Flash Myths Debunked

Flash is a widely misunderstood and unfairly maligned technology. Many developers associate it with the annoying splash screen of the late 90's, and rattle off the following (factually incorrect) reasons why it's the most terrible thing in the world:

Top 10 misconceptions about Flash

1. Flash content isn't accessible (easy to use by people with vision or mobility impairments).
   FALSE: the two leading screen readers (JAWS and Window-Eyes) pronounce text and buttons in SWFs by default (though, like standard HTML, there are additional steps one must take to make a site fully ADA-compliant. Even when screen readers aren't used, Flash content can be made accessible).
2. Flash content can't be indexed by search engines.
   FALSE: Google sees the text inside SWF files (And the alternate HTML content is exposed to search engines, even when users see the SWF).
3. The browser BACK and FORWARD buttons can't work in Flash.
   FALSE: it doesn't happen by default, and few designers make the effort, hence this myth, but it can be done! (we'll do it in the Flash 3 class; see an example).
   
4. You can't bookmark a spot deep within a Flash movie.
   FALSE: (see another example).
5. It's just eye-candy; not for serious web sites.
   FALSE: Flash has been used for some horrible interfaces (just as HTML has), but using a technology badly does not mean the technology is bad (imagine blaming Photoshop for every crummy graphic on the web!).
   
6. Updating Flash content requires the (expensive and proprietary) Flash IDE.
   FALSE: Flash can dynamically load images, data sources, sounds, video, and CSS (we do this in the Flash 2 and Flash 3 classes). Changing these external assests updates the Flash app. Flash can even integrate with Content Management Systems (CMS) like Drupal and WordPress, allowing clients to update content easily.
   
7. Flash isn't 'open'.
   FALSE: Adobe donated the ActionScript Virtual Machine to the Open Screen Project in 2008. There are 3rd party alternatives to the Flash authoring program and to Adobe's Flash Player (even Apple could make a Flash Player optimized for iPhone if they wanted to—they just don't want to).
8. Flash doesn't work on touchscreens because it relies on mouse events.
   FALSE: the Flash Player converts 'mouse-over' events to 'tap' events. Legacy Flash content works just fine on touchscreens! Adobe even added multi-touch gestures to ActionScript and the FlashPlayer in 2010.
9. Flash is a resource hog.
   FALSE: Its performance is comparable to JavaScript, and sometimes better (though bad programming practices can hog rescources—whether in Flash or JavaScript).
10. HTML 5 will replace Flash.
    FALSE (sort of): to be clear: HTML 5 is still a static markup language that doesn't do anything exciting. It's JavaScript (and to a lesser degree CSS3) that makes things move and interact (When people say "HTML5" they are usually talking about the three technologies combined). Even so, HTML5 can't do all the things Flash can. And —like all versions before it— it will never appear consistently in all browsers. Even the much-touted video tag lacks the control needed by content distributors. Very simplistic uses of Flash (non-DRM video wrappers, slideshows) are declining, but complex applications are far easier to build with Flash (Adobe improves Flash much faster than the W3C updates HTML, so Flash is always ahead of the curve).
    

Back in the late 1990's, Flash did have severe limitations and quickly developed a bad reputation from a glut of needless splash screens and superfluous animations (i.e. bad design choices). But the above criticisms are obsolete arguments made by people who haven't kept up with over a decade of significant advances in the technology. 

Flash content on mobile devices

iPads have gotten a lot of attention for their lack of browser plug-ins (it's not just Flash that isn't allowed on iOS – no plug-in or run-time is, including Silverlight, Java and AIR). But Desktop/Laptop web traffic still vastly outnumbers tablet (tablet web traffic is by some estimates around 5% —this excludes mobile phones, which are mostly used for Google, Facebook & Twitter when accessing the web— which has always been the ratio of users we assume might not see our Flash content. That's why you should always author meaningful alternate content and employ Flash detection).

When to use Flash, and when not to

For many developers, the choice to use Flash comes down to reach. They don't want to miss out on the large (usually overstated) "mobile market", so they don't even consider Flash. While Flash once was practically the only game in town for interactivity on the web, JavaScript and CSS have matured to the point they are finally viable options for many web apps. If you have a simple feature (such as a slideshow), Flash may not be the best choice (since you'll have to rebuild it in a mobile-friendly format too, or exclude your mobile audience). If you have a very complex app (like a product configurator, or an eLearning framework), the development time is usually MUCH faster, easier, and more effective with Flash.

Fortunately Flash is also capable of compiling apps for iOS and Android devices (see an overview on AdobeTV or read an article explaining how Adobe AIR works on iOS).So you can compile your robust eLearning system into an iPad and Android app for your mobile visitors as a substitute for the web content their device can't access).

Note that Android devices do allow installation of the Flash Player browser plug-in. There is also an iOS browser called Photon which runs SWF content on a remote server and streams it to your iPad. It works surprisingly well if you have a high speed connection, effectively giving you full access to all Flash content on the web (you can even watch movies and TV episodes). So SWFs and mobile devices are not totally incompatible.
*Hulu.com has recently banned the anonymous IP addressing that Photon uses, so Photon no longer works with Hulu.

On the release of the iPad, Apple's (former) CEO Steve Jobs wrote a notorious "Thoughts on Flash" hatchet job on Adobe to deflect the technical limitations of iOS devices, and positively spin his choice to prohibit other run-times. If you're interested in details, read this article »