* What's your view of Flash?
Following the recent release of Macromedia Studio 8 – I discussed the suite’s attributes in this newsletter (see “Macromedia releases Studio 8 to blow your socks off”). I have become increasingly fascinated with what can be achieved using Flash. I’ve also realized that many IT people consider Flash to be more-or-less the work of the devil.
For example, see Scott Granneman’s 2002 article, which suggests that “building entire Web sites in Flash, or even injudicious use of Flash, is a bad idea,” and Jakob Neilsen’s article from 2000 in which Neilsen contends that “99% of all flash apps are bad.”
So what is it that these commentators along with the many otherwise well-informed people are objecting to? It seems that the main complaints are:
1. Flash has been over-used for “eye candy.”
2. Flash is proprietary.
3. Working in Flash is more complicated than using HTML.
I really can’t argue with point No. 1 but I would suggest that most new presentation technologies that gain any degree of market acceptance get overused and or used in places where they shouldn’t. That doesn’t invalidate the technologies; it merely points out that a lot of bad design is going on.
The second point is a concern but in the unlikely event that Macromedia goes out of business tomorrow the company has made the Flash system internals so well understood and implemented through third-party products that Flash would still survive and prosper anyway.
Another complaint raised with the issue of Flash being proprietary is that it is “active” content – that is, it is executable code – and so could be the vector for malware. Indeed this is true but given the lack of serious or widespread Flash-vectored attacks so far and that the technology is arguably at least as secure as the Web browsers Flash typical runs in, that would seem to be a weak argument.
The third point is debatable. Flash is, in reality, no more complex than many programming languages and simpler than some. In particular, the Flash development tools from Macromedia and third party providers make Flash development easier than HTML with CSS, AJAX, XSS, XSLT and all of the other accepted Web construction “standards.”
Given all of the foregoing, why might Flash be a good idea anyway? Just consider: Flash can be run on something approaching 98% of all PCs worldwide, you can build RIAs – Rich Internet Applications – with greater ease than through the use of any other technology I’ve seen, and it is a robust and mature technology.
In short, Flash looks to me to be one of the best bets available for a future rich content on the Web.
So I have a few questions for you and to make it as painless as possible for you to give your opinion, I’d like you to take an online poll in Gibbsblog.
Finally, if you have time please drop me a note and expand on why you voted as you did.
