TexasDesign.com

Flash is now officially 10 years old! We decided that such a milestone was worthy of a trip down memory lane to see how Flash has evolved over the last decade…

• Flash began life 10 years ago as FutureSplash, a vector-based software owned by a small software house called Future Wave.
• In 1996, Macromedia acquired FutureSplash and later released it as Flash 1.0
• Macromedia Flash 2 was released in 1997 with features such as support of stereo sound and enhanced bitmap integration.
• In 2000 the Flash Player was being distributed with all AOL, Netscape and Internet Explorer browsers. Two years later it shipped with all releases of Windows XP.
• A 2001 survey made for Macromedia by Media Metrix showed that 7 out of 10 of the biggest websites in the US were making use of Flash content.
• Macromedia announced in 2002 the availability of Macromedia Flash MX and Macromedia Flash Player 6 with supports for video, application components and accessibility.
• Flash MX 2004 featured: faster runtime performance up to 8 times with the enhanced compiler and the new Macromedia Flash Player 7, additional text effects with the new support for extensions, mobile and device development and a forms-based development environment.
• In December 2005, Adobe Systems acquired Macromedia and its product portfolio including Flash.

As it reaches its 10th year, TexasDesign would like to wish Flash a very Happy Birthday!