Flash will always(ish) have a purpose. It brings extra 'closer-to-the-OS' features that only a native plugin currently can. Its just that the particular features for which it has recently been popular are now available directly from the browser via CSS3 and the HTML5 features. Flash will find some new things to add and the world will keep turning. That said, I think we've seen the peak of its popularity, which was largely enabled by good fortune anyway (ubiquitous video capable internet connections turning up and the browsers not getting their shit together).<p>Flash (or at least, SWF) is still far and away the best option for building 2D games for the web. The desktop as well, probably, considering the state of Director... and if they actually put in some effort, it could even be a great option for multi-platform console game dev (think XBLA, PSN, Wii Ware).