Adobe's Flash has gotten a lot of bad press for security problems, and rightfully so. Flash has proven itself to be a serious headache for a lot of people, and I think it's way past time for Mac owners to dump it altogether.

I talked about Why Flash Sucks in a post for one of my other blog years ago, and I still feel the same way. Given the bugs, non-standard interfaces, security risks, increased CPU consumption and how Flash is used in some ads, getting rid of Flash is one of the best things you can do for your Mac.

Don't take my word for it though, see Apple Insider's excellent primer on how to remove Flash from your Mac:

...Flash is easy to remove and most of your favorite sites and Web services will continue to work fine without Flash installed. YouTube, Netflix, and a host of others have either made the shift to HTML5 video or use alternative technologies, like Microsoft's Silverlight. How to uninstall Flash from your Mac 1. Verify your OS X version by clicking the Apple icon in the upper left and selecting About This Mac. 2. For OS X 10.5 and later — Snow Leopard, Mountain Lion, Mavericks, or Yosemite — download and run this uninstaller. 3. For OS X 10.4 and 10.5 — Tiger or Leopard — download and run this uninstaller. More at Apple Insider

iOS devices don't have Flash either

One of the biggest worries from some Mac users is that they might miss out on something if they don't have Flash. But it's important to remember that the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch don't have Flash installed. In fact, they've never had Flash installed and they are some of the best content consumption devices ever created.

I remember when Steve Jobs came out against Flash and refused to install it on any of Apple's mobile devices. He got a lot of flack for his position, but in the end he turned out to be prescient about Adobe's Flash. He was right to draw a line in the sand against Flash, and all these years later iOS devices are much the better for it.

And I say this as someone that spends a lot of time on iPad Air 2 and iPhone 6 Plus. I can't ever remember a time when I found myself wishing Flash was installed on either device. Frankly, if Flash was available on the iPad or iPhone, I'd remove it if I had the choice.

But don't Macs need Flash for video content?

I know that some folks will assume that iOS devices are simply different and don't require Flash but Macs do. Well, that's just not true. I haven't had Flash on my iMac or MacBook Pro in years and I haven't needed it. It's a myth these days that you have to Flash on your Mac in order to view video content and that sort of stuff.

YouTube and other video content sites have been moving away from Flash in recent years, and so it's gotten much better for non-Flash users in terms of being able to view such content. And the decline of Flash on such sites is only going to increase as time goes by. Flash is definitely on its way out, one way or the other.

Flash makes Web advertising even more annoying

Another great thing about getting rid of Flash on your Mac is the inability of Web sites to show you Flash-based ads. This can be important, particularly for those on laptops, because Flash ads seem to use more CPU and drain down a laptop computer's battery much faster than non-Flash ads.

I can honestly tell you that I do NOT miss seeing Flash-based advertising when I view Web sites on my Macs and iOS devices. The ads that do load seem to be a lot lighter and less annoying to look at on any of my devices. Frankly, you'd think that the advertising networks would have dumped Flash a long time ago given how much weight it adds to Web pages and how it annoys some readers.

So what are you waiting for Mac owners? Dump Flash now!

When you add it all up, it's just not worth keeping Flash on your Mac these days. Adobe Flash has proven time and time again that it's a security headache, and that it sucks up battery and CPU resources to the point where it is a major nuisance for laptop users.

My firm recommendation is to remove Flash from your Mac right now. I included links to the Flash installers for OS X in the quote above from Apple Insider. Just click those links to download the Flash uninstaller and free your Mac from the plague of Flash.

You'll be very glad you did. Congrats on a Flash-free future for your Mac.

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