Eleven years ago, a charting component was born. Its name was FusionCharts and it was written in Adobe Flash (then Macromedia Flash). Flash was a pretty cool technology back then but now that we’re in 2013, in an era of modern web standards, it’s time to say goodbye.*
While we introduced our JavaScript (HTML5) version back in 2010 itself, we kept working on our Flash version alongside, spending equal time and effort on it, for two reasons. First, we wanted to make sure that users could access the chart even on smartphones that didn’t have modern browsers — these browsers didn’t support HTML5 back then but supported Flash alright. Second, we had over 20,000 organizations and half a million developers using our product and not all of them could make the transition overnight. They shouldn’t have to. But that should’t keep them from having the latest in charting. So we worked on both the JavaScript (HTML5) and Flash versions simultaneously for 3 long years.
But today, an overwhelming majority of smartphones have modern browsers and most of our customers have made the transition. It is time to leave legacy issues behind and break through the shackles. It is time to say our final goodbye to Flash.
Goodbye Flash — thanks for everything you have done for us. Hello JavaScript — we have things to do and places to go.
Umm ok, so what should I expect from you guys hereon?
- Starting next quarter, FusionCharts Suite XT will be a JavaScript-only library in the true sense. More events, better performance, more intuitive API and a lot more coming early next quarter. And all of this while we continue supporting IE 6, 7 and 8. Sounds interesting? Fill up this form to get early access to it.
- We want to have faster releases and better visualization capabilities in our JavaScript version, which calls for a stronger focus. So we will not be developing on the Flash version any further. Major bug fixes and technical support would, however, be available till Aug 31st, 2014. The transition to the JavaScript-only version will be seamless and take all of 60 seconds.
- We are really serious about the focus thing. So we are discontinuing all our extensions as well (FusionCharts for Flex, VB, Dreamweaver and more). Existing customers will continue getting support till Feb 28th, 2014.
I am a FusionCharts customer. Do I need to buy a new license?
No, not at all. If you have an active Support and Upgrades Subscription, you get the JavaScript-only version for free. If you don’t, you can buy it here for non-commercial licenses or contact your sales representative for commercial licenses (SaaS and RDL).
As always, we would love to hear from you. Questions? Suggestions? Feedback? What about the JavaScript-only version excites you the most? Let us know in the comments below.
(*hat tip The Internet Explorer 6 countdown)
