There is some credible Flash trash talking among my colleagues and the Web industry in general. Several years ago Flash was the new and in-demand Web technology that could make any WebSite vitalized and come to life. Unfortunately enough bad apples got into the bathwater and our new baby was in threat of being thrown out...
Not so long ago the fact was simple, the computer geeks that understood how to make Flash do really cool things had no clue in the art of storyboard creation or really had any artistic skills to speak of. On the other hand the artists that could tell a wonderful story, and get their message across to the masses were frustrated beyond reason as how to make Flash do anything useful.
You see at first when Flash was first designed it was aimed at the artistic crowd. The same people that know how to communicate ideas through design. In the beginning Flash was much easier to use and this in turn allowed artistic types to pick it up without too much hassle. But then Flash had bigger and better dreams of becoming something more. Flash became more powerful by means of its own scripting language. More and more complex programming techniques were needed just to create the simplest effects. Unfortunately this left the artistic types in the dust, grumbling on how difficult it was to do anything with Flash. Adobe, the company behind Flash made a bad judgement that enough users would continue be able to use Flash as it became a more powerful Web medium. This idea was simply before its time. The only ones remaining to develop with Flash were the techno geeks, able to go boldly where no man has gone before, but you know geeks communications skills - NADA! If you question this I suggest you turn on the television and watch Big Bang Theory, and you start understanding the rift in geek communication skills. ~~ afterall isn't the reason for a WebSite to communicate a message?
In essence the majority of Flash proliferating the Net back in 2007 and still today in mid 2011, is a montage of screaming babies, pitiful and annoying. Restraint is a crucial factor in Flash usage. Too much and it becomes overbearing, used as accents it becomes a worthwhile tool. Along with proper usage is proper understanding of the tool. There is a future for Flash. As more and more graphic arts departments in colleges and universities start teaching Flash and the new medium in general, slowly but surely respectable Flash WebSites have taken their place alongside the pure HTML standard.
Even with the tenaciousness of Apple to bar the technology from its portable devices, new portable device platforms like Andriod are wholeheartedly embracing Flash. Only a year ago Flash was doomed to obscurity due to Apples dominance in the portable device market. Perhaps by sheer pressure the all-mighty Apple will give in, but even if it doesn't, they are no longer the only platform in town.
So there is still life in Flash; it is that the tool is utilized properly by gifted artists that make are able to communicate a message through it, as well as the growing number of portable devices that support it.
