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Originally published: September 9, 2019
Updated: September 11, 2020
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Poptropica is a single-player, island-traversing game developed for children and teens. At first, you are assigned a random character then taken to any of the vast numbers of islands on Poptropica. Each island is different and will present the player with a new and different problem to solve. Build responsive games and video content across browsers and OS versions.
Adobe will end support of Flash Player on December 31, 2020. Here's what you can expect in the meantime for each Microsoft browser:
In the next version of Microsoft Edge (built on Chromium), Flash will be disabled by default. However, users may re-enable it on a site-by-site basis. The timeline for Chromium-based browsers can be found here.
Flash will not be disabled by default from Microsoft Edge (built on EdgeHTML) or Internet Explorer 11 prior to its removal by December of 2020.
Flash will be completely removed from all browsers by December 31, 2020, via Windows Update. Group policies are available for enterprise admins and IT pros to change the Flash behavior prior to that date.
Companies reliant on Flash for development and playback of content are encouraged to remove the dependency on Adobe Flash prior to December 2020.
Please see our blog for more information.
Adobe announced in 2017 that Adobe Flash Player, better known over the years simply as “Flash,” would no longer be supported after December 2020.
Has anyone happened to hear if Flash Player is going to be supported after December 2020 in @googlechrome?
— Gus Morroco (@911StreetMedic) October 16, 2020
So what exactly happens in December when Flash is no longer supported?
— b1joe (@b1joe) June 27, 2020
Wait what???? Flash player will no longer be supported in @Google chrome after December 2020? Does that mean I can’t watch YouTube and flash player oriented websites online after December 2020? @MKBHD@UnboxTherapy@LewLater@sundarpichai@Adobe@AdobeFlashpic.twitter.com/u9FZS04qjZ
— Siril Mathew (@isirilpd) August 11, 2019
Twitter users asked why — Flash had been around for 24 years, even being used by YouTube for nearly a decade to play its videos (it now uses HTML5), and was known as the technology behind popular websites such as the online cartoon series Homestar Runner:
Why are we getting rid of Flash Player again?#Flash
— Elhotel Emoto (@Elhotel_Emoto) December 1, 2020
On the Adobe website, the company explained the reason for discontinuing support, referring to Flash as being at its “end of life”:
Open standards such as HTML5, WebGL, and WebAssembly have continually matured over the years and serve as viable alternatives for Flash content. Also, major browser vendors are integrating these open standards into their browsers and deprecating most other plug-ins (like Flash Player). See Flash Player EOL announcements from Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Mozilla.
By providing more than three years’ advance notice, Adobe believes that there has been sufficient time for developers, designers, businesses, and other parties to migrate Flash content to new standards. The EOL timing was in coordination with some of the major browser vendors.
Google Chrome and other browsers have been reminding users that support for Flash would be ending, such as this Chrome message that users may have seen a few too many times in the last two years:
Do i need to be concerned about this? what is flash player? december is in like ten days please help pic.twitter.com/6K9y8b7pKS
— dj (@doctor_davey_) November 17, 2020
Adobe published instructions on how to ensure that Flash is removed from Windows and Mac computers. The company also said it would “block Flash content from running in Flash Player beginning January 12, 2021,” explaining the move was “to help secure users’ systems.”
Flash first launched in 1996. For some perspective on how long ago that was, Flash debuted during President Bill Clinton’s first term in the White House.
As Flash’s time was about to come to an end, some people expressed frustration over the fact that old games that need Flash may no longer be playable:
can we not kill flash player?
flash games are video game HISTORY, yo.
Play Poptropica Without Adobe Flash Player Download
what the fuck
Play Poptropica Without Adobe Flash Player Version
— bran (@branb0i) December 3, 2020
reminder to self: flash player is dying, soon play a bunch of flash games before new years
— m (@mahnewr_) December 2, 2020
3ish more weeks till flash player EOL.
soooo many good memories and good flash games. Thank you flash.
— Kozak (@AllWheelDog) December 2, 2020
While it’s true that Flash’s “end of life” was imminent, Homestar Runner already re-uploaded its content to YouTube years ago.
As for games, Tom Fulp, who runs Newgrounds.com, created a way to run a handful of old Flash games without the need for Flash. He tweeted that they are using Ruffle.rs, “a Flash Player emulator built in the Rust programming language.” We appreciate Tomas for sending in this tip.
Newgrounds lets you play them without Flash! We're using https://t.co/tXbjWpFmTq, which doesn't support everything yet but is always growing. Alien Hominid is playable this way currently: https://t.co/tij80ESkW5
— Tom Fulp (@TomFulp) December 3, 2020
While a lot of popular Flash content was being archived and saved for the future, Adobe Flash Player was coming to an end:
Thank you Adobe Flash Player for giving us a wonderful and happy times during our childhood :’) there is an endless list of flash games that many of us played growing up and loved. This is making me emotional but always carry in your heart everything that once made you smile 💜 pic.twitter.com/6LBPtdkQp7
— 🦋 Hadeel 🦄 #NieReplicantR 💜 (@iHadeel_x) December 3, 2020