Steve Jobs is not a fan and is actively encouraging the computer industry to abandon Flash in favor of open source standards that can do the same job.

Jobs' reluctance to use Flash became apparent last week in a conference call with shareholders, when he said that Flash Lite, the version for mobile phones, was "not capable of being used with the web" and therefore would not be showing up on the iPhone. (Source: betanews.com)

There are a multitude of invisible applications and codes buzzing around your computer when you visit the web. Some of the most popular include Java, JavaScript (no relation), CSS, and Adobe's Flash. These are the programs that make web pages render correctly, and, in the case of Flash, allow animated figures to appear on your screen as well as being the most popular way to deliver video (think YouTube).  (Source: appleinsider.com)

Jobs is reluctant to use Flash Lite because it is incapable of running Flash on websites anyway, and can only provide a minimal amount of graphics ability to handsets. In addition, the main version of Flash is too large to function on a mobile device because it would use up far too much battery and processing power, even on the iPhone. For Apple's CEO it seems that Adobe's Flash is nearing its extinction. "There's this missing product in the middle," Jobs said during the teleconference.

What will the missing product be?

Apple is reportedly pushing within web standards circles for 'H.264 video' to become Flash's replacement, and is working with Mozilla (the makers of Firefox), Opera, and even Microsoft to make it happen. However, the chances of Flash disappearing any time soon are pretty slim. The Adobe Creative Suite is the most popular tool for web designers and animators, and Adobe is not about to do away with its own product.

Jobs and Apple may be hoping to snuff out Flash, but convincing web creators to make the switch will not be an easy task.