I have been reading all about the latest HTML5 standards that are being introduced. Some are calling these new updates the final nail in the coffin of flash. I’m not sure I would go that far. The lovers of flash vs the lovers of html goes back to the beginning when flash was called future splash. Echos the long rivalry of mac vs pc.
I’m glad that HTML is getting more user friendly. But right now flash can just do more, and in certain cases flash will always be part of the solution. Always. It is a great artists tool. It should not have become this hard core development environment, but it is the best way to display vector graphics in large format online.
But HTML could have made strides early on if designers had been a part of the creation of the standards. Designers have been using style sheets for at least 10 years prior to the web. I’m not sure if this is entirely true, I’m basing this statement on my extensive use of HTML throughout the last 17 years and how unusable HTML and CSS are.
CSS was considered a break through in web development. Designers just acknowledged that finally that HTML was moving closer to where it needs to be. Not quite a breakthrough. A step forward certainly. And having developed in HTML5 recently it is also a step forward. Not breakthrough material.
So my prediction is that flash will be around for a while longer. Waiting for HTML to make a few more steps towards widespread usability.
