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Google now automatically converts Flash ads to HTML5

venturebeat.com

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Re: Google now automatically converts Flash ads to HTML5

#4

Post by akersten »

Shame that I automatically convert all ads to nonexistance.

It's too little, too late for rich media/content-heavy ads. Especially in the mobile sector:

* Ads are a performance burden on low-power devices

* They consume extra battery; power is wasted on superfluous cruft

* Bandwidth wasted; especially a concern given draconian data caps

* Tracking and privacy concerns

Not to mention the fact that ads are a primary attack vector (think of all the advertising CDNs that have been compromised and used to deliver malware). The real improvement here is moving away from a proprietary plugin.

Pointing out the problems of rich media ads isn't very useful here though, since most of us are probably aware already. My proposal would be simple, inline text, along the lines of "this page load sponsored by _". Doubt that will gain traction, though.

Re: Google now automatically converts Flash ads to HTML5

#6

Post by drzaiusapelord »

akersten wrote: post #4

Shame that I automatically convert all ads to nonexistance. It's too little, too late for rich media/content-heavy ads. Especially in the mobile sector: * Ads are a performance burden on low-power devices * They consume extra battery; power is wasted on superfluous cruft * Bandwidth wasted; especially a concern given draconian data caps * Tracking and privacy concerns Not to mention the fact that ads are a primary at…

>They consume extra battery;

I find it fascinating that Google is always hurting their own mobile experience. Between all the issues android has with wake locks and memory leaks and the massive infrastructure of location and 'lifestyle' tracking for ad delivery, its a miracle Android devices get any battery life at all. Even without this html5 conversion, Android battery life often pales compared to iOS or Windows Phone.

The more I think about it, an OS from whats essentially an ad delivery company is probably a liability. Monetization will trump user experience. Get ready for some pretty invasive html5 ads.

Re: Google now automatically converts Flash ads to HTML5

#8

Post by [deleted] »

akersten wrote: post #4

Shame that I automatically convert all ads to nonexistance. It's too little, too late for rich media/content-heavy ads. Especially in the mobile sector: * Ads are a performance burden on low-power devices * They consume extra battery; power is wasted on superfluous cruft * Bandwidth wasted; especially a concern given draconian data caps * Tracking and privacy concerns Not to mention the fact that ads are a primary at…

[deleted]

Re: Google now automatically converts Flash ads to HTML5

#9

Post by higherpurpose »

drzaiusapelord wrote: post #6
akersten wrote: post #4

Shame that I automatically convert all ads to nonexistance. It's too little, too late for rich media/content-heavy ads. Especially in the mobile sector: * Ads are a performance burden on low-power devices * They consume extra battery; power is wasted on superfluous cruft * Bandwidth wasted; especially a concern given draconian data caps * Tracking and privacy concerns Not to mention the fact that ads are a primary at…

>They consume extra battery; I find it fascinating that Google is always hurting their own mobile experience. Between all the issues android has with wake locks and memory leaks and the massive infrastructure of location and 'lifestyle' tracking for ad delivery, its a miracle Android devices get any battery life at all. Even without this html5 conversion, Android battery life often pales compared to iOS or Windows Ph…

Aren't most iOS apps ad-based, too?

Re: Google now automatically converts Flash ads to HTML5

#10

Post by Igglyboo »

marquis wrote: post #7

I run the flash blocker extension in Chrome. So I expect, the next extension I'll be running is a tag blocker with an option to enable on demand. (edit: known as "click to play" mode)

Or just use an adblocker and you don't have to worry what format the ads are in.
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