In this clip I test Adobe Flash’s HTML5 conversion tool. I test motion tweens, masks, and buttons via Wallaby, which is the conversion tool. I test the HTML output file in Safari, Chrome, and Firefox. The motion tweens and masks work in both Safari and Chrome. Nothing works in Firefox. The buttons do not work in any browser. While Wallaby has potential, this is a big limitation. This means that it is currently only useful for animations but not interactivity.
Check out the demonstration:
The following video demonstrates Adobe Flash’s CS6 to HTML5 conversion tool codenamed Wallaby. The tool converted my file in one second. It worked great in Safari but did not work in Firefox. I am not sure if Flash’s tool is not working or HTML5 is not working. I say this because of the compatibility issues I have with HTML5, especially in Firefox. Also, Adobe’s Wallaby tool was last updated on March 8th, which means that a new version is just around the corner. Overall, I am impressed it worked but need to test this with more advanced Flash files. I was not really surprised there was a compatibility issue as that is HTML5. Here is the video with the demonstration:
CS6 is finally here. You can get the products from http://www.adobe.com
Here is a recent post I made in a discussion forum on linked in. I thought it would be worthwhile to post onto my blog:
Flash is not dead right now and from the looks of it, it has the opportunity to become the best authoring tool for HTML5.
HTML5 is currently not ready for widespread use due to compatibility issues. For those that do not know, HTML5 has been around for several years now – it is NOT new and still NOT ready. How many years do you think its going to take to be ready? You might want to look at recent history when DHTML (HTML4, CSS2, and Javascript) were touted as the next big thing in the early 2000s. Compatibility killed that idea. HTML5 does have more promise though. But remember HTML5 is just a simple upgrade to HTML4, it does not do that much more. The real power of HTML5 comes from javascript. Javascript libraries that have been around for years. Why are they not used more often? No authoring tool for them. Its all hand written code. Additionally, while both Google and Apple are making their web browsers HTML5 friendly, they are not making their app markets HTML5 friendly anytime soon. In order to publish an HTML5 app you need to get a third party software package that will do the conversion.
Additionally, at this point, the ONLY potential authoring tool for HTML5 that has promise in the future is Flash! Flash CS6 can export swf to javascript. So, those saying Flash is dead might be very wrong. Flash might just be the next big thing because it will export to HTML5. We currently do NOT have a good authoring tool for HTML5 and if Flash takes that spot, it will not be dead but might be more popular than it currently is now. The only way Flash will die is if another authoring tool that becomes very popular replaces it.
Wow, Flash has really done something great here…assuming this feature works as promised. Flash CS6 will be able to export into Javascript. This means that all flash content can be exported to js so that it is handled better via web browsers. This will also make flash content viewable on iPhone/iPad. Now, obviously I have not tested this feature out and in different browsers and such but this has potential. Flash is really keeping its #1 place as the best development tool in my opinion.
New Features: http://www.adobe.com/products/flash.html
We will find out everything about CS6 today but here is the latest. There will be a cloud based service so that users can purchase the software at $50 a month instead of buying it forever. This means that you could essentially rent the software. This would actually be great for my students who only need it for a few months:
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/23/adobe-cs6-subscription-creative-cloud-photoshop-official/
At an event in San Fran, Adobe will announce the release of CS6 today. Very excited to see if all the rumors are true.
Have you wanted to view Flash on an iPhone or iPad? Well now it is possible (well it always has been with a few workarounds). Apps are coming out that display Flash content, so rest assured, Flash does work on these devices.
One such app, iSwifter, is a browser that displays Flash content. You can try the browser for free for 10 days and it costs 4.99 to purchase. I tested it out and it works pretty well. I tested video, motion, sound, and interactions in flash and they all worked. I think anyone interested in viewing Flash on the iPad/iPhone should definitely invest in this app. It’s cheap, and it works.
According to the rumors, the latest versions of Flash, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, and the rest of the Adobe suite will be coming this summer. Here are a few pieces from an interview with the CEO of Adobe:
“Question
And with respect to the CS5 mid-cycle release, is that going to impact the timing of CS6?
Adobe CEO
Well, I think the way you can look at that is the real goals for the mid-cycle release are to continue to enhance the functionality…
And then you can expect another release in 2012.
Question
So then just to confirm, you said the next milestone release after the mid-cycle release will be in 2012. Is that correct?
Adobe CEO
That’s correct.”
Just to clarify some more information and so much misinformation is out there:
- HTML5 is simply an update of HTML4. It does a few extra things, like include a video tag. It is not this be all end all code that will replace Flash and by itself is not very powerful.
- HTML5 is not compatible on most browsers right now. There are many standards issues. Please see this report for more details: http://www.longtailvideo.com/html5/.
- The power of HTML comes from Javascript. Javascript has been able to do much of this for many years, it is NOT new. Most of the features people seem to think HTML5 can accomplish are really javascript features.
- Flash is used for a lot of things that it was not designed for, like web banners, just because there is not other tool out there. Flash was designed for rich interaction and games not web banners. HTML5 is not going to be used for these rich interactions and games, flash will be. Maybe someday this will happen, but not in HTML5. Maybe HTML6, 7, or 8. But remember Flash will continue to evolve as well in that time.
- The power of HTML5 really comes with mobile devices, not PCs. However, with more advancements in mobile processors such as quad cores, etc. This really isnt going to matter much. The only thing really stopping Flash right now on mobile devices is Apple. However, you can put flash onto apple mobile devices - its a workaround though and not a process the average user can accomplish. Having said that, the same can be said of HTML5, the only thing stopping it from PCs right now is compatibility so as that gets better its use will grow.
So what exactly will HTML5 be used for that Flash once did?
Mobile applications. HTML5 will be used in the mobile world. Its more compatible and it’s free, which is the pure beauty of HTML5. However the main thing to point out here: HTML5 runs different on each browser right now. So its great if running on one device, like the iphone. But if running on android, iphone, and pc its really a pain to code. Flash is much better when using multiple devices. To get HTML5 to work on multiple devices I need to ‘trick’ the code for each browser which takes a lot of extra development time and adds a lot of extra code to my product.
Here are two good sources discussing this issue:
http://remysharp.com/2010/02/08/html5-vs-flash/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/fredcavazza/2011/07/17/why-opposing-html5-and-flash-is-a-non-sense/
*I am sure there will be many more HTML5 posts on here as it evolves:)
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