Microsoft: HTML5 is the Web’s Future

Ed Sutherland ()

Microsoft: HTML5 is the Web’s Future“The Future of the Web is HTML5,” Microsoft declared. The software giant, in throwing its weight behind the Apple-approved standard, also announced its upcoming Internet Explorer 9 will not use Adobe Flash for video playback.

“Microsoft is deeply engaged in the HTML5 process with the W3C,” the Redmond, Wash.-based company announced in on its Internet Explorer blog. “HTML5 will be very important in advancing rich, interactive web applications and site design,” IE General Manager Dean Hachamovitch adds.

Although Microsoft describes HTML5”s H.264 video standard as permitting broader use of consumer video, the software maker did not completely dismiss Flash. Flash remains “an important part of delivering a good consumer experience on today’s web,” the company announced.

Microsoft’s announcement it will abandon Flash video support may have overshadowed Adobe’s release of CS5 earlier today. Apple owners comprise nearly half of CS5 sales, the Cupertino, Calif. company claims.

The comments by Microsoft come a day after Apple CEO Steve Jobs outlined his objections to the Adobe software. Thursday, Jobs said his Cupertino, Calif. company and Adobe had “grown apart” and that Apple owners still have a wealth of options without Flash.

“Flash is no longer necessary” to watch video or other multimedia, he argues in an open letter entitled “Thoughts on Flash.”

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[via 9to5Mac]

21 comments »

About the author

Ed Sutherland

Ed Sutherland is a veteran technology journalist who first heard of Apple when they grew on trees, Yahoo was run out of a Stanford dorm and Google was an unknown upstart. Since then, Sutherland has covered the whole technology landscape, concentrating on tracking the trends and figuring out the finances of large (and small) technology companies.

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  • IcyFog

    Oh no! Please don’t tell this to all the Flash lovers out there.

  • augustin

    one day after apple’s announcement that actually said the same thing, microsoft losers

  • http://ihbs.co.uk Ben

    shove that in your flash video player and crash it

  • Brian

    Ahahahaha. What’s that sound? Oh, it’s half the employees of Adobe committing ritual suicide. Apple comes out with their announcement and Adobe is like “Psh, whatever, we still have support from MS windows…”. Zing.

  • j.metts

    “The software giant, in throwing its weight behind the Apple-approved standard, also announced its upcoming Internet Explorer 9 will not use Adobe Flash for video playback.”

    Where do you see this? Did I just miss something? Now, I hate flash myself, and would love this to be true, but what is said is:

    “In its HTML5 support, IE9 will support playback of H.264 video only.”

    This is specifically talking about HTML5 support and video, not video in general. They even say, and you quoted, “Flash remains ‘an important part of delivering a good consumer experience on today’s web.’” This tells me that the Flash plugin will still be in play and therefore flash video will still be supported. All that is being said is that IE9′s implementation of HTML5′s video support will choose to only use H.264 vs the other codecs.

  • nacra

    This is bigger than most realize. IE still has the most market share and all of sudden, no Flash support? Wow. The average Joe who isn’t even aware of the whole Flash debate will just move to HTML5 without flinching.

    Goodbye Flash…it was….huh, fun.

  • Jerg

    Sweet!!!! I love it. I absolutely love it. The writing is on the wall for you flash. Your only allie was MS and they are bailing on you. Someone cue the death march.

  • BoxMac

    Flash sucks donkey reproductive organ.

    Time & time & time again — ESPECIALLY with Cult Of Mac — websites take FOREVER to render.
    if they render at all.

    Then comes the ineveitable crash/forcequit/reboot.

    GoodBye & good riddance.

  • mlahero

    Where is the bit that said they are not supporting flash video?? Terribly misleading writing.

  • http://www.carletoncreative.ca mattthew carleton

    I would agree with j.metts.

    While this does spell out a hopeful end to flash eventually, I think we are a bit premature to say flash is dead.

  • Judge Smails

    Flash has been dead for years.

  • http://www.hoggworks.com/ Brian Hogg

    How, exactly, would IE not support Flash video but still support the Flash plugin? Is the new browser going to reach into an swf, determine if it will ever load video, then nuke said swf and load the H264 (if, indeed, said video even exists in that format)? That’s an impossible thing to do.

    It seems like Cult of Mac doesn’t understand the difference between MS saying they’ll only support one codec in HTML5 and MS saying they will tear apart plugins to ensure no other kind of video is displayed in any context.

    Attention to detail is fun!

  • Poppa

    And so it came to pass,Flash is flushed down the pan!!

  • Mav

    As others have pointed out, this article is misleading at best with the statement “Internet Explorer 9 will not use Adobe Flash for video playback.” If you read the actual blog post that is cited, it doesn’t say that.

    I don’t read this site much, but I’m sure not likely to come back if there’s a lack of accuracy in the reporting.

  • Lenny

    “Flash is no longer necessary” to watch video or other multimedia. That is, of course, complete bollocks, the iPlayer for example.

    HTML5 may well be backed by Apple and other companies but it is not a standard, it hasn’t even been recommended as a standard and isn’t likely to be for another couple of years, let alone be finalised and ratified as one.

    Adobe owners comprise nearly half of all Mac sales.

  • Mezzrow

    Cool. Steve clearly spelled out Apple’s position on Flash. Adobe followed up with the lamest counter-arguments imaginable. And Microsoft basically hammers in another nail. I didn’t really buy the “Flash is dead” bit when this all got started, but it’s looking to me like that’s where it’s headed unless Adobe makes some big changes. I wouldn’t miss Adobe for even a moment.

  • firesign3000

    I don’t care if Flash is still available. If there is an alternative that lets me not use Flash to watch video and stuff and isn’t a crashy pile of s**t and doesn’t require me to have to update some crappy plug in near constantly, sign me the hell up right now. All the Flash lovers can still continue to use it, I would prefer to opt out. Sites that require Flash can take a flying leap.

  • Lance

    Flash is soooo very dead now. Even Microsoft, Apple’s traditional nemesis, sayeth so. lolcatz

  • http://deoclicianocgiportfolio.wordpress.com Deocliciano Okssipin Vieira

    Flash is not dead!
    Adobe can make a good use of it, it just has to use brains.

    Marry it with AE for example.

  • NewJohnny

    j.metts called you out, and I am too. You misinterpreted Microsoft, and need to change the article– at least for the sake of Google searches that land here.

  • Jonas

    I tried to get updates & support for my old Windows 98 – and never mind any symbolic payment offer – Adobe never bothered to reply to my calls for help …… Corporate responsibility demands ‘eye contact’ with its consumers, and not breaches of promises ! – that applies to both ENRON, BP or Adobe !
    Such abuse of position may lead to the Flash becoming the mere short lived momentarily ‘Flash’ of the camera.
    Open Source and Linux developers !! Wake up to the old corporate fish trying to swallow all new avenues !!
    We will soon find our newer avenues, and they can end uo feeling sorry for themselves !