Adobe Flash Professional

Adobe Flash Professional was a tool for creating animations that could be played in a web browser from websites such as YouTube through the Flash Player plug-in. It also featured a scripting language that allowed interactivity and gained widespread use in the early 2000s. However, it was also criticized for its online security issues and was replaced by Adobe Animate, which retained the animation features with simplified web-based standards.
==Product history==
Flash was originally created at FutureWave Software as FutureSplash Animator. FutureWave pitched the product to Adobe Systems, but an agreement was not reached and Adobe initially promoted rival specifications to Flash.Flash Wars: Adobe in the History and Future of Flash by Prince McLean, AppleInsider. 2008-05-05. In January 1997, FutureWave was acquired by Macromedia for an undisclosed sum. FutureSplash Animator then became Macromedia Flash.Macromedia Rides the FutureWave by Kristi Coale, Wired. 1997-01-06.Macromedia buys Futurewave to add Flash to Shockwave, Computer Business Review. 1997-01-08.
===Release history===
*1996: Macromedia Flash 1
*1997: Macromedia Flash 2
*1998: Macromedia Flash 3
*1999: Macromedia Flash 4
*2000: Macromedia Flash 5
*2002: Macromedia Flash MX (6.0)
*2003: Macromedia Flash MX 2004 (7.0)
*2005: Macromedia Flash Basic 8 / Professional 8
Macromedia was acquired by Adobe Systems in December 2005.Adobe Completes Acquisition of Macromedia, Adobe Systems. 2005-12-05. Archived 2005-12-07. Macromedia Flash was then branded as Adobe Flash.
*2007: Adobe Flash Professional CS3 (9.0)
*2008: Adobe Flash Professional CS4 (10.0)
*2010: Adobe Flash Professional CS5 (11.0)
*2011: Adobe Flash Professional CS5.5 (11.5)
*2012: Adobe Flash Professional CS6 (12.0)
*2013: Adobe Flash Professional CC (13.0-15.0)
*2016: Adobe Animate CC (15.1-22)
==Discontinuation==
In April 2010, Apple CEO Steve Jobs wrote an open critique of the Flash platform to justify his refusal to support the technology on Apple's successful iOS line, which included the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.Thoughts on Flash by Steve Jobs, Apple. 2010-04. An Apple engineer later stated that Jobs was offended that Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen would not take his phone calls for what he perceived to be "mere engineering problems".Apple engineer reveals the real reason Steve Jobs didn’t allow Flash on the iPhone by Yoni Heisler, Boy Genius Report. 2016-12-12. Developers of third-party web browsers began to blacklist the Flash plugin by default due to security issues.Google and Mozilla pull the plug on Adobe Flash: Tech giants disable the program on browsers following 'critical' security flaw by Victoria Woollaston, Daily Mail. 2015-07-14. In July 2017, Adobe announced that it would phase out support for Flash by the end of 2020.Flash & The Future of Interactive Content, Adobe. 2017-07-25.
==Rebranding==
In February 2016, the professional authoring application was re-branded as Adobe Animate with support for web-based standards such as HTML5.Adobe Launches Animate CC, Previously Known As Flash Professional by Frederic Lardinois, TechCrunch. 2016-02-08.
==References==
==See also==
*Adobe Flash Player, a plugin that allows Flash content to be played back within a browser.
==External links==
*Adobe Animate at Adobe
**Adobe Flash Platform
**Adobe Flash runtimes
*Macromedia Flash at the Web Design Museum
*Flash Wiki at Wikia (archived 2007-12-30)
*Adobe Flash at the Adobe Wiki
*Macromedia Flash at the Macromedia Wiki
* and at Wikipedia
Category:Adobe software
Category:Discontinued software
Category:Internet utilities
Category:1996 introductions