Many of us know little about Adobe Flash Player other than the red and white icon that resembles a stylized letter “F” that pops on our screens whenever we attempt to download or play certain media files. However, this freeware has been around for at least two decades and has been used by billions of people of varying IT capabilities.
Brief History
Adobe Flash Player was created by Macromedia to allow end users to view multimedia content, execute specific internet applications, as well as stream video and audio. It was initially released in 1996. Further development has since been taken over by Adobe Systems, allowing the later versions to run on common devices and browsers used today.
What is it used for?
The merits of using Flash include but aren’t limited to the following:
Runs a multitude of data formats including SWF, XML, JSON, and AMF.
Can be a reliable platform for game development.
Can be used on both desktop and mobile devices.
Using Older Versions
Adobe Flash Player periodically releases updates to better improve user performance across multiple platforms. However, it is possible that end users won’t be able to perform specific actions with the latest version. That being said, there are hacks for reverting back to an earlier version.
Here are some helpful ones that we’ve found.
https://forums.adobe.com/thread/2433056
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFIk1BHoQyY
Impending Death
Throughout its lifespan, Flash has been hounded by criticism. Tech experts have pointed out so many flaws – from proprietary issues to legitimate security concerns. Last year, reports have surfaced of Adobe killing Flash in 2020.
The truth of this has yet to be seen as it’s worth noting that said developer has released an April 2018 Flash Player update. Given that this is the case, it would be best to keep yourself posted on the latest news regarding this particular freeware. Make sure to download Flash Player from a reputable source to avoid malware issues and the like.