Flash and I go way back, over a decade. I know it like the back of my hand. But thanks to Steve Jobs and his hatred of it (or its ability to bypass Apple’s 30% cut on the app store if it were allowed in the mobile browser) flash has fallen out of favor. I see it more and more everyday at work with clients requesting their web content work on iOS devices. I have had to create interactive pieces using jQuery, CSS, and HTML5 instead of Flash. And although this can be done…it is not as easy or as fast as creating it with Flash.
When the Flash flame wars started I was 100% behind Adobe because I actually knew the reality of developing in Flash and HTML5. One day HTML5 will be here in it’s full glory and there will be great tools to build experiences just like Flash, but that day is not here yet.
Then Adobe botched it’s public statements about dropping mobile flash development on Android and telling Flex/Flash developers that they recommended building in HTML5 in the long term. That pretty much killed my drive to get behind the flash platform any longer.
It seems the strategy now is turn Flash more into a gaming platform with the new Stage3D features which I have used on multiple projects with success. Adobe thinks this gaming stuff is the future and now wants to charge 9% or so for you to create and publish games using their new 3D APIs on the web. But this shift and poor communication has muddied the waters for developers and clients, making us unsure of the Flash platform. It feels like Adobe just caved and gave up.
I have decided not to put all my eggs in one basket and move on to other tools such as OpenFrameWorks and Unity. I will use Flash in a pinch on simple quick projects but I am now starting the see that Flash was really holding me back and these new tools have opened new doors to interactive experiences that are fun and exciting.
