ADBE Adobe Inc

By Nathan Olivarez-Giles 

Alphabet Inc.'s Google is taking a major step in its long, drawn-out breakup with Flash.

By the end of the year, Google's Chrome browser for Macs, Windows-based PCs and Chromebooks will render rich media such as videos and animated graphics in HTML 5 by default, instead of using Adobe Systems Inc.'s long-maligned software. It is the latest step from the likes of Google, Apple Inc., Facebook Inc. and others to embrace HTML 5, a set of technologies developed by an open, global community of programmers.

Calls to abandon Flash have been around for years. Now, HTML 5 is developed enough that you can heed the call. Here's a guide to help you walk away.

The problems with Flash

The major complaints against Flash today are no different than in 2010, when Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs said security issues, battery drain, poor performance and Adobe's proprietary control would keep Flash off iPhones, iPads and iPods.

Flash is a common way PC users run into malware. Last year, Chrome and Mozilla's Firefox browser temporarily blocked the software over security vulnerabilities. Adobe issued a software fix, but later in the year Chrome began automatically pausing Flash video ads because of performance issues.

Facebook security chief Alex Stamos called on Adobe to stop trying to fix Flash and end support outright.

How Chrome users are affected

Google isn't entirely ditching Flash. Adobe's software will remain an option for Chrome -- the most widely used browser on desktops and laptops -- but you will have to opt in on a per-website basis. "If a site truly requires Flash, a prompt will appear at the top of the page when the user first visits that site, giving them the option of allowing it to run for that site," Anthony LaForge, a technical program manager on the Chrome team, said in a note to developers explaining the changes.

Chrome's prompt will ask for permission to run Flash. If permission is granted, Chrome will offer three choices: "run once," "run always" or "never ask again."

If a site gives Chrome the option of rendering an object using HTML 5 or Flash, Chrome will choose HTML 5, Mr. LaForge said. YouTube already defaults to HTML 5, for example.

Google is making exceptions

Google plans to bend its new rules. The 10 most popular sites still using Flash (as determined by Google's internal metrics) won't trigger the opt-in prompt for at least a year. Instead, the companies running those sites will get to choose the experience for users.

Google is making this exception "to reduce the initial user impact, and avoid over-prompting," the company said. Those 10 sites are YouTube.com, Facebook.com, Yahoo.com, VK.com, Live.com, Yandex.ru, OK.ru, Twitch.tv, Amazon.com and Mail.ru, the company said.

Adobe's position

In 2011, Adobe killed a smartphone version of Flash that never caught on. In November, Adobe changed the name of the software required to make Flash media from Flash Professional to Animate CC. At the same time, it shifted the focus of the application from Flash development to creating media in HTML 5 and other open formats.

Adobe intends to continue supporting Flash given its widespread use in education, Web gaming and premium video. But it is encouraging "content creators to build with new Web standards," the company told the Journal.

What you can do now

Adobe is walking away from Flash. You should too. There is no mobile version of the software, so when you're using an iPhone, iPad or Android device, you aren't using Flash. You probably don't miss it.

If you use a Windows-based PC, you can remove Flash by going to your PC's control panel and calling up "programs and features." Uninstall Adobe Flash Player like any other app. If you use a Mac, download and use the uninstaller app Adobe makes specifically for this purpose.

Write to Nathan Olivarez-Giles at Nathan.Olivarez-giles@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 17, 2016 14:13 ET (18:13 GMT)

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