On 4/22/08 6:08 PM, "Tom W" <[address removed]> wrote:
> On 4/22/08 5:22 PM, "G" <[address removed]> wrote:
>
>> I like Flash for doing animations, videos etc, smaller interactive pieces and
>> I have always felt that client side Javascript libraries are not up to par
>> with Flash (though with Firefox3, Safari and IE8 i wonder if it might be
>> worth
>> a try).
>
> Just a quick note to clarify on your last point, there actually is much you
> can do now with Flash (9, AS3) now as far as SEO, bookmarking, direct (deep)
> linking, etc.
I'd just like to add that Flash vs. Non - Flash is really a false dichotomy.
Never are you going to have a Flash site that doesn't have an HTML page
behind it--usually JavaScript as well--and using Flash on a page does not
mean that it has to be visible to the user.
Some great examples of this are:
* Multiple file uploads <http://www.elemen...;
* Audio <http://www.schill...;
* JavaScript Sockets <https://thinkfor ge.org/projects/sock etjs/>
* Rich typography <http://www.mikein...;
* SVG <http://flash-crea...;
In the past, this would require hiring a programmer that knew Flash very
well and another one that knew JavaScript very well, but ActionScript and
JavaScript are converging such that a good developer will be able to easily
move between the two.
I challenge you to give up this dichotomy and determine how to use each
technology to its utmost in a cohesive manner. Howver, there are a few
issues with Flash that you have not brought up, which are relevant to making
a truly great experience in an all-Flash environment:
* Flash developers who can make accessible pages are much more rare than
HTML/CSS/JavaScript developers of the same bent.
* Core components (text-fields, links, clipboard) in Flash do not behave
in a manner consistent with the rest of the operating system, and are
often frustrating to power-users.
* Flash does not target multiple media well: it is difficult to print,
hard to adapt to different screen sizes, and unavailable on the iPhone.
I hope this helps. I grind my teeth when Flash is presented as outside the
Web ecosystem.
--
Ryan Cannon
Application Developer, NFL.com
http://ryancannon...
