flash arguments

date posted 23rd January 2001 17:19

there are many problems with flash, namely not every company will install
the plug-in - it IS optional after all, plus its a little too much style
over content. its a lovely program, buts its certainly not the future of
the web.

nearly every flash site ive seen is a case of some designer wanting to show
how amazing well they can use flash and screw the message the company's
trying to get over - its only recently(last couple of years) flash has been
able to handle dynamic data and until flash 5's xml connections came around
it was a bitch - the site i recently asked you to look at was a case in
point, done in flash 4 and i had a hell of a time getting the text to be
dynamic with the asp.

looking at the way flash is developing as well i doubt it'll make it to
flash8 before director takes over - flash initially was a director-lite
targeted at the web - due to directors sheer power, superior database
handling ability. to be honest i cant help but feel flash is an interim
product, something macromedia produced to get more design/interaction on the
web to pave the way for shockwave proper.

and i never fail to be amazed when many designers denigrate developers (go
that alliteation!), the 'oooh,a database so what?' attitude, well the web
is mainly content these days and if all youre interested in doing is drawing
pretty pictures youre going to start finding life more and more difficult as
companies stop wasting money on useless pretty sites and concentrate more on
usuable, profitable justifiable sites designed to streamline their business
and not as a bandwagon-jumping exercise.

dave ecky

David Eckersall
Kinetic North Limited
A member of the Wize Group of companies
Reg Co No 4100142
Reg Office and Business Address
St James House, Wellington Road North
Stockport SK4 2QN
Office Tel - 00 44 161 975 5900
Office Fax - 00 44 161 975 5924
Web - http://www.kineticnorth.com

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