Adobe finally tells developers to stop using Flash

Once the primary means of making animation, browser games and interactive visualisations for the web, Adobe Flash has been ailing for a long time. And now -- after almost everyone else recognised the massive security and performance problems with the proprietary tech -- its makers Adobe have announced that it will be moving away from the platform.

Adobe said that it would now encourage developers to "build with new web standards", primarily HTML 5.

In an announcement last night, Adobe described Flash as having "helped push the web forward", but acknowledged the increasing prevalence of newer languages and open standards.

Flash, which can be slow and battery-draining, is unsupported on virtually all smartphones, leading to a sharp decline in its use. It has also faced several security issues in the past few years, with Mozilla refusing to unblock the platform until "Adobe releases a version which isn't being actively exploited by a publicly known vulnerabilities".

"Open standards like HTML5 have matured and now provide many of the capabilities that Flash ushered in," said Adobe in its statement. "We encourage content creators to build with new web standards".

Flash won't be disappearing completely, says Adobe, but its own animation tool has been renamed from Flash Professional CC to Animate CC: Adobe says that around a third of the content created in the app is already based on HTML5. Flash will also continue to be used in several key areas such as web gaming and premium videos, Adobe insists -- areas in which it says "new standards have yet to fully mature".

Adobe have promised that they are "committed to ensuring the ongoing compatibility and security of Flash content", and that they will be working with Facebook to "help ensure Flash gaming content on Facebook continues to run reliably and securely".

"Looking ahead, we will continue to focus on providing the best tools and services for designers and developers to create amazing content for the web," it said.