Flash
Adobe Flash is a technology, software and file format for graphics (vector) images, animations, web applications and games used primarily for and within websites. Flash is widely used for animated banners, online games and displaying video online. Sometimes entire websites are built in Flash.
Flash was originally developed as a drawing program for tablets and PDAs. After capabilities for animations were added and it was acquired by Macromedia, the application also became popular on the Internet. After Adobe acquired Marcomedia, Flash became part of Adobe's existing software program.
Disadvantages of Flash
For a long time, a disadvantage of websites built in Flash was that the content cannot be indexed by search engines.
Although Flash has been a success because of its small file size and many design and interaction options, the technology is on its way out. The standard is not supported by most smartphones and tablets, reportedly because of Flash's drain on processor and battery life. Security was also frequently an issue, allowing Flash to be used to distribute malicious banners, among other things.
Alternatives
Meanwhile, several alternatives are also available within HTML to animate websites and display video, among other things.
