[thelist] Please tell me why I hate Flash

[deke]

On 19 Apr 2001, at 14:31, Erik posted a message which said:

> Flash bashing arises from ignorance and prejudice ... to draw an 
> analogy, not all Arabs carry suitcase bombs onto airplanes, and this 
> is why it's inappropriate to raise a stink because someone with a 
> beard and turban boards your flight.

But isn't it appropriate to raise a stink when someone with a ticking
suitcase boards your flight?

> Here are two 100% Flash sites that are pretty darn good:
 
> http://www.turbonium.com/
> http://www.viaduct.co.uk/

Have you ever heard the expression "damnation by faint praise"?

It takes four minutes to find out the viaduct is a furniture sales rep.
It takes five minutes to find out that turbonium has a turbocharger,
and five valves per cylinder.

And that's only because I already *have* a Flash plugin. The folks
that don't? They have to download the plugin, and close their 
browser in order to install it.  How much you wanna bet that they
will remember your URL at all, much less kindly, when they finally
get through all this hassle?

If you didn't have to rely on plugins, if Flash weren't so doggoned
slow to load, *then* you might argue that Flash is a very attractive
tool to detract users from noticing that you haven't gotten around
to making your site useful, I suppose.

Thirty years ago, we commented on hot rods that were pretty but
weren't very hot by saying "if it won't go, chrome it."  

I don't notice a whole lot of flash at eBay or google. 

You suppose it's because those folks have a clear vision of what 
they are trying to accomplish with their websites, and don't want 
Flash presentations to divert users from actually *entering* their 
websites?

deke

------------------------
 "The church is near but the road is icy; 
  the bar is far away but I will walk carefully." 
                            -- Russian Proverb