Flash comes out of the shadows

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RE: Shucks

I don't think so bud. While Microsoft is supposedly working on a "Flash" killer named "Sparkle" what you are overlooking is the fact that Flash is WELL entrenched not only on Windows but on OTHER platforms, e.g., LINUX, Macintosh, PDAs and mobile phones.

While Microsoft would like to kill Flash with Sparkle one thing you have to understand about the WEB, putting up barriers such as "You must have X browser or Y plugin" is a sure way to lose sales - be it directly if you're an e-commerce site or indirectly if people seeking information on your products are unable to retrieve it.

As a developer I can tell you that I am NOT interested in developing multiple codebases. Given Flash's ubiquity, not just on Windows but elsewhere, it makes more sense for me to write code ONCE and reach as many pockets as possible rather than embrace whatever Flash like technology Microsoft releases since undoubtedly it will be "Windows only."

Currently I'm doing work inside the corporate headquarters of a major retailer. Netscape still has a presence here and to a lesser extent Mozilla, in addition to people using IE. You have to remember, some of these office workers have been using the same computer for years and they don't have the inclination (and in some cases ability) to install newer revisions of software. Many people here (not the kind who would likely be reading this thread) live by the old adage of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

The team I'm on solved the "100% coverage" problem by developing WEB applications resting on Flash - Netscape, Mozilla, IE and the occasional Macintosh user here are no problem, Flash works in all these cases.

Outside of corporate intranets, it seems some time ago companies stopped assuming everyone was running IE or some ancient version of Netscape Navigator. For example, a while back I went to Nintendo's online store to order the broadband adapter for my GameCube only to have a message popup telling me I had to be on IE (or Navigator 4.7). That was then, the Nintendo online store works perfectly fine with Mozilla now.

Last year I had a flawless experience filing my taxes with "TurboTax on the Web" through Mozilla on LINUX. Intuit would have lost my business if it had forced me to use IE. While you might sneer as this notion, even single digits (percentage) of a large market can translate into very real dollars. This is why Amazon for example takes a very least common denominator approach to its HTML development. Did you know at one point in time 1% of its sales were from people placing orders through LYNX, a text only WEB browser? Companies like Amazon and Intuit have carved their substantial niches by being customer driven not by subscribing to some form of technical elitism.

Anyway, I've gone off on a tangent, when you look for a common denominator, Flash happens to be it.

Posted by: betelgeuse68   Posted on: 01/12/04 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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