Ajax v. Flash
It’s funny, I never thought about Flash as an application development platform. Its not that I didn’t know you could write programs in ActionScript, it’s just, well, it’s just Flash. I also don’t think this is a positioning problem that Adobe can easily rectify. One of the bigger issues that Flash faces, in my opinion, is that is has some pretty serious Usability Problems and presents issues with search engines and the stuff like that. Sure, Adobe has a download-able accessibility kit, but that is something else rather than a core component of the architecture.Then I read Bruce Eckel’s “Hybridizing Java” posting and I now have to think about it. On one hand, Mr. Eckels mentions that he has been hired by Adobe and that may color his feelings. But he is, again in my opinion, one of the more level-headed technologist out there. I like his books, and pretty much consider him to be someone whose opinion deserves consideration.
I honestly think that my consideration would be a lot easier, though, if the development environment for this stuff didn’t cost about $1000.
