Flash or Not??? (Macromedia Flash 5)

Member Name: darrenloud

Product:	Macromedia Flash 5
Date:	04/08/01 (33 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fairly easy to use, great looking effects

Disadvantages: Expensive for personal use, the internet is being swapped by it

Macromedia Flash 5, or Flash for short, is a software program that creates Flash animations for the web. It retails for around $400 or there abouts.

Many websites are adopting Flash as the ability to fast generate impressive presentations and other graphic are endless with it. Many websites are entirely Flash dependant.

Around 96% of internet users have the Flash plug-in, that allows Flash to be viewed. So very few web designers have any reservations using it.

On using it:

On entering the program for the first time, the user maybe put off by the amount of pop-up menus and other screens. It can be quite daunting for a relative novice. However, the software comes with some great interactive lessons and tutorials, so learning the basics is quite easy.

When you want to start applying interactivity to the flash productions, eg mouse overs or clickable areas, you have to apply action scripting, this can be fairly difficult and obviously a new thing to get your head around :(

It's place on the internet:

I personally believe that, although it does have a place online, it is still very much a novelty and is damaging what the internet is about. 4% of people cannot see it, and many people don't like sitting around waiting for it to load. If a website is to provide information, simple HTML documents are sufficient, Flash is like painting a room in your house just for the sake of it, and not needing to.

I personally use flash for banners and buttons, and occasionally menus, but am very against using it for a complete site. It may be versitile, but traditional HTML scripting is what the web is all about.

It's really a matter of taste, you can't go wrong with the standard - HTML, Flash is an accessory and should be treated as such in my opinion.

Summary: