back to article Flash flushed: Google's AdWords to convert ads to HTML5 automatically

In the latest blow to Adobe's little-loved Flash graphics format, Google has begun nudging customers of its AdWords ad network to wean themselves off Flash by offering automatic conversion of Flash ads to HTML5. "Over half of time spent online is now spent on mobile devices," the Google Ads team said in a Google+ post on …

  1. BongoJoe

    Someone please...

    ...offer this service to the BBC

    1. N13L5

      Anything to rid us of ghastly Adobe and its hideous spawn one day...

      ...with its beyond awful installation routine trying to drop some third-party McAfee malware on your system every time, its ridiculous slow and frail downloader, and the never ending security holes.

      I doubt I'll feel any love for Greedle's replacement, but it might just be a few percent points less annoying.

      Maybe Firefox will even get along with that, so we can overlook their totally failed attempt at sand-boxing Flash to prevent it from crashing the browser every time you have more than a few Youtube tabs open.

  2. Long John Brass

    Won't fix

    <rant>

    *HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY*

    The "bug" where the flash ad auto plays at max fucking volume --- Heyyyy you want Viagra!? --- How bout some cute Asian, Ukrainian, Russian women? If I wanted a wife/girfirend I'd rent one *BASTARDS*

    Looking you too ElReg ... I understand that websites require advertising to bring in the pennies; But if you launch that shit in my face every time I land on a page, AdBlock gets installed on that machine pretty damned quick.

    Every man & his dog monitoring every single thing I do down to breaking wind and you can't even deliver on the promise of all that monitoring? Accurately targeted advertising; Targeted my arse.

    Yes I'm nearing 50, yes I'm currently single; No I don't want to see "older" friking ladies with their cleavage hanging over the edge to the ad window; Show me shiny laptops, cars, gadgets show me expensive holidays to tropical paradises...

    Bad spam-vertiser... BAD

    Now ... get the hell off my lawn

    </rant>

    1. frank ly

      Re: Won't fix

      If you start seeing ads for lavender oil and kava-kava then you'll know they've got it working properly.

    2. big_D Silver badge

      Re: Won't fix

      The only good ad is a stationary ad with no sound (aka a JPEG). I run NoScript in Firefox, so the ad networks can't run Flash or JavaScript based ads anyway, so I always get stationary ads anyway.

    3. Havin_it
      Trollface

      Re: Won't fix

      Sounds like bromide and cocoa might be more up your Straße.

  3. h4rm0ny

    I don't mind ads...

    After all, a website's got to eat (or something). It's the tracking that bothers me.

    .

    Statement of the obvious: "don't mind ads" does not apply to ones that autoplay and start making sound. But everyone knows that.

    1. Al_21

      Re: I don't mind ads...

      or those which interfere with the main content - stupid ads which pop up in the middle of the screen and you have to find the well disguised "x" button - and struggle clicking on mobile even after you've found it

  4. MrWibble

    Bugger. Having click to play in Firefox stopped the most obnoxious ads, whilst still allowing static ones through. Guess I'll have to reconfigure adblock again to block more...

  5. David 138

    Buggy!

    "Steve Jobs notoriously having described Flash as "buggy" and its coders at Adobe as "lazy.""

    Im pretty sure Steve Jobs never used his products or got involved with either iOS or OSX. Otherwise he probably would be have picked his words more carefully. Especially considering the other article on the register with Apple as the buggiest of the vendors :P

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Buggy!

      Agree.

      Every time iTunes is updated, expect to be borked if you use Windows.

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