The IT industry has been working hard to kill off Adobe’s Flash technology for several years now. It’s taken some time, but the move towards alternatives like HTML5 is reaching completion, with instances of Flash use becoming less common across the web.
Flash technology, most commonly used for things like online video playback, animations and browser-based games, is inherently insecure and performs poorly by today’s standards. Wired describe Flash as “a closed, proprietary system on a web that deserves open standards.”
It was Apple who firmly banged the first nail into Flash’s coffin. The tech firm opted against supporting it on the iPhone and iPad – devices which went on to sell millions. This clearly had a huge impact. Last year, as reported by The BBC, Google signalled the final end of Flash by minimising support for it in the Chrome browser. As of now, Flash only works automatically on Chrome with a handful of websites, such as Facebook and YouTube. For all other sites, it must be manually triggered.
Getting Ready for the HTML5 Transition
In any case, the likes of Facebook and YouTube have defaulted to HTML for a long time now. Flash is increasingly a relic of the past. It’s time to let it go. Unravelling the basic system requirements for HTML5 is surprisingly difficult. On the face of it, if modern tablets and smartphones can handle HTML video and online games, most desktops or laptops should, in theory, have no issue.
However, it’s not that simple – and much depends on exactly what HTML5 applications you have in mind.
Amazon, as an example, state nothing more than a requirement for an Intel Core 2 Duo Processor (or equivalent) to run Amazon Video using their HTML5 player. BlackBerry’s HTML5 requirements for their WebWorks software simply state a Pentium 4 or Athlon processor above 2Ghz, complete with 2GB of RAM.
These things are all relative, though; For instance, there’s a huge difference between watching a single standard-definition video clip and playing several concurrent online slot or casino games. If you look at the games on offer from sites like Virgin Games and Codeta, or any of the others on review site casinouk.com, you’ll find plenty with advanced features and graphics that can challenge older hardware.
Other web gaming hubs have been following the slow decline of Flash for years: as Kongregate senior producer John Cooney puts it, “Flash has died more times than we can remember. It’s become a joke among Flash game developers.” Kongregate, along with Newgrounds and other web gaming platforms, have already embraced HTML5 – although not every game they host supports HTML5.
However, these video games are good examples of demanding web apps that require hardware horsepower – the type that some users with older systems may face difficulties running. In such cases, you may find your machine starting to stutter, even if it theoretically meets the standards for HTML5.
Upgrades to Consider
If your hardware is beginning to show its age, and you’re concerned about poor performance from HTML5 videos and games, here are some things to think about:
Processor Power:
Intel’s switch to “Core” monikers for its processors has made it far harder to ascertain exactly how powerful a processor is. A seventh-generation i5, for example, may sound no different to a second-generation processor with the same name, but will be vastly more powerful.
Add in the confusion of dual core vs. quad core, and it’s clear that determining the power of a processor is far more complicated that it was when we only really needed to look at the clock speed!
This PC Mag article is a good starting point for thinking about processor upgrades. However, it’s worth noting that if your processor is aging, the chances are the rest of your computer is too. It’s unlikely that a processor upgrade in isolation is the best move to help with the transition from Flash to HTML5.
Memory (RAM)
A RAM upgrade is often the cheapest and best way to give a performance boost to an older computer. If you find that your machine starts to struggle when you have multiple browser tabs open, or when you play online games or casino tables, some more RAM will almost certainly help. Switching browsers may also prove a good idea, as we’ll discuss below.
Hard Drive
If you have a traditional hard disk drive with moving parts, moving to a Solid State Disk (SSD) will undoubtedly speed things up, especially when it comes to booting your computer and loading applications. When it comes to games, videos and other web-based apps, however, getting your processor and RAM in order first probably makes more sense.
Your Choice of Browser
Web browser choice is quite a personal thing, with many of us staying loyal to Chrome, Safari or Firefox out of little more than habit.
However, if you’re keen to improve HTML5 performance, experimenting with other browsers may pay dividends. Many people love Chrome, and it does often win browser showdown reviews, but anyone who’s used it with lots of open tabs and extensions running will know that it can use a lot of system resources.
It’s well worth trying out other browsers. It costs nothing, and you may end up choosing to use an alternative only for some specific tasks, such as casino gaming or watching streaming media.
So, when it comes to hardware for the HTML5 transition, the order of importance primarily comes down to RAM, processor and hard drive in descending priority. You may wish to think about a dedicated graphics card too, but not until you’ve ticked off the other items on the list.
Then, as discussed above, take the time to experiment with different browsers. Your loyalty to your current favourite may be misplaced.
Source: Pixabay
