Flash’s Action offers unrivalled interactivity. Website developers have used it to provide both new levels of feedback and a new era of onsite games. It has raised the quality level of websites.
Visitors have voted with their custom and presence, otherwise website developers wouldn’t have been joining in the chorus. Developers have been leading the charge.
Browser Compatibility
Because Flash runs on its own platform, compatibility is not a problem. CSS, on the other hand, can display differently in different browsers. No matter the browser, Flash will always generate the same response.
Efficient animation
Let’s face it, animation looks great. Using Flash, websites can express unparalleled visual appeal. It isn’t as heavy on the code for animation as movies are.
The negatives:
SEO
Google doesn’t index Flash content. That’s
a major problem for most website developers, who have SEO drummed into
them. It also means that Flash websites again come up short of visitors.
Flash Player
Despite its popularity, not everyone has Flash. That means you have to install a redirect for those visitors who don’t already have it. Further, some visitors will not install it to see your site, so some visitors won’t view your site. If people have problems with Flash, you lose them too.
The wait
Flash takes longer to download than straight HTML. That means more waiting, especially for visitors with slower internet speeds. It discriminates against some countries. Also, some of your visitors will bail before your site even loads.
The compromise most website developers make is to use Flash when its specific features are required. Even then, it’s a matter of basing the site on HTML and using Flash only when needed.
