On Flash, and why I’m siding with Apple
By Jeff White: May 03, 2010
Filed Under: Design, Development, Jeff
I love Adobe Flash. I loved it just as much when it was called Macromedia Flash and before that when it was called FutureSplash Animator. I’ve used Flash for over 14 years, and have become pretty proficient in it. I can code most anything in ActionScript. We’ve even built quite a few sites in Flash, and numerous tools that, at the time, I don’t believe could have been created any other way. Over the last number of years though, I’ve tried to get away from it unless what I was working on simply couldn’t be done any other way.
What’s interesting though, is that with JQuery frameworks and other JavaScript libraries, we’ve recently begun to get to a place where most of what needed to be done could be done using tools that work on virtually any platform. I’ve owned an iPhone since it became available in Canada. This device has made me realize how dependent I am on being able to access content when on the road. It’s made me rethink how I feel about design on the web. I’ve been pushing for designers to make the move to web standards for at least seven years. I created courses when I taught at NSCAD that were based in web standards and used XHTML and CSS instead of Flash and tables. They were the first courses at the time that dealt with this, and it looks like they have continued with this since I stopped teaching there.
All this to say, I see both sides of the argument with regards to Steve Jobs’ statement on Flash. I recently (as in, just a few minutes ago) got into it with a designer who sees the latest version of Flash as a godsend for people who create stuff for the web. The new version of Adobe Flash Builder uses the Flex engine to create data-driven ‘rich web experiences’. Last I checked though, rich web experiences were possible with the other crop of open-source tools like HTML5 (and XHTML before it) as well as CSS3. We’re putting the finishing touches on a rebuild of a site that was previously created entirely in Flash and we’ve managed to maintain 99% of the animation, and yet the site works perfectly on an iPhone, whereas the previous site was just a blank, no-plugin-found icon.
As we move into a mobile world in which consumers use devices that have a lightweight OS and rely on small batteries to deliver web-based experiences, it will become increasingly important for designers and developers to work in toolsets that recognize these limitations. Flash promised designers who wanted pica-perfect control the ability to have any typeface they wanted, and control it the same way they did in Quark. Designers hate giving up control, especially when it comes to type. But with the advent of @font-face and Typekit, it’s becoming less and less of an issue.
We’re finding that the richest experiences are those where people can connect in a meaningful way with one another. An example of this would be Facebook. You’ll note that other than through crappy apps, there’s little to no Flash on Facebook. Another would be video sites like Youtube. Almost all video on Youtube can be delivered without Flash.
I think we’re on the verge of a huge shift away from Flash to open backend tools that focus more on what’s delivered than on how. And that’s a shift we should be embracing. Designers need to let go of the illusion of control and embrace the interactions that can happen when content is available for all devices, regardless of the availability of a plugin.
May 3, 2010
2:11 pm
Good post. Nice to hear the perspective of someone in the industry who has used Flash so much.
One thing worth pointing out is that Flash is used in mostly superfluous ways. None of the websites you list that you worked on, and very few that are others that are developed in Flash, actually show off what Flash is good for: creating very dynamic, interactive content.
For instance:
http://mlsarchitects.ca/
What does this do via flash that could not be communicated in the same way using html and CSS? I’m not trying to slag on your work, it’s just a good example. Fancy transitions and wipes? Whatever. The whole page reloads every time so my flash blocker kicks in every time I click something. It’s just a use of flash that makes me scratch my head and ask ‘why?’ I mean, mec.ca uses flash to display product images and titles. WHY? Because they have a lazily designed backend and CMS. It adds nothing but more browser crashing.
The truth is, a lot of Flash is poorly implemented and implemented for no specific reason. Think restaurant websites (arguably the people who would most like to be accessed via mobile devices), copy-heavy websites, etc. Flash does nothing for these people but hurt them.
I think moving away from Flash ultimately comes down to two things.
1. There was a time in web development when Flash was THE thing. If your site was made in Flash, it was awesome by default. As we get more used to the web and our attention spans continually shrink, we demand content NOW, and Flash doesn’t provide that. Unless your site is doing something highly interactive, Flash is completely unnecessary. As you pointed out, this needs to be taught.
2. Websites need to shift their focus from providing an “experience” to delivering content in the most efficient form possible. This doesn’t mean just straight html coded text (though I’m not against it), but it means rethinking how web development works. You can’t create a design and plug in content later. The two things need to exist in tandem to create efficient, effective communication.
Anyways, my two cents. Fuck Flash. Stop crashing my browser.
-Rh
May 3, 2010
2:21 pm
Thanks Ryan. It’s safe to say I don’t disagree with you.
The MLS site was built three or four years ago, and, at the time, there wasn’t a good, reliable way to do slideshows like that in JS.
You know as well as I do that when it comes down to it, it’s all about budget, what’s needed, and how can it be accomplished. In the case of MLS, at least there is a complete non-flash content piece for the site as well, so at least they’re getting some SEO benefit from it.
I have definitely decided that going forward, we need to be more aware of what we’re developing in and make sure that we’re being as open as possible from a consumption perspective.
May 4, 2010
9:51 pm
Great insights Jeff.
It’s going to be an interesting year as we watch Apple and Adobe pissing in each others proverbial sandboxes. I agree with your observation on the change in the industry, the move to HTML 5 away from Flash website user experiences.
No doubt about it Flash is SEXY but when it comes to true utility for day to day web browsing it’s a challenge to make the case any longer. One of the biggest pushes to refocus our web experiences from Flash to a more full HTML experience was the importance of organic and paid Search Optimization. Let’s face it Flash is a challenge for search engines no matter what they tell you.
Also as we move ahead Content Development will be king (or queen). Hence the reason for this blog. Getting your information indexed, searchable and easliy shared to your community is more important than flashing, spinning, flaming logos no matter how sexy they are.
Apple has a good argument in defining Flash’s faults. It’s a resource hog, it can be quirky and of course they’d have their share of security issues. For us our Flash work tends to go one of three directions. It’s either application based, interactive for advertising or full animation showing processes that can’t easily be communicated otherwise.
I do take issue with how Apple has kicked Adobe to the curb however. A public flogging does the community a disservice. Our pal Jobs may be God today but times they change quickly. He should find a more amicable stance on this. Let’s all be friends and get along I say.
Final note. As a consumer I digest a lot of information via mobile device (my trusty iPhone. Damn You God Jobs!) If I come to a site and face the dreaded Flash Lego Block I’m outta there. The company somehow diminishes in importance for me after that and I’m unlikely to return.
Interestingly Microsoft seems to be siding with Jobs on this one as well. Crazy times.
Cheers!
Bill
May 5, 2010
8:11 am
Agree completely with you on the content front, Bill. I also think Jobs is being pretty aggressive with this, but I’m as tired with Adobe as anybody.
Thanks for the comment!
May 5, 2010
1:14 am
Flash for design is only 1% of the power of it. I take it you have not delved into Flex or produced any AIR applications as of late.
May 5, 2010
8:10 am
Any AIR app I’ve ever used has been unstable as hell on the Mac (think Tweetdeck). And, when you consider that Flex is really no more powerful than PHP, it just doesn’t make sense unless you’ve invested a ton of time in AS3–in which case, go for it.
May 5, 2010
1:30 am
The trouble is what do we do until the HTML & Javascript specs allows us more advanced developers (not just your-style marketing sites) to build apps like this:
https://www.photoshop.com/
There is no way you can build that until HTML 5 has been ratified. They’re saying 4-5 years for good tools. I hope to get some sooner.
Until then, I stay away from Iphone (too small a market when Rim is 2X and Symbian is 40X) and continue with HTML/Dojo for simple sites, and use Flash for online “applications”.
You also forget one major problem. Institutional clients have common platforms, and I still see IE6 in great numbers. Look at the online browser market share, and the only runtime (available now) across all platforms, and across multiple browsers is Flash.
It’s nice to get away from proprietary, but Flash is a consistent player with some tough specs to beat!
May 5, 2010
8:17 am
You have a point, Tony. Flash is a nice consistent player across platforms which is why I originally really dug it, but the limitations can’t be denied.
Also, we have done a bit of app-type work as well (not as much as some, more than others), and have found that with JQuery libraries and some good PHP work behind the scenes, we can achieve much of what we want to do.
Truthfully, I couldn’t give a rats ass what tools are used to build stuff, but the delivery needs to be using open standards. RIM may have double the market, but the market is quite different and far less engaged than iPhone users.
May 6, 2010
1:22 pm
Hi Jeff, I just checked data utilization figures for the different Mobile devices, and was surprised to see that Iphones (even with their smaller installed base) have a greater share of US data bandwidth utilization than other devices (Rim, Android phones etc). Apple’s market truly do use online apps to a greater degree, where the RIM devices are mostly communicative devices.
Tony
May 6, 2010
2:36 pm
Good to know! Thanks Tony, I appreciate the info.