Adobe Flash Player

[Vicki5E8C]

I am trying to find an alternative to Flash Player but can't seem to find one.  Someone suggested making sure my browsers (FireFox and Chrome) were updated and then use their plug in but I can't find it anywhere.  Can someone give me very specific instructions of what to do to get a flash player on my computer?  I have a Windows 10 (64 bit I think) and it is a desktop computer.  Thanks in advance!...Vicki

[_maria_ · Accepted solution]

There is no alternative plugin to Flash Player. The alternative is for content providers to migrate their content away from Flash dependency on to some other technology.

The most recent verssions of Chrome and Firefox no longer support Flash Player, as browser vendors have dropped support for Flash Player after Flash Player's end-of-life at the end of 2020.

For completeness:

Adobe announced Flash Player's end-of-life in July 2017 giving content creators, programmers, developers, IT experts, etc over 3 years remove Flash Player dependencies from their products. All modern browsers provide the capabilities necessary to do this in JavaScript.  This is an investment and prioritization choice, not a technical limitation. 

For reference:

• https://theblog.adobe.com/adobe-flash-update/
• https://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/end-of-life.html

Major browser vendors are deprecating Flash Player support.  Details specific to each vendor:

• Apple Safari - removed Flash Player support in Safari 14, released Sept 16, 2020
• Google Chrome - removed Flash Player support in Chrome 88, released Jan 19, 2021
• Firefox - removed Flash Player support in Firefox 85, released on Jan 26, 2021.
  • Firefox ESR 78 will support Flash Player for the time being, assuming the Flash Player NPAPI plugin is already installed as it’s no longer available for download.
• Microsoft Edge - removed Flash Player support in Edge 88, released Jan 15, 2021
• Microsoft Internet Explorer and legacy Edge  - Has information on options for continued support for enterprise customers

[Vicki5E8C]

I am trying to help a friend with online classes he has to take. I read the lessons to him and he takes the quiz afterwards but I cannot get anything to come up (classes and quiz) and don't know what I need to make it work. Is it because the organization didn’t make any changes?  Thanks!

[Nancy OShea]

Tell your friend to contact the school and ask them for new course software that doesn't rely on Flash. 

It's incumbent upon the school to fix this problem. Not you & not your friend.  The school had 3-1/2 years notice that Flash Player was ending on Dec 31, 2020. 

July 2017 Announcement

https://blog.adobe.com/en/publish/2017/07/25/adobe-flash-update.html#gs.tptkzg

If the school didn't prepare new course materials or other solutions in time, I hope your friend can get a tuition refund.

[Vicki5E8C]

It isn’t a school but an organization providing CNA type online classes, if that makes a difference, and there is no fee to take the classes but required by employer. 

[_maria_]

Unfortunately, it doesn't make a difference.  The organization providing the course material needs to update their content to some other technology that doesn't rely on Flash Player.

[Vicki5E8C]

Thank you for your technology expertise!  I now have a full understanding of the subject matter and that my friend needs to call the organization to see what they are going to do on their end or not going to do so he can finish his classes. 

[_maria_]

You're welcome.

[Nancy OShea]

Yes, what maria said.

However, the employer might have specially equipped computers on site that can still interact with those old course materials.  Tell your friend to contact the HR dept.

[Nancy OShea]

There is no replacement for Flash Player.  All browsers stopped supporting 3rd party plugins for security reasons. Everyone has a vested stake in security these days whether we know it or not.  As the the cyber attack on Solar Winds proved, nobody is immune.

Why do you need to support Flash? 

If this is an enterprise, is Flash critical to operating your business?  Or can you switch to something more modern?  Enterprises, see link below.

https://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/enterprise-end-of-life.html

For everyone else, you'll find plenty of HTML5-based games online as Flash hasn't been used much in 2-3 years.  In fact, I haven't had Flash Player installed for at least that long and haven't missed it one bit.