Flash to Flicker Out

Are you still using Flash on your website?

Did you know that it is being retired by Adobe in 2020?

What browsers will do and what it means:

Mozilla updated its plugin roadmap for Firefox and adjusted it based on Adobe's end of support announcement.

• 2018 Second Half -- Firefox users have to enable Flash on each session they want to use Flash.
• 2019 Early -- Firefox will display a visible warning to users if a site uses Flash.
• 2019 -- Flash is disabled by default. Users won't be prompted anymore to enable Flash, but Flash may still be activated on certain sites by users.
• 2020-- Flash support is removed from Firefox. Firefox ESR continues to support Flash until the end of 2020.
• 2021 -- Firefox won't load the Flash plugin anymore when Adobe stops shipping security updates for Flash in December 2020

Microsoft announced on the Microsoft Edge development blog how it plans to retire Adobe Flash in company products

• 2018 -- Microsoft Edge requires users to enable Flash for each session individually. Internet Explorer continues to allow Flash.
• 2019 mid to late -- Flash is disabled by default in Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer. Users have options to re-enable Flash.
• 2020 end -- Adobe Flash is removed from Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer. Flash cannot be run anymore.

There are myriad reasons that this step is to be taken.  Just a couple: Flash is vulnerable to hacks and can impact the security of the website on which it is used.  More recent technology (HTML5, etc.) can more efficiently display video and 3D technology.

For more information check out this article from Reuters.

 

"Google, what restaurants are open near me?"

Recently, Google announced an update to Maps on iOS that will make it much easier for users to find local restaurants. 

The new feature will utilize machine learning to “match” users with new restaurants based on their preferences and the other restaurants they’ve visited. Match scores are not generated for every restaurant, so it’s likely that it’s reserved for the locations with enough data to make a match determination.

Users can simply click on a food or drink venue and their match percentage will display, higher match numbers mean a greater match. The feature also provides reasons why users may enjoy a given place. For instance, those who enjoy sushi will likely see an increase of sushi places within their designated area and a high match percentage.

It could not be more important to ensure that your address information is not only ON your website, but please check to see if it is accurate!!