Is HTML 5 a threat to Flash?

Himanshu Mody, CEO, 7Tekno Point Multimedia

My take on Flash versus HTML 5:
When you compare Flash Vs HTML 5, you are actually comparing what Flash has been delivering since years to what HTML5 only promises to achieve in future.

Is HTML 5 a threat to Flash?

If HTML 5 can first catch up with what Flash can already do and then match the pace and constant innovation that Adobe brings to Flash platform year after year.

Is this Apple's business strategy versus a standard? How will the debate end?

This seems to be one company versus what is good for a content owner (reach, cost , turnaround time) and the designer- developer ecosystem.

How to decide on when to develop on HTML5 and when to develop on Flash? Should the developers prefer one standard over the other?

As of today I will probably not choose HTML 5 to develop anything substantial, it brings you back to the age old issue of standard experience for a user across browsers, a problem that is resolved with a Flash player. A team of very talented engineers can probably do a lot with HTML 5 , but in reality you do not want to use such engineers to do something which is so easily doable using flash.

What makes for a standard that will be universally acceptable...

With so many rapid changes in how consumers interact with content, a standard universally acceptable should be something that can constantly innovate and create opportunities for content owners, designers and developers to adapt rapidly and make sure they do not miss the bus.

Subrahmanyam Kavuri, Account Manger, Enterprise Business Unit Persistent Systems Limited

My take on Flash versus HTML 5:
It is a very healthy debate. Having a competing technology will only bring out the best. In the end we will have HTML 5 and Flash instead of HTML 5 v/s Flash.

Is HTML 5 as a threat to Flash?

Since Flash has some lead over HTML5, it will be a while before HTML5 can be a serious threat. But there is also a good amount of buzz already around HTML5. Key product companies are looking very closely at HTML5, preparing themselves to adopt the technology as it matures. The iPhone/iPad world is making this a compelling option. However, on the downside, HTML 5 would be heavily dependent on browser vendors' implementation. Webkit, Firefox etc. should be supporting HTML 5 in a compatible way soon.

How to decide on when to develop on HTML 5 and when to develop on Flash?

Today, the safer bet is Flash. But if you are looking to build apps specifically targeted for Apple devices, HTML5 offers enough capability to build something meaningful, though the HTML5 is going through a lot of changes at the spec-level. Again, if you are dealing with H.264 video codec and need multi browser support, HTML 5 is an outright reject.

Rajdeep Dua, Google India

My take on Flash versus HTML 5:
Google has invested heavily in HTML 5 and believes it will be standard for the web going forward. Lots of things like video, audio and canvas support would go a long way in building richer apps within the browser

Is HTML 5 a threat to Flash?

We can't comment on that but believe in open standards for the web.

Howto decide on when to develop on HTML5 and when to develop on Flash? Should the developers prefer one standard over the other?

Developers have to evaluate a technology from various aspects. The key being: Is this a native platform supported out of the box?; Will I be tied to a particular vendor or technology?; Will this slow down the performance of my app?; Is the technology platform open?What makes for a standard that will be universally acceptable?

Extensive support from major technology platform providers, Easy to understand and program, Lower learning curve, Extensible, and it should cover majority of the use cases.

P.N. Anantharaman, Director, Engineering, Platform Business Unit, Adobe Systems Inc.

My take on Flash versus HTML 5:
The way Adobe views this is that both Flash and HTML 5 will have a role to play in shaping up tomorrow's rich internet-user experience. Adobe always has had products and support for HTML. For instance, Dreamweaver is a product that is a part of our suite, which has always looked at HTML as a core technology. Similarly, ColdFusion also is meant for producing HTML content. That said, it is progression from old HTML 4.x to HTML 5 that we see as a logical extension to whatever we are already doing.

Is HTML 5 a threat to Flash?

Flash today is extensively used on a variety of applications. For example, the number of Flex applications used in the finance, banks, and enterprise space is huge. The enterprise grade applications has got enormous acceptance with Flex. I would say, 9 out of 10 banking and finance applications are on Flash platform. Flex has a strong foothold in this area as seamless integration is very critical for enterprises.
HTML 5, for the first time, is trying to add what can be classified as rich internet capabilities. At this point in time the standard itself has not been finalized, and browsers have varying degrees of support for it. No enterprise will put a mission critical application with a technology which is just emerging.

Are there any talks or strategy to push Flash products into iOS (iPhone, iPad)?

Recently, Apple's announcement on September 9, 2010, that it has lifted restrictions on its third-party developer guidelines has direct implications for Adobe's Packager for iPhone, a feature in the Flash Professional CS5 authoring tool. This feature was created to enable Flash developers to quickly and easily deliver applications for iOS devices.

From a developers' perspective, when should one use Flash and when should one opt for HTML 5?

In case one needs a very rich user experience, tooling support to debug or profile the program, tweak the performance, etc ? these are the likes of business application, where people will be more benefited by going for Flash and AIR kind of a model. Adobe's integrated runtime, wherein when you build a Flash or AIR application, lets you have a desktop version of it, in addition to the web version of it. Also, if you are looking to take the same application and provide it for multiple screens e.g. mobile devices, Flash is several steps ahead of HTML 5 and therefore I would strongly recommend to go for Flash in such situations.On the other hand, HTML 5 is for developers who are not used to Flash before, and have not been really exposed to the rich internet application side, and are pure HTML/JavaScript guys with a lot of legacy backend. For example, a Java code running on the server which emits HTML. When the requirement is to add only a few more capability into the existing website, HTML 5 will surely help in developing those kinds of application.We won't say that Flash is a universal solution for all scenarios. There will be some scenarios in which HTML may be more naturally fitted. For example, in case of a page oriented application, wherein a page is displayed, a link is clicked leading to another page; here, the nature of application is that it is a collection of pages where you want to navigate from one to another. If this is what you want to build, where the content is purely text, and you don't want rich graphics, and the application in itself is not business critical, it is preferable that you go with HTML 5.