With the arrival of Chrome 88, the latest update to Chrome, the browser finally says goodbye to Adobe Flash support, ending the Flash Player's long tenure on the Web. There have been good times and not-so-good times, but all in all, it is indeed sad to see the old dog go.

Google did not make the decision to put Flash out to pasture alone; it was only in 2017 that Adobe called for the start of a phased end-of-life process for Flash.

Chrome 88 will officially put an end to Google's support of Flash, even if it willingly assumes all risks associated with the web format. One of the reasons Adobe initially decided to discontinue Flash was to prevent the distribution of outdated, unlicensed, and potentially vulnerable software. Software Vulnerabilities?Flash Player is known to have several vulnerabilities.

The latest update to Chrome also removes support for FTP (File Transfer Protocol) URLs, and users who rely on FTP to move files around the web will need to move to a more secure and up-to-date standard or find another browser.

Mozilla Firefox will ship version 85 after January 26, 2021, which will be the first version without Flash support. [Flash Player's heyday should have been when Newgrounds and Miniclip were on every school's list of blocked sites.

If you still feel a little empty inside, read Jeremy Peel's Flash in memoriam-a look back at the legacy of Flash games over the years. You'll be surprised at how many modern titles have learned a lot from the days of toon browser games.