Is Flash Still worth it?

Adobe Flash, formerly Macromedia’s Flash is the most robust multimedia tool on the web today; but will it still be king tomorrow? The development of HTML5 and many of its companion technologies have started to eat away at Flash’s kingdom, and Apple has declared war on Flash by not supporting it on any of their “I” devices.  So as a new comer should you still invest your time learning Flash? Here are some points to help you decide.

First a little background: What is Flash?
Flash started out as a web animation platform and there it remains unbeatable.  Using a timeline and key frames interface it allows you to create complex motion visuals that are unavailable with any other web technology; Flash has even been used in non web animation for television shows like “Ugly Americans” and “Johnny Test”. As the platform grew it developed its own programming language, Action script, which has allowed the development of many online programs, most notably games.  So with all that Flash can do, why is it in danger?  Flash is a proprietary software owned by Adobe, many opponents of it want an open source alternative. A more practical reason for deposing Flash is that is has a track record for being unstable and insecure.

So what are the alternatives?  Well that depends on what you are looking to accomplish.  I’m going to break it down into three categories: animation, web applications and video.

Animation; as I stated earlier for full out web animation there is nothing that can beat flash for its ease of use and its power.  But if you are designing for “I” devices and Flash is not an option, here are a few alternatives for you.

  • HTML5’s Canvas property:  This is the closes thing to having Flash’s power without using Flash itself.  The Canvas tag is part of the new HTML5 web standard and allows you to create interactive animations that can be displayed in your native browser.
  • Pros:  Stable, using open source web technologies the Canvas tag will work on any “I” device.
  • Cons: The Canvas tag is not yet supported by all browsers, and it is not supported at all by Internet Explore, which still have the largest browser market share in the US.   It also has no User Interface for creation of content; it pulls its information from a JavaScript file. This makes it very difficult for non programmers to use.
  • JavaScript Frameworks:  jQuery, Moo Tools, Prototype, these JavaScript Frameworks take the heavy lifting out of basic web animations.  (A JavaScript Framework is a collection of different JavaScript codes that can easily be accessed by calling them from your web page.) They are great for small animations but not an option for making say, a cartoon.
  • Pros: Open source, very flexible, these Frameworks can allow web designers to build a slideshow or web application with a lot of the work done for them already.  For making images appear, move, grow or shrink, a JavaScript Framework is a better alternative to Flash.
  • Cons:  All browsers do not display JavaScript Frameworks in the same way, while it is easy to modify an already completed web application, creating one from scratch take knowledge of not only JavaScript, but the Framework it was built with.

Web Applications;  Flash is a powerful content creation platform that can make very visually appealing Web Applications,  but its security flaws make it an unwise choice for anything that needs to remain secure.   Here are some alternatives to using Flash for Web Applications.

  • Silverlight: A product similar to Flash but created by Microsoft, it focus’ less on design and more on integration.
  • Pros: Silverlight is a robust platform with a strong user base, because it is created in the .net language it can more easily integrate with with other Microsoft products.
  • Cons: With a lot smaller install base then Flash, Silverlight might need to be installed before a user can access your application.
  • PHP and other Server Side Languages: The majority of Web Applications are now written in one form of Server Side Language or another.
    • Pros: Secure, powerful and cross platform SSL’s are the way to go when writing a Web Application.
    • Cons: While a lot can be done to improve the look of a Web Application written with a SSL, (CSS, Javascript) you will never have the interactivity that Flash provides.

    Video on the Web; Flash has long reigned as the undisputed web video platform. It is used by YouTube, Vimeo, and is over 90% of the video on the web right now was made for Flash.  But HTML5 is looking to change that, here are some alternatives to using Flash for Web video.

    • The  HTML5 Video tag: A simple to use and native video tag to use in your browser, no need for extra plug-ins.
    • Pros: As simple as adding an image to your website, HTML5 video will be an easy and quick solution to video on the web.
    • Cons:  It would be a perfect solution except for one thing, browser manufactures cannot decide on which type of video format to support.  Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Internet Explorer and Opera have all decided to back a their favorite video format, which would mean if you want to have your video seen in all the browsers you would have to have three different videos, four if you want to have older browsers view it, the fourth one would still need to be in Flash.

    Browser Native Video is the way of the future, but we are not there yet, until a standard is put in place Flash video will remain king of the internet.

    So is it still worth learning Flash, if you are interested in creating complex animations for the web or TV, or want to get started in online video, the answer is yes.   Adobe continues to updated and add new features to the Flash Professional program making it the industry leader.

    Have Questions or Comments about Flash?  Let us know down below.