Flash was once one of our favorite ways to add movement and interaction to a website. But with technology always moving forward, now it is not the case! If you have flash on your site (like we do on our homepage - the awards that scroll) it is time to rethink and revamp. If your ENTIRE site is in Flash now is the time for a full remodel!
So, since we are changing out Flash on our own site, we thought this would be a good time to share with you all about options and why Flash is no longer a recommended solution. (Mind you there are always exceptions to the general rule, for example gaming sites...)
First, what is Flash?
“Adobe Flash (formerly Macromedia Flash) is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. Flash is frequently used for advertisements, games and flash animations for broadcast. More recently, it has been positioned as a tool for "Rich Internet Applications" ("RIAs"). Flash manipulates vector raster graphics to provide animation of text, drawings, and still images. It supports bidirectional of audio and video, and it can capture user input via mouse, keyboard, microphone, and camera. Flash contains an object-oriented language called ActionScript and supports automation via the JavaScript Flash language (JSFL). Flash content may be displayed on various computer systems and devices, using Adobe Flash Player, which is available free of charge for common web browsers, some mobile phones, and a few other electronic devices (using Flash Lite).” (thank you wikipedia)
Second, why shouldn’t we use it anymore?
The big reason is that you cannot see it on Apple products. More importantly on the 15M+ iPads out there! That is a HUGE bunch of potential customers that you are alienating with outdated information/animation/functionality. For reasoning why Apple won’t allow Flash, read Thoughts on Flash, by Steve Jobs.
Other reasons include:
- issues with Mac and crashing
- poor performance on mobile devices
- usability issues on touchscreen devices
- not effective at SEO (search engines have issues with Flash)
- costly to update or make changes
Third, what are the options now?
There are some options out there, not each one is perfect but it could work to meet your goals. Refreshing the information in HTML5, CSS, HTML, PHP5 and JavaScript is a start. Check out WebKit’s CSS animation abilities too! What this tells us is that it is time to stop and review your website content, does it really need motion? Is it time to focus on content vs. movement? Content is and will always be king!
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us to discuss. Call 773-665-2552
Read More:
http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2010/02/20/an-adobe-flash-developer-on-why-the-ipad-cant-use-flash/
http://www.1stwebdesigner.com/design/adobe-flash-future/
http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/
http://seb.ly/2011/01/html5-vs-flash-the-aftermath/