Any thoughts about flash?

So back in 2001 a lot of people were talking up flash... comment like "in two years the entire web will be in flash" were common.

So now we're in 2006 and while flash is still alive and kicking it clearly isn't dominating. Lately I have been hearing a lot of people talking up flash again.

Anyone out there using flash for their websites? Is there any reason for me to believe that in 2008 the world wide web will be dominated by flash? Should I stop learning DHTML and move into the flash arena?

Thoughts? Comments?

 

The web is moving to ajax, not flash. There is a reason everything got lighter and css came in as there is no reason for larger files. Everything is going mobile and ajax is the way to go.

 

I agree with you.

Are you saying that the fact the Flash Files are a lot larger than HTML files is the downfall to the Flash technology as a general solution?

 

Flash is best used as content, not for function. For example it may be used to show an animation or video. It is not appropriate for supplying function. A Flash navigation menu is inaccessible to folks needing to enlarge text (and, yes, I know about zoom; but zoom is not the same), or must use keyboard navigation, or use assistive technology, or just prefer not to use plugins.

The paradigm shift is to separating content from presentation and behavior. Further, content must be fully accessible and functional with or without the added layers of enhancement. Using Flash as a building block is neither well structured, semantic nor accessible.

cheers,

gary

 

Flash has many downfalls as it cant be proccessed as text if a device wants to extract it. Flash is made to be a visual presentation rather then a long text information delivery

 

I think...

Flash using in games insted of java, flash used in site into, most of the time style navigation......... and some slide show of images

 

Flash is great for some stuff, although the recent lawsuit doesn't make things for flash any better.

http://www.publish.com/article2/0,1895,1932611,00.asp

 

I think the web is going to continue to move along as it is where there is never really a complete dominant technology and new technologies will coninue to arise while old ones improve. There are different uses for all these technologies and a truely powerful website will use the right technology in the right place for the right purpose.

I think both AJAX and flash are great resources, but I think their use and application should be different. I think somewhere to look for the future is how flash is being used in conjunction with video, cnn.com, aol.com and the presentation like videos you see popping up all over the web - all of these are starting to use video in resourceful ways. Flash is also great for presting things in an interesting and marketing savy way. While I think AJAX is more about usability and functionality on the web. Real time list ordering, drag and drop, and real-time processing and displaying of information.

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I have always disliked flash, not because of the technology but because of the way some sites use it. Flash has destroyed the usability of a huge number of websites just because the designer thought it looked good.

Flash can do some great things (games, movies etc) and will always have a place in web design.

Hopefully AJAX will not fall foul of people who think that they have to use it to make a good website. Personally I have seen some great uses of AJAX but have yet to find a need for it on any of my sites.

There are plenty of places I could have used it but I figured that standard methods worked just as well so why complicate things?

 

i personally fine flash difficult to use , so that one of the reason i turn to using photoshop for the design and css for the layout.

 

Flash like every good web technology is designed to be used for specific things. Flash is very good at making interactive content, like games, and eye catching adverts.

Flash is a corner stone of web design, however that doesn't mean you have to use it or it will take over the web.

It remains a corner stone of web design because the guys at Macromedia/Adobe keep on dramatically improving it with each release, this is why you have recently heard people talking up flash.

Should you stop learning DHTML and switch to Flash?

Depends on what your trying to make. Post what type of project you are planning to work on and we can give you some feedback on what to use.

 

I guess I was asking about moving to flash as more of a strategic question. If everything is going to be flash in 10 years then maybe it's time to start learning flash.

 

If everything WERE going to be Flash in 10 years, I'd wait at least 7 before abandoning anything else, especially if Flash continues updating their stuff every year (Flash 7 to 8 was HUGE).

The reason Flash blew up the way it did around 1999-2000 was because that was the height of the whole "online media" fiasco, what with MP3s dominating the web and online shows like Jonni Nitro making waves.

Flash was Silicon Valley's answer to not being able to play high-quality movies via the dial-up They figured why try to compress an image to crappy quality when vector images were lossless at 1/10 the size. But as soon as cable and DSL started gaining popularity, Flash became just another tool.

As for AJAX, I personally think it's overrated. Especially since it's been around for like 3-4 years now, people are just now getting wind of it. I think at most AJAX is a stepping stone to whatever's coming next.