@Humphrey that's a really good illustration. How about Silverlight pros and cons for the uninitiated out there? @Rad will confirm attendance that week - my schedules are really volatile due to the nature of my work. My Flash/Flex exploits are currently a pastime...but not for long :) On Tue, Mar 2, 2010 at 4:25 PM, Humphrey Ngoiya <hngoiya@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
*The Pros & Cons of using Flash vs Javascript:* Flash Pros Flash Cons
- Extensive features - 3D Capabilities - Consistent appearance in supported browsers - Supports vector artwork - Built-in UI & other features - Many free and Commercial tools available - More font options
- Not compatible with all browsers including iPhone, iPad and cell phones - Moderate learning curve to use - Cost of purchasing Flash software - Possible problems with users that have older versions of the Flash Player - Potentially large file size - Possible security issues with Flash Player - Tracking stats for Flash elements is limited
Javascript Pros Javascript Cons
- Small size - Using jQuery or other libraries reduces the learning curve - Hundreds of free professional quality programs - Can add interactivity to web page elements and tags - Skinnable Form Components UI - Compatible with more browsers than Flash including iPhone, cell phones, PS3, PSP
- Features not as extensive as Flash - Complex features may not perform as quickly as flash - 3D features are limited - Users can disable Javascript support - Source Code Not Protected
*When to use Flash vs Javascript:* Application Flash Javascript Slide Show X Form Validation X Dropdown Menus X Tabbed Panels X Popups & Tooltips X Expandable/Collapsible Elements X Video/Audio Player X Complex Animation X 3D X Complex Multimedia X **
On Tue, Mar 2, 2010 at 1:23 PM, albert kamau <kamau.albert@gmail.com>wrote:
@Rad. Thanks for the heads up. I feel your bias towards flash.silverlight and :) I grew up with them and would not want to see them "die". I have not seen enough of silverlight around, mostly on microsoft sites, but I believe it was supposed to be an alternative to flash.
From your argument, forgetting actionscript, where does flash stand ? The issue of HTML 5 politcis, youtube has started testing embedded videos. Most updated browsers(Firefox, Safari, Opera) are coming with some if not all new features of HTML 5 support.
On cross browser, that is true, they are all compatible but you need to download proprietary plugins which do not come with the browser.
Which areas will flash rule over javascript in regards to web development ? 4 years ago, I would not be in this dilemma, Flash was king/queen, but now, *really*, in terms of reusability, mainatanance, speed, what can flash do that javascript cant do better ? BTW, am not endorsing javascript, I spend most of my free time *trying* to make cartoons with flash!! This is for educational purposes only
Kind regards Albert Kamau -------------------------------------------------------------------- Landline : 020 2074667 | Zain : 0731 275678 | Saf : 0725 078797
On Tue, Mar 2, 2010 at 12:55 PM, Rad! <conradakunga@gmail.com> wrote:
A couple of corrections
It's not accurate to say flash/silverlight vs javascript because you can build silverlight applications in a number of languages including javascript.
Silverlight and Flash are also cross platform so you cannot say that javascript is advantaged over them in terms of being cross platform.
Silverlight fully supports SEO.
I would not say that flash/silverlight is dead, even if HTML5 ever comes out of the political morass it is stuck in. Both have areas where they will excel over the other
On Tue, Mar 2, 2010 at 12:26 PM, albert kamau <kamau.albert@gmail.com>wrote:
Hi Skunks/ettes,
Need a bit of advice .
My cousin came to me and told me he needed to add a new tool to his arsenal . She was torn between flash/silverlight and javascript.
We visited quite a few sites and noted developers could achieve similar experiences that were traditionally done with flash using javascript . Javascript has the additional advantage over flash in terms of accessibility, Search engine friendliness, speed, Cross browser compatibility. The only downside we found with javascript was scripts turned off.
A flash banner that would take hours tweening, importing, exporting can be done in minutes with javascripts jquery. The only usage of flash I can see in the near future is making games and an intermediate javascript developer should be able create a decent javascript game
Given that, Apple is not longer supporting flash in some of its latest products(iPhone, iPad) and HTML 5 which allows embedding of videos, which was the domain of flash, are the days of flash numbered ?
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