SiteCrafting, Inc.
6 Mar
Flash's Last Stand?
This article about Virgin America abandoning Flash for it's website popped up late last week and it seems fitting since there seems to be a lot of discussion around Flash and mobile operating systems - specifically Apple and the iPhone and iPad. Actually there has always been a lot of discussion around the effectiveness of Flash and people usually fall into two opposing camps - yeah, big surprise I know.
Much of what people think about related to Flash has to do with what I call Flash for Flash sake. In many cases the visual affects of Flash can be accomplished in a way more search engine friendly, way more content managed way using xhtml/css and some fancy javascript.
My take is that Flash is a good tool when used in applications that could be made way more difficult to accomplish without it. I believe it is a good standard platform for video and some specialty drawing or gaming applications - but that is about it.
Much of what people think about related to Flash has to do with what I call Flash for Flash sake. In many cases the visual affects of Flash can be accomplished in a way more search engine friendly, way more content managed way using xhtml/css and some fancy javascript.
All this is fine and good, but it is not why Virgin abandoned Flash. It was done due to the move by many consumers (in this case, business travelers) to mobile and specifically touch screen devices. Most if not all current touch screen devices do not support Flash within their browsers - the ones receiving the most current criticism are Apple's iPhone and iPad, but devices from Google, RIM and Microsoft do not support Flash either. Actually, Apple's devices do support Flash to a point - video - just visit YouTube on your iPhone and you can view that Flash video just fine.
Here's one reason I believe this to be the case - issues with inconsistent programming from site to site using Flash and more importantly the existence of the hover state. See most Flash menus and games rely heavily on hover. This is not an issue on your desktop PC because all you need to do is put your mouse over the object the action takes place. This is not the case on a touch screen where your finger is the cursor and the click at the same time. How can you hover without at the same time clicking? Millions of Flash sites are out there and millions of variations on hover exist - how can touchscreen OS possibly account for each and ensure a consistent experience?
I think Virgin is seeing that more and more of their customers are moving toward mobile check-in - same with Alaska Air and they don't want to rely on a technology that is inconsistent on mobile devices. Their solution is to sidestep it in favor of something more predictable and consistent.
A recent launch of ours, http://www.werealotlikeyou.com, looks a lot like Flash, but actually only uses Flash for audio and video playback. All the animations are done via xhtml/css and jquery. It works great on an iPhone, iPad, etc. etc.
Critiques, Javascript, Latest Hits, Odds 'n Ends, Review
by Brian Forth | 3/6/2010 1:33pm | Comments (0)
by Brian Forth | 3/6/2010 1:33pm | Comments (0)
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