Flash where are we going?

Flash where are we going?
Ok so its morning here and i need to write some stuff about flash for next week for the place i work.
So it’s a little long but don’t worry i light my cigarette and my coffee is in standby.

So everyone ask is if Flash shifting away from our world. Being a Flash developer more than a decade i found myself defending flash on a regular base, so this is the way i see thing about flash.

The turn point regarding flash start 5 years ago when Actionscript 3.0 came to the world , many as2 dev/ designer where stunned they need to start learning flash all over again designers for example who had some AS2 skills to work with flash with the AS2 syntax, but not so strong with object-oriented start to shift away from flash ,life start to be a little hard for them ,for me this was the shift point for them it was to move on from the flash world .

But don’t let this mislead you in 2004 same thing happened when As2 came out, i think also at that point the so call war against flash start from those who build website base on CSS ,as more library like Ajax, Jquery atc` and the coming out of AS3 in the 2006 many shift away from Flash in favor of a standards web application ,since now visual effects and user interface are not the inheritance of flash only.

Flash certainly is not and all around platform but i can state that on any web platform out there, but stunning web application in my opining no technology i know today can come even close to flash have to offer on rich media just do a quick visit in any of the top flash web site.

There are still a lot of doing in the flash world when it come to a web site and let’s face it, the web still can’t handle himself this days without flash application.

Today you have less flash application for sure but i see it as opportunity as simple flash getting more into straight direction and those who do focused on flash will find them self always on the top web market salary (if they are good ) shaking all the bad habit that the majority abuse flash not in the right way ,my personal view about some bad habit is when you use flash application where you shouldn’t ,i think flash blogs for example where never a good choice to use or even today Myspace Api, i really don’t see the benefit of this when using flash.

Today if you look at the alternative for flash today on the top level (not html 5 since it’s still have a long way to go) three is really non, making good transition strong application you need a good engine not to mention 3D, and i am really sorry but java script will never be able to compete with flash on higher level complex performance, to explain this better i always give the internet example as build base on patch after patch, that what’s java is!, you need so many plug in around, but bottom line java was never a core application engine, so until someone will bring something new java have a long way to go for a 15-17 years old tac` been patch over and over .

So what the alternative? Well WP is doing amazing on the web and it’s already come to the level you see full WP web application that are very similar to a standers flash website but with one big issue is the side performance, just take a look on a complex WP application.

But WP have some great benefit as it .
*It is in high on demand.
*They have the largest community in the world.
*Great SEO .
*And the punch line its supper easy to learn.
But bottom line WP is not flash, and flash is not WP so i keep find myself telling this to other over and over (:

Flash is here, it’s not going anywhere just getting more complex.
Tsafi

I agree.

I’ve been researching this morning for an audio mixer tool (aviary has the best one), and for the type of project we need to do, this seems to be the most similar http://civicnation.ca/mix/home.php?language=en

Do this with something else than Flash, if you can (try the mixer app).

We’re looking very closely at how WP grows, and we’re actually working on a easier way for people to port Flash components to WP blogs, with Blogvio. Once that happens, I hope Flash will be on every WP website as well.

Flash is superior for any RIA , stop… no need to debate.

Flash could be better also for full websites, but the result must be outstanding to justify it… and you have to provide html fallback, etc…

html, wordpress and js can do so much… it depends who use these technologies. I can tell you that with html and js you can make a better product than most of the flash websites out there… if you don’t believe me, wait a little and I’ll show you what I mean.

The problem is the budget, as for everything. For low budget solutions, like templates (but also sites for small clients) WP/html can’t be beaten, is impossible. Cheap flash templates are good, but not like cheap WP sites… if the design is horrible in both the situations, at least wp comes with a full cms and ready to be indexed by search engines.

The funny thing is that most of the flash authors here have a WP site for their portfolio, ask yourself why.

If you chose another technology for your poersonal projects, how could you convince your buyers/clients and yourself that flash is better?

ParkerAndKent said

The funny thing is that most of the flash authors here have a WP site for their portfolio, ask yourself why.

If you chose another technology for your poersonal projects, how could you convince your buyers/clients and yourself that flash is better?

But that’s what happens if your business leaned on 100 % on a small market stock files you inherit other dev` mistake. ?

They will learn 1 day.

Just behave PK you left me a note on TF the other day, don’t play with fire

flash will become like a must have interface engine for the future cloud based google type computer, those with no local storage. When most of the application from local install and all the problem derived from this, like complexity of install, conflicts and other things like that, will move to online servers like google or microsoft. This will also be the solution to piracy programs, as many of those application will work as paid websites of today. So a fluid, fast and good looking interface could be provided by flash. (If silverlight – the only alternative now – will not win)

In fact adobe knows this very well, and the catalyst software they developed is a tool that will be important in this new era.

Now a local install have obvious advantages but the right or wrong of this move is not the point here. We want it or not, this will be the future in a couple of years. So flash is not actually dying, we are just insisting in building things that have a declining market.

All of the above will happen if, off course, we will survive the nuclear fallout that constantly spreads from those reactors in Japan.

There’s definitely a shift away from flash (I’ve seen it here and in my work place). What used to only be possible in flash is starting to be done in html and javascript (I’m amazed) on a regular basis.

Still I see some stuff that’s done in HTML and Javascript that I think must have taken 2x the mount of time to complete than if you were to do it in flash.

I blame the iPhone and iPad. If they supported flash there would be no discussion about using flash or something else. But the lack of flash on those devices really hit us hard.

But with the advance of mobile processors and the newer version of flash cs5.5 every flash developer here can become an app developer.

I think it’s an uncertain future. Will I continue to create flash files and sites? Yes. Am I working on learning html, javascript, etc? Yes.

On the flip side my sales here and revenue have continued to increase even after the site name change and the steve jobs hate letter that happen over a year ago, and I plan on continued growth for the foreseeable future.

@ParkerAndKent, when are we going to see this new file?

Flash creates experience, WP provides information. Different tool for different targets. You simply can’t compare them. Flash is here to stay. Stop thinking negative, there is so much going on…

RimV said

ParkerAndKent said

The funny thing is that most of the flash authors here have a WP site for their portfolio, ask yourself why.

If you chose another technology for your poersonal projects, how could you convince your buyers/clients and yourself that flash is better?

Because WP itself is a blogging and cms platform and 99.9% of the web is built on text, word and character ?

I think you contradict to yourself when you first say Flash is superior for RIA but why do people still use html for blogging ? It’s like asking why are you walking on your … feet, it’s obvious fact !

Rimmon, I always talk for the envato contest, not in general.

If you sell flash portfolio website templates and then, for your portfolio you use a different technology how would you convince your clients that flash is the best solution for their portfolios?

If you need a blog you could always have one on the side, like the templates here… that link to external blogs from the flash site menu.

So if we sell as a valid solution the flash site + external blog and then we don’t apply this rule for ourselves, we shouldn’t be surprised then to see our clients applying the “without flash” solution.

I don’t know if it’s clear what I mean…