Adobe has announced it's killing Flash. This is it, with Flash going away for good. No comebacks, no last-minute reprieves, gone but not forgotten. The end is nigh, so Flash fans (also known as "idiots") should make the most of this woeful piece of technology while they still can.

Adobe Flash was once the default option for anyone looking to place anything flashy on their website. It powered web-based games, online video, fancy graphics, and more besides. However, Flash was (and still is) riddled with security issues, which is why we're celebrating its passing.

Adobe Flash, Your Time Is Up!

After years of false alarms Adobe is finally sending Flash off to the underworld from whence it came. Like so many other tech sites we have been campaigning for Flash to die for many years, and even tech companies too numerous to mention have been trying to get rid of Flash.

And now, finally, Adobe is succumbing to the pressure and vowing to end-of-life Flash. In a blog post, Adobe promises to "stop updating and distributing the Flash Player at the end of 2020 and encourage content creators to migrate any existing Flash content to these new open formats."

Adobe is enlisting the help of Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and Mozilla to send Flash off gently into the night. These companies will assist Adobe in phasing out Flash over the next three years so that come 2020 there will absolutely no need for Flash to exist any longer.

The aforementioned security issues are the main reason Flash is going away. As long ago as 2010 Steve Jobs was arguing that Flash needed to die. And now, probably 10 years later than was necessary, Flash is shuffling off this mortal coil, aided and assisted by the emergence of newer, better technologies such as HTML5.

The Final Nail in the Coffin

The death of Flash has been a long time coming, and I'm glad to be finally writing the news story documenting Adobe's decision to kill Flash. Sure, we've got to put up with Flash for another few years, but most of us have already moved on anyway. This is just the final nail in the coffin.

Rest in peace, Adobe Flash: 1996-2020

How do you feel about Adobe killing Flash? Should Adobe have abandoned Flash years ago? Or was it right to wait until other technologies matured enough? Are you a fan of Flash? If so, why? What's wrong with you? No, seriously?! The comments are open below...

Before Flash goes away, you might want to download your favorite Flash games so you can play them past 2020.