Everything’s Coming Up HTML5
Been working this past week on converting my second site this year from Flash to HTML5. That’s HTML5 as in really just JavaScript. I mean there is CSS and HTML involved, and even some server-side stuff. But it is really about JavaScript.
It is just too hard to run Flash these days. Most browsers block it and have you enable it on a per-side basis. Most online forums are full of hate towards it. I still love Flash — I mean Adobe Animate — and use it for iOS apps. But for web apps, I guess it is all about HTML5 now.
So this second site is Just Jigsaw Puzzles which has some challenges. The site earlier this year, Just Mah Jongg Solitaire had simple rectangular images that didn’t really move and could be loaded directly from image files. With jigsaws I had to take the image and cut it into pieces using the Canvas. Lots of bezier curves and experimentation. But I got it to work and I am amazed at how fast the Canvas is. I hope to have the new version in beta in a few days.
My hope is that the conversion to HTML5 gives these sites new life. I have a feeling that Flash has been driving away users and muting search engine results.
But I also know that people hate change. The first week of the release of my Mah Jongg HTML5 version was just a constant stream of angry email from people who “didn’t like” the new version. This was despite the fact I tried to match the Flash version feature-for-feature and add some new stuff and improvements everywhere I could. People just don’t like change. It is also funny about how people complain about free stuff.
It is interesting that I surveyed the current users of Just Jigsaw Puzzles and found that when I asked “What do you think of Flash,” 64% replied “I don’t know what Flash is.” The audience skews older, with 94% being 60 or older. Most likely a lot of retired people who don’t necessarily care what the technology is behind the game. They just want to play. That’s how it should be. Oh, and 13% responded “I like Flash,” 20% “I don’t care” and only 3% said they avoid Flash sites. Contrast that with the hatred spewed in online forums.