In 2006 history Ookla launched their Flash-based Speedtest. The first occurrence of Ookla's Speedtest in the Wayback Machine is from November 7, 2006.
As you can see in the screenshot above, you will notice that:
- there is room for 2 ads;
- the speed test self is incomplete, there are for example no servers that could be selected (not strange because this image is created with a Flash emulator)
- the max speed that could be measured is 10 Mbps
- there is a call to action to host your customized version of Speed Test
- the history of tests run from your computer will be shown
- there is a call to action to share your results with others
On Youtube, you will find this recording of a Flash speed test.
Image found at: ShoutMeTech
An updated version
March 2011 Ookla announced a new version of their Flash speed test with
(...) new social features, more accurate speed tests, and a zoomable map that makes the United States look like a Christmas tree (...)
The rise and fall of Flash
In the early days of speed tests, Flash was the only reliable base for creating a speed test. More precisely the ActionScript code embedded in the Flash code made it possible to perform a speed test.
The Flash Player was deprecated in 2017, hence it was high time that Ookla replaced its Flash-based speed test with the current Speedtest.
Interested in the history of Flash? Read: The rise and fall of Adobe Flash.
Note that at GitHub, veso266 collected original Speedtest Flash files.