19 October 2009

Why Stop Flash Using?

By Nick Martin

Adobe Flash is being widely used in this modern world, as it can handle unmatched interactivity, protect source code and also well-suit for animation and media. Moreover, it can add interactive elements or movements to make a vivid website. However, there are various reasons for us not to recommend flash to all of you, when you need to build an entire website or want your main website functionally within Flash.

It Is Not Search-Engine-Friendly Enough: Only if developers include many steps in extra during configuration of the flash movies will Google and Yahoo search engine be able to read the Flash files. Other than that, there are restrictions in which links can the search engines crawl or index. The engines may not be able to pick up the text contained in the flash, lowering the probability for your potential customers to reach you. However, Google keeps on to suggest using Flash.

Immobile: Imagine the 4.1 billion mobile phones users in 2008, many of those with an iPhone who want to view a website with Flash and realize that they cannot. Flash is not as mobile as many of us might have expect. Desktop and laptop computers are fine with Flash Players, but iPhone was not considered when Flash was introduced. There has been cooperative discussions between Apple and Adobe concerning the problem, but a solution is nowhere to be seen up till this moment.

Lacking the Support For Maintaining Cross Platform: inserting Flash is not as easy as adding a HTML tags to a document. Some browsers need JavaScript support to load the page. There are many peculiarities that you will find when integrating elements of Flash into your website.

Player of Flash Required: In order to view Flash animations, new computers need to be equipped with Flash Player which is downloaded from Adobe's website. People will not get access to some potentially valuable content on your page if they choose not to install the Player.

Difficulty To Access: People who have vision impairments or who are using text reader without MAJOR modifications cannot access Adobe Flash. Without modifications, Flash sites cannot be read. Flash is not Section 508 Compliant which most government and higher education websites are equipped with.

Cost: As compared to HTML, Flash is extremely costly. In addition to the $700 you paid for the software, there are extra costs when you want to upgrade it to the most recent versions. Not to forget the maintenance fee to keep everything running smoothly. The high cost is taking a toll on web developers who only own a small business.

The utility of Flash technology is undeniable. However, to make the right choice when developing and creating websites, one must pay close attention to the constraints present.

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