading video site YouTube and Hulu have insisting on using Flash over HTML5, claiming that it does not meet all their customers’ needs in terms of streaming, securing content and high performance rendering for videos. This suggests that Flash is not about to exit from the scene, even as HTML5 continues gather momentum, with more web designers opting to use it there visualization projects. Flash still has a commanding lead while HTML5 has a promising future. Amidst all this, Chrome continues to support both technologies, leaving it up to the users to decide on what is best them.