Flash: Destroying Generally Known Myths

Most people must have read the articles about how bad Flash is and how many things it cannot cope with. Let us begin with problems, which you can face while creating a website.

• Flash generates exceptionally heavy traffic.

It is not at all clear where this opinion stems from!? It is right vice versa, this technology is summoned to facilitate the applications. Swf banners weigh much less than their gif mates. Skillfully developed Flash websites have a frame which allows obtaining necessary information from some external source and giving it to a user without reloading the page saving traffic considerably. Of course if you want to make such sophisticated websites, like, for example, the websites of new makes of cars, where there are a lot of video, 3D and so on and so forth, the whole thing is different. To make your car look like a real beauty from all the angles you have to sacrifice a little weight of your website for the sake of its quality. Doing so you are absolutely right, because the target audience of these websites is not the students from South Bronx using dial-up connection. Your website should be directed at those people who have no problems connecting to the internet, since they have already had high-speed internet access for a long while. I have already mentioned the stipulation that everything depends upon the skills of an application developer.


• The button “Back” does not function in the browser.

It does not function only if you are completely unaware of how to do it. It is actually not very difficult to make it, just browse through flash tutorials.


• The problems with the following website updates.

This is one more made-up problem that a Flash website can be updated by those who made it. Clearly, if the website has been built in one swf, which contains all the information within one file (all the texts, pictures, sound, video and so on), it is sometimes impossible to update it without having source files. Again in this situation everything depends on the proficiency of the developer. A competently made website takes all information from external sources. This information can be easily changed by anyone without any assistance, down to the smallest details like adding new standard chapters with brand-new content.


• If the problem is the user’s not having Flash Player installed on their computer.

This problem is not any more relevant. Nowadays most users seem to have the Player installed. This can be clearly seen in the statistics from Adobe.


• While positioning the cursor on the link the address corresponding to it is not displayed in the status line of a browser.

If this must be done, you can easily do it with the help of JavaScript.


• The links which have already been clicked on are not highlighted.

This problem can also be solved. With the help of SharedObject we can save the links which have already been clicked on and highlight them in Flash properly.


• It is impossible to increase print size for people with poor eyesight.

It is possible. If the developer has supported this in the initial project, there is no problem adding this possibility.


• The built-in browser option – search the page – does not work.

The built-in one does not, but nothing prevents you from adding your own.


• It is impossible to import images from the Flash webpage.

It is rather an advantage. It makes stealing the content from the website more difficult.


• It is impossible to disable showing images through default browser settings.

It is neither possible nor necessary, because we use Flash to make the Internet more colorful and attractive, unlike it used to be, bare and static.


• Page scrolling (with scroll wheel) does not work.

All this is easily done in Flash.


• Flash is not really suited for working with database.

I wonder if html is? Whatever we use, either Flash or html, if we need to perform some action on the server, we will have to refer to server-based script either php or asp and the like in any case.

About the Author: Trenty Fox – Marketing Assistant at Flashmint.com. Flashmint is a San Diego-based company which specializes in providing affordable web design solutions - Flash Templates.

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Print Article | Download PDF | 68 views | Apr 04 2008

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