I kinda' started this thread by asking what MX stood for (not
particularly Flash NX).
I have visited a lot of sites where Flash was used to excess and I
cringe at these.
OTH there are a good number of sites where Flash is used wisely, and
improves the user experience (and hopefully, the ROI for the cost/effort
of developing the site).
I am all for the Flashy things... when the improve the utility of the
site!
I guess the message here, is don't blame the tool... blame the carpenter!
What excites me about Flash in particular is it's ability to improve the
interface and operation of a site (graphics, animation, etc. aside).
For example, I can efficiently submit form data to the server and return
results to the user without the user staring at a blank page while the
screen is redrawn... and i can tell him what is happening while he is
waiting (with or without animation). This uses less bandwith and should
improve performance (both server and client).
Of course, you can do the same thing with frames and/or DHTML, but Flash
provides better cross-browser/platform compatibility and much greater
efficiency.
The thing I miss most about Flash sites is that links (<a href=...>) do
not conform to the web standards (colors and underline). One of the
really useful things about a web page that conforms to these standards
is that the user can instantly identify all links, and those that have
been traversed.
Another "new technology" that has the possibility of improving the web
experience is what Apple has done with one element of their GUI under OS
X. The Quartz layer, based on Adobe's PDF standard... All text is
displayed in antialiased format regardless of font, style, original size
or viewing size (magnification).
If you haven't seen a web page displayed with this technology, take the
time to see a demo. A web page, any page, displayed in OSX IE is,
well, beautiful! There, I've said it.
It approaches the readability of the printed page, but with several
advantages:
you can display pages at max screen resolution to show more info (and
still read them)
you can easily magnify or reduce text without loss of quality
you get the exact same results when you save or print the page.
OK, a little off track there... but the point is the same:
If a new technology improves the appearance and/or operation of a web
page it will likely be a success...
If it's just sizzle (almost said flash)... it will be relegated to a
sideshow, as typified by the Carnival Barker with the loud suit and cane
(abd irritating come-on pitch).
MO
Dick
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