Jun 11, 2008
Recently while browsing the internet we noticed that websites are getting flashier. We also noticed that there are two ways to make a website flashier, those ways are Adobe Flash or Javascript.
On our sites we usually use javascript because with flash you have to buy the program and learn how to use it, and javascript you can usually download a script or two and set it up. Some advantages of using javascript over flash are the code used to include a flash piece isn’t completely valid html code and if it is valid it isn’t cross-browser compatible and javascript is completely valid and cross-browser compatible. Javascript needs no external programs in order to work, where with flash you need the Adobe Flash Player, flash has to be created from scratch where javascript, depending on the script, the script would just have to know what folder the images are in and it will do the rest. Finally when changing pictures, the flash piece needs to be opened, find the frames of the picture, change them to have the new picture while making sure to align the picture correctly. In javascript you just remove the old picture from the images folder and put the new one into the images folder. If you include an image preload script javascript can be just as fast as any flash file, and javascript can imitate almost any of the transitions you can do with flash.
The only time we can think of flash being a better choice is when a browser is so old that it doesn’t have javascript capibilities or the user has turned off javascript, but those cases are extremely rare. The web is evolving and those who don’t have or use javascript are only seeing part of the web.
I didn’t know you guys were moving your company to Las Vegas. Or are you just making an office down there? Sounds sweet. Thanks for your work. You guys do a great job!