2020 Marks the End of Adobe Flash! - eNyota Learning › whitepaper › The-End-of-Flash.pdf · of...

2020 Marks the End of Adobe Flash!What does this mean? How does it affect you? What’s the solution?

eNyota Learning, Whitepaper, July 2019

Contents

3Introduction

4What are the other industry leaders saying?

5Scope of this whitepaper

14Conclusion

15About eNyota Learning

© 2019 Property of eNyota Learning Inc. 02

Introduction

2020 will finally mark the much-anticipated end of the Adobe Flash Player, a popular authoring software developed by Macromedia, acquired by Adobe. It is commonly used to create games, vector graphic-based animation programs, graphic illustrations, and courseware in a resizable format with easy sharing abilities. The discussion to end licensing and promotion of the Flash software and Flash supported media content was first started in 2010 when Steve Jobs stated “Apple would discontinue supporting Flash player across all its devices which include the iPhone and iPad, and MacBook will eventually stop supporting flash”. Flash will by default remain switched off, only an explicit permission from the user will allow the device to access Flash player and its supported content” This did not come as a surprise since the use of flash has been on a regular decline with the introduction of more robust authoring and designing tools supported by HTML5 like Articulate 360, Elucidat, and Adobe Captivate 9.

03© 2019 Property of eNyota Learning Inc.

What are the other industry leaders saying?

A report by Google Chrome dated February 28th, 2018 stated that the percentage of daily Chrome users who’ve loaded at least one page containing Flash content per day has gone down from around 80% in 2014 to under 8% in early 2018. Google Chrome’s share of the worldwide internet browser market as of 2018 is 60.98%. With the decline in its popularity and finding acceptance as a collector’s item amongst old tech enthusiasts and Flash media collectors, Adobe finally released a public statement saying “We will stop updating and distributing the Flash Player at the end of 2020 and we encourage content creators to migrate any existing Flash content to other new open formats.” This message specifically means there won’t be any support, updates, or patches to fix Flash-driven content. The driving force behind

taking this decision is the ease with which hackers can target Flash content or infect Flash files with malicious software which execute themselves upon opening. Adobe has given an ultimatum to all who use Flash to complete converting their files by 2020. This white paper intends on clearly outlining what does the end of Flash mean for those whose eLearning courses are still in Flash format. As of now, HTML5 is regarded as the ideal successor of Flash owing to its mobile-optimised functionality and the ability to run on all major browsers without crashing. It is also not a plugin. In essence, it is a part of your web browser and does not need to be installed, rarely crashing or malfunctioning like Flash.


The whitepaper intends on addressing the following questions regarding Flash and its discontinuation.

1. Why should you convert from Flash to HTML5?2. What are the alternatives to creating courses in Flash authoring and how do they differ?3. What are the prerequisites to converting your old Flash driven content to HTML5, and how

to do it? �Converting Flash to HTML5 �Rebuilding the course in HTML5

4. How to identify courses running on Flash?5. Our solutions to your Flash problems

�Converting your Flash course for you �Rebuilding a close replica

1. Why should you convert from Flash to HTML5? With the introduction of HTML5, multimedia content can now be rendered without the need to install a plugin or player application like Flash, which means less updates and plugin crashes. But, there is more to why you should convert from Flash, and it has to do with a set of core problems that Flash players are commonly susceptible to. Which leaves your Flash developed eLearning courses open and vulnerable as well.

Flash codes are riddled with loopholes which cyber attackers exploit when targeting the mass audience. In 2017, 63 security vulnerabilities of which 57 critical Flash code issues were identified, which gave attackers access to expose information and bypass accesses to obtain sensitive information via mundane vectors or by executing arbitrary code. Put simply, attackers gained complete access of personal and company PCs collecting login data, credit card passwords, company trade secrets, and encrypted systems asking for major ransoms to decrypt it.

Flash is not supported on iOS devices such as iPad and iPhone. Flash also does not support touchscreen interfaces very well due to mouseover issues. Since most modern smartphones and tablets are touchscreen-operated, this renders Flash unresponsive on mobile devices. It also consumes more power making it an unfavourable application for laptops and other mobile devices, owing to which Apple disabled Flash for its iOS. Flash courses are full off glitches when operated on mobile devices causing mobile operating systems to crash or freeze.

Scope of this whitepaper


Security Issues

Mobile Responsive


Google has reported “The current Google Chrome browser will block Flash and use HTML5 by default”. For Apple’s Safari browser, it is turned off by default and requires explicit permission. Microsoft Edge will disable Flash by mid-2018. Users can choose to re-enable it. However, Edge will ask for permissions every time a user chooses to use it. By 2020 Flash will not be supported by any Windows device and users can no longer enable it on their browsers.

Flash performs poorly on Linux and Mac OS X. HTML5 outperforms Flash by running 58% faster on these operating systems. Since Flash does not have access to the graphics processing unit (GPU), heavy graphics processing tasks are performed by the central processing unit (CPU) and this causes the entire system to slow down. Furthermore, in order to play SWF files, Adobe Flash is required to be installed (not a browser plugin anymore) and ensuring your device and OS are Flash compatible is a must.

Currently there are two methods of updating your Flash player - automatic updates and manually. These updates are crucial in plugging loopholes as identified in the first point (security issues). With the end of updates in 2020, Adobe will no longer work towards identifying loopholes and releasing updates aimed at fixing these issues. In short, your Flash-driven courses will leave your system susceptible to even more attacks and data leaks than before. Furthermore, Adobe will provide no form of recovery support.

With issues as critical such as these, Adobe is recommending users whose eLearning courses are built in Flash to start converting them immediately. Once the updates and supports stop, converting large amounts of files and courses will become a tedious task. They recommend to start converting courses through 2018, 19, and 20.

2. The alternatives to creating courses in Flash authoring and how do they differ? Currently there are alternatives to developing courses using the Flash authoring tool which work better. Some of these are written in JavaScript which is a part of HTML5. A combination of HTML + JavaScript + CSS is considered to be more superior to Flash in an overall comparison. Others are independent authoring tools which allow you to export your finished courses to HTML5 format for easy access over YouTube and cloud hosted LMSes that run on your browser.

Browser Compatibility Issues

Performance on Various Operating Systems

No Updates

Using custom coding, game-based learning is added to the eLearning modules. If the Flash courses have specific functionalities which cannot be recreated using templates provided by other authoring tools, custom HTML5 helps achieve those. The only drawback to using custom HTML5 is the expertise in coding and thorough knowledge of the tool that is required.

Elucidat

This is an authoring tool known to create content which is compatible over all web browsers making courses glitch free and smooth to operate. Elucidat focuses primarily on creating HTML5 courses. It also comes with a host of pre-made templates, theme collections, collaboration elements, and user-friendly layouts. Its responsive design allows it to work easily on mobile devices. Most drawbacks are on the developer’s end like the lack of a dedicated app.


The authoring tools mentioned here are ideal to convert Flash courses to HTML5 formats, while helping you create new courses as well.

Articulate Storyline

Regarded as the most popular authoring tool, Storyline is a powerful authoring system enabling the creation of engaging and interactive courses. It allows you to export your creations into Flash and HTML5. However, keeping 2020’s event in mind, there are possibilities of Storyline stopping the exporting of courses to Flash. Storyline provides an elaborate library of ready-to-use characters and software simulation abilities. Some known drawbacks are the high licensing costs and no video publishing options.

Custom HTML5

Custom HTML5 courses are responsive or possess a fixed layout to add custom interactivities which suit your course needs.

Gomo

A SaaS-based authoring tool, Gomo creates responsive and adaptive HTML5 eLearning content. The content created is accessible easily over desktops, tablets, and phones. It is an easy-to-navigate system used by beginners to experts for various creation and conversion needs. With a host of templates, Gomo ensures your courses are visually stimulating. One of the biggest advantages is its highly responsive nature over multiple devices. However, it is considered most suitable for text-based or audio-supported courses. Synching audio with video is a hassle.

Adapt Learning

For an engaging and seamless learning experience compatible over multiple devices, Adapt Learning is considered a versatile authoring tool. It is known for its high visual resources, forcing users to arrange content in a meaningful way. This is a learner-centric authoring tool which focuses on giving the learners an above average learning experience with navigations and interactions. One of the drawbacks to Adapt Learning is the time invested in creating complex courses especially with graphics, since it requires an experienced person to handle.

Articulate 360 Rise

Rise is another addition to the already impressive suite of authoring tools by Articulate. Designed primarily for the creation of responsive courses, something Storyline lacked, Rise helps build courses using template style framing. Responsive over multiple devices, it makes previewing easier. It also exports to SCORM/xAPI for easy upload to the LMS.

Adobe Captivate

Developed by Adobe, Captivate is a popular authoring tool used to create rich multi-media content. Developers can easily export their creations to HTML5. Courses created in Captivate are rich in interactive elements. Content is responsive across desktops, PCs, laptops, tablets, and phones making your course multi-device compatible, easy to access, and user-friendly over multiple platforms. Courses created are SCORM compliant. The drawbacks to creating courses in Captivate are its lack of a proper video editor plus a complicated interface. Additionally, there is no automatic way to create responsive courses. You need to manually design layouts to suit various resolutions.

Lectora Inspire

Lectora is capable of converting text dominant courses to simple HTML5 format which can render itself quickly on small devices of various sizes. It is capable of converting courses to SCORM and AICC formats as well. It is also considered as one of the fastest conversion tools available. The drawback here is similar to that of Captivate.

Claro

Developed as a web-based content authoring tool, it allows users to develop courses together. It supports both online, offline, and mobile-based learning. Authors can access information from a central repository. It allows objects to be reused and provides a responsive mobile output. Some drawbacks are a lack of software simulations and limited video and audio editing options. It comes supported with mobile player which allows viewing of content in offline mode on the mobile.


3. Prerequisites to converting Flash files to HTML5 and how to do it? Old Flash files are still useful. However, the Flash format is not. Hence, conversion is the best option to retain safe use of old courses.

Converting Flash files to HTML5 is possible. It can save you major costs of time and money involved in recreating courses from scratch. However, it is not an easy task and a set of prerequisites and steps to follow decide the success of migrating. It is strongly recommended to outsource the conversion task if you do not possess prior knowledge or experience, as attempting to convert a great number of old Flash files to HTML5 may result in considerable loss of time and efforts yielding little to no outcome.

Furthermore, different conversion tools yield varied outcomes. Some can support an output to video while others cannot. Therefore, it is advisable to seek support of an expert who can successfully implement a switch using a suitable tool based on the required end outcome.

The true advantage of converting Flash courses to HTML5 is the ability to run the newly converted files over all devices and web browsers easily. Old converted courses are now made accessible on iOS and Android mobile devices.

Converting Flash to HTML5


Before starting the conversion process, it is imperative that all source files used to develop the Flash content are centrally available. These files include audio, video, .fla, .as files. If the source files are not available, there is very little you can do but recreate the course from scratch (explained in the next subset).

Source files


Once the source files are collected, the existing storyboard has to be extracted. This includes all written content, navigation tab labels, dialogues, and interactive texts.

Identifying the correct tool depends on the desired outcome. While some tools are great to create immersive courses with good animations and effects, others are better at handling audio synching and creating slide like courses. Refer to Point 2. (The alternatives to creating courses in Flash authoring and how do they differ?). Each authoring tool has its area of expertise and drawbacks. It is recommended to hand over the source files and the existing course to experts who can better understand the limitations and benefits of using a certain tool and successfully convert it.

Having a good knowledge of using the tool is a huge requirement in this phase. Preparing the graphical user interface (GUI) is important. Not all features of Flash can be recreated in other authoring tools. Animations may need to be created as a video. If a change in the player is required, outsourcing is a better option.

After multiple tests and setting periodic benchmarks along the way, you finally arrive at a complete, ready-to-publish course. It is important to test the course’s functionality throughout the development phase to avoid any rework or redesigning at this stage. Once finalised, the course can now be published to HTML5.

There may arise the possibility where the source files are not available or accessible. In such a case, rebuilding the course from scratch is the only option. It is advisable to hand over the Flash course, with any kind of available files, to a course developing expert who will recreate your course from scratch with as much accuracy to the original Flash course as possible.

Prepare existing content

Select the right authoring tool

Test layouts

Publish to HTML5


Rebuilding theCourse in HTML5

Create astoryboard

Images

Audio files

Video files

Animation need

• Create a storyboard: This requires the expertise of an Instruction Designer (ID) who will draw up a storyboard of your existing course, either by extracting elements that can be extracted, or recreating by observing the existing course and its functionality.

• Images: By observing the existing images, the experts will then proceed to source images that are identical or close representations. Images can be sourced from online sources where royalty free images are easily available.

• Audio files: Course creating experts possess vendor relations with voice over (VO) agencies where audio is recreated based on the language and region your course is intended for. These audio files are then synched with the video or animations carefully.

• Video files: Video files are usually present within the source files. Since the source files are unavailable, videos are either provided by you or need to be recreated from scratch. A good alternative to recreating videos is recreating the video as an animation. Since procuring a video director + actors + venue + equipment can add to increasing costs.

• Animation need: Flash provided some excellent animation abilities. However, using the existing authoring tools, animation cannot always be recreated like Flash once did. If the animations used in your earlier courses are crucial to the teaching outcome, consider designing the slides as videos in tools like Adobe After Effects and embed them as MP4s. We recommend taking this approach only if the animations are extremely important to the training. Videos can pose problems in loading in the learners aren’t on a great bandwidth.


4. How to identify if your courses are running on Flash? By right clicking on the selected course screen, a Flash context menu appears with “About Adobe Flash Player *version details*” mentioned at the bottom of the box. This is an indication of a Flash developed course. Such courses must be converted to HTML5.

What solutions do we provide?When it comes to converting exiting old Flash courses, we provide two straightforward solutions:

*Source window media player

01 Converting your Flash courses to newer, more modern formats

If the courses built are a few years old, we typically advise and encourage you to reconsider the overall instructional and visual design approach. Standards and trends in online learning have changed and we encourage our clients to opt for newer and better ways to train their people. At this phase, we can revamp the instructional and interactive design of your older course to a newer, more impactful approach. Discuss your thoughts and ideas with the ID you are partnering with. Take their opinion on ways you can bring new life to your training. For example, if you had an all text onscreen approach with minimal interactivity, consider taking a more engaging approach but using limited text onscreen and having media and audio drive the training. Appropriate images may be extracted from your existing courses and reused, but if you decide to go a whole new way, then these images may be discarded, and new ones can be sourced or created.


Add gamification elements to your course like scores, leaderboards, timers, etc. Make your training more impactful and your learners more competitive. Make sure your LMS supports gamification as well. We can use a variety of tools to achieve this fun and modern way of training. Articulate Storyline 360 is a great way to build courses that will run on multiple devices (in a more adaptive rather than responsive way).

Another great addition to spruce up training is breaking it up into smaller chunks and converting some of that training into video. Animated explainers are great ways to not only build interest about training, but also give bite-sized information to learners, on-the-go.

Please note, these kinds of approaches are not recommended if you need your courses to be purely responsive. Having text and media build up on a smaller screen isn’t a great way to view your training on the phone. However, if bite-sized and on-the-go training is what you’d like to opt for, responsive tools like Rise, Adapt, Gomo, and Elucidat are great options to consider. They are easy to work with, cost effective, and serve all the functions required of mobile courses.

Creating a close replica of your existing Flash course02

Again, if you’d like to continue using the previous methods of training, we can create a replica (keeping in mind the limitations and features of the tool being used) to recreate your older Flash courses.

If you have access to the source files, then we would need to start by extracting everything from the UI design to the assets that need to be reused. If the source files are not available, then we would need to recreate everything to resemble to original course.

ConclusionWe at eNyota have over 12 years of experience in the field of eLearning course development. Our field of expertise lies in creating complex animation and interactive simulation courses for all industries and businesses.

Our team of experts are experienced and possess knowledge in creating new courses as well as converting old courses using all of the authoring tools mentioned earlier. Depending on your need and budget, we can offer a variety of options in terms of instructional, visual, and interactive design. For further clarifications on how we can help you convert your Flash courses or how we could help you design new courses from scratch please reach out to us at [email protected].


AbouteNyota Learning

eNyota Learning is a 12+year old company focused on providing learning solutions to organizations worldwide. Our clients comprise corporates as well as training, education, and eLearning companies. We work with clients in the US, UK, Europe, and Australia, providing solutions to their training and eLearning needs. We work with organizations looking to train their employees, partners, and customers using web-based training or mobile-based training.

Our current offerings include: • Custom/bespoke learning• Mobile learning• Translation and localization• Custom/bespoke software development • Animated explainer videos• Abara – our Learning Management System• Extended course development teams


2020 Marks the End of Adobe Flash! - eNyota Learning › whitepaper › The-End-of-Flash.pdf · of...

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