Future of Flash Websites?

[Jamie123]

I've been meaning to put together a website for quite some time but have never been able to actually finish anything so far.

Up until now I was set on making a website with Flash (actually, Flash embedded into HTML so I can do SEO) and have delved into the program a bit. Granted, Flash can be a bit complicated but the amount of ActionScript needed for a basic portfolio website seems manageable.

However, I'm really wondering what the future of Flash is with the iPhone and the iPad not supporting it. Am I better off just putting something together in HTML?

 

[Pickett Wilson]

I wouldn't worry too much about it. Apple is going to have to get on board with Flash. Few of us are willing to take our web sites back to 1993 just so some geek can check it out on their Iphone.

 

[Jamie123]

I wouldn't worry too much about it. Apple is going to have to get on board with Flash. Few of us are willing to take our web sites back to 1993 just so some geek can check it out on their Iphone.

That's what I'm thinking but Apple really seems to be firm in their refusal of Flash. Of course another option would be to make a mobile version of the website in addtion to the regular site.

However, a really basic html site has a certain charm to it. Like this one for example: http://www.nickandchloe.com

 

[dfoo]

Despite what the other posters have said long term flash is dead. Frankly, it never should have been alive in the first place for general websites.

 

[user237428934]

If the website is for you, showing your photos to your friends while your sitting in the pub and you have only your iphone? Then flash would be a problem. Forget the problem for everything else.
I didn't like flash some years ago because there were so many different flash viewers and every single one operated totally different. You had to search with the mouse on the screen for the invisible "next photo" button. But in the meantime there are a few standard flash widgets for showing photos so it's easy for users to navigate on a photo-flash site.
So do your viewers a favour and use one of those standard flash widgets and not the newest fancy widget with some strange navigation behaviour.

 

[Pickett Wilson]

dfoo, although Flash was once a problem for earlier web browsers, both Flash and web browsers have matured. I've not had compatibility problems in some time. What do you think is wrong with flash for web sites?

It seems to me some folks are hanging onto outdated prejudicious against Flash.

 

[btgc]

Flash or what, but when some sites start loading something, while trying to entertain me in process by displaying progress bar, I start counting. 1, 2 and 3. If page still isn't fully loaded, I just click on X at top right corner.

 

[user237428934]

Despite what the other posters have said long term flash is dead. Frankly, it never should have been alive in the first place for general websites.

There are a lot of photo professionals who use flash for their sites. I like the look and feel of flash-operated photo sites.
Of course it breaks the browser behaviour (bookmarking, browser navigation) but there is now way back to basics.
And we are talking about photo websites. So there is no need to build a barrier-free site for disabled (blind) persons.

 

[user237428934]

dfoo, although Flash was once a problem for earlier web browsers, both Flash and web browsers have matured. I've not had compatibility problems in some time. What do you think is wrong with flash for web sites?

It seems to me some folks are hanging onto outdated prejudicious against Flash.

It breaks the browser behaviour (navigation, bookmarking) and is not compatible to screen readers. So flash-sites are generally not barrier-free and disabled persons might have a problem using those sites.

 

[geezerdude]

Jamie123, if you've kept track of his comments, Steve Jobs EMPHATICALLY stated Flash will never be used by Apple, and he supports HTML5 (and CSS3). He even called Adobe lazy for a number of reasons!
There are any number of ways to design/build a good website WITHOUT Flash and yet present a sophisticated slide show or gallery of your photography these days. A quick Google search I just did turned up at least 50 free ones!

 

[peter_n]

Flash-type technology has its uses, but I'd counsel against using it if the widget doesn't allow total control for the user. One of the most annoying "features" of many photo sites are those slide presentations you can't pause.

 

[Jamie123]

If the website is for you, showing your photos to your friends while your sitting in the pub and you have only your iphone? Then flash would be a problem. Forget the problem for everything else.

It's not. I need it as a professional portfolio websites. Otherwise I'd just use flickr.
Nonetheless I'm not sure it's a non-issue. Picture this: You send an e-mail with your portfolio link to a photo editor who just so happens to be on the road checking his e-mail from the iPhone or Blackberry. He clicks on the link and gets a blank page with a red x. The chances that he will open the e-mail again once he gets to a computer are slim to none.
Sure, you might say that the screens on an iPhone or a Blackberry are too small anyways but IMO it's better than nothing. You might be able to pique his interest.

 

[user237428934]

It's not. I need it as a professional portfolio websites. Otherwise I'd just use flickr.
Nonetheless I'm not sure it's a non-issue. Picture this: You send an e-mail with your portfolio link to a photo editor who just so happens to be on the road checking his e-mail from the iPhone or Blackberry. He clicks on the link and gets a blank page with a red x. The chances that he will open the e-mail again once he gets to a computer are slim to none.
Sure, you might say that the screens on an iPhone or a Blackberry are too small anyways but IMO it's better than nothing. You might be able to pique his interest.

How do all photographers adress this problem who have a flash-site? Do they have a 2nd html-site for that purpose or is this probably not an issue at all? Would a photo editor evaluate photos based on what he sees on his small mobile device?

 

[Paddy C]

Lately, HTML5 is seen as a certain replacement for flash by many people.

But a couple things to consider:

1. How long will it be until that day? Might as well build it in Flash now, rebuild down the road.

2. The vast majority of professional photographer's portfolio sites have been built for some time now in Flash. So if the AD can't view your site on his iPhone, then he's unlikely to be able to view someone else's.

 

[Jamie123]

How do all photographers adress this problem who have a flash-site? Do they have a 2nd html-site for that purpose or is this probably not an issue at all? Would a photo editor evaluate photos based on what he sees on his small mobile device?

Yeah, a lot of them have a second html website (like e.g. most LiveBooks based websites).
I'm sure no photo editor will hire a photographer based on what he's seen on his iPhone but he might use it to evaluate whether or not the website is worth having another look at. These people are busy and once an email is not marked as "unread" anymore it's highly unlikely that they'll have another look at it.

 

[Paddy C]

How do all photographers adress this problem who have a flash-site? Do they have a 2nd html-site for that purpose or is this probably not an issue at all? Would a photo editor evaluate photos based on what he sees on his small mobile device?

That's why a lot of photographers have moved to blogs in the past 3-4 years. They maintain a flash site as a portfolio, but use the blog to generate traffic, mention their current projects (showing they are active), and as a quick way to get recent work online.

 

[sevo]

Flash is annoying in just about every aspect - whether for poor accessibility, as a security risk, as a content protection censorship tool, and though its spyware properties. If it vanishes, good riddance - up until then it will remained blocked in my browser...

 

[ZeissFan]

Many photogs are using Flash secondarily to make it more difficult for people to rip off their photos. You can still do a screen capture, so it's not foolproof. But it dissuades most people.

I know that this was one of the benefits that our newspaper saw about using a Flash slideshow.

Across the Web universe, I think Flash has become universally accepted. I don't really care for Flash-heavy sites, but it does have its uses.

And don't forget that it's become the standard for embedded Web video, because you no longer have to worry about MPG, AVI, WMV or MOV when embedding video onto a page.

 

[geezerdude]

Given its issues, can a pro really build a website without flash and do what he needs/wants? Can't say for sure, but this website was built using ONLY Apple's iWeb app: http://jimrichardsonphotography.com/
(Jim is an internationally recognized National geographic photographer, by the way)
Hmm!

 

[wlewisiii]

All I know is that I hope and pray that Apple's lack of support will kill flash once and for all. The only thing better would be if they found a way to kill java too.

I do not go to flash based sites.

William