Adobe Systems has said that it plans to phase out its Flash Player plug-in by the end of 2020.
The technology was once one of the most widely used ways for people to watch video clips and play games online.
But it also attracted much criticism, particularly as flaws in its code meant it became a popular way for hackers to infect computers.
In recent years, much of its functionality has been offered by the rival HTML5 technology.
One of HTML5's benefits is that it can be used to make multimedia content available within webpages without requiring users to install and update a dedicated plug-in.
When Adobe acquired Flash in its 2005 purchase of Macromedia, the technology was on more than 98% of personal computers.
But on Chrome, now the most popular web browser, Flash's usage has fallen off dramatically.
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But the firm added that it remained committed to support Flash up until the end of 2020 "as customers and partners put their migration plans into place".