RE: New thought (was) Re: FLASH: OT: PNG instead of GIF/JPEGs

[JGL]

I think the key item here is - what exactly is the purpose of your site.


I can't emphasize this more.


If your are developing for e-commerce and you find your target audience has

computers to view the site that are fairly new, less than 2-3 years old,

then sure it can be OK to use all Flash.


But if you are strictly in the biz to sell to 'everyone' then it would be

prudent to develop an alternative means of the visitor to view and create a

transaction.


Admittedly, Flash, when used properly, has much greater impact leading to

higher sales. I have seen this first hand in staggering amounts. But the

plain jane alternatives for some of my clients sites bring in enough sales

to merit both.


BTW, Colleen, the B/W vs Color TV analogy doesn't apply here. B/W TV's can

see color productions just not in color. As well, companies *do* create

advertisements for both radio *and* TV.


You have to define the goals of the purpose of the site and develop from

there. There is *no* catchall solution. There never will be. It is an

analysis specific to each application. Software companies make a pc and a

mac version of software. They want the market.


This Christmas, here is my prediction - There will be a flood of home use

web machines very much similar to web TV. No significant amount of memory

and virtually zero processing power. Called e-mail machines I think, but you

can surf the web with these too. Some of these memory, processor intensive

Flash and Director sites, even if the players are integrated, will be

un-seeable by this new breed of machines.


Bottom line is the bottom line. What an analysis of the purpose of the site

should dictate.


No need to get upset about this. Look at it this way, are you good enough to

analyze your market thus create a way for them to see your content?


jgl


-----Original Message-----

I'm not sure I'm understanding "the rest of world" when it comes to web

design and using Flash.  When radio and print was the only means of

communication, and the television came out, not everyone could afford to

switch.  But now it's no longer an issue.  If they want to keep their black

and white television and never make it to Oz where there's colour then it's

their choice, but you don't see "them" hounding Circuit City to only stock

B&W TV's.  So why are WE being hounded to make multiple sites to please

everyone or to eliminate Flash?   TV made drastic changes for the better,

just like the web has been doing.    What really get's to me the most is

that browsers are free so why don't people just upgrade?  Are there that

many computers out there that can't handle a better browser?


I'm making a web portal site which uses Flash, UltraDev and other MM

software.  Disney did it.  Is it so wrong to not want to cater to people who

don't upgrade?  Is it so wrong to say we are multimedia companies and if you

don't like multimedia, then our sites are not for you?


I get mean letters from people who hate Flash.  They want me to take it off

my sites.  I would like to say "I bet you still have a black and white TV

don't you?" but I bite my tongue.


How much longer before we decide "we are there" and can forget the ones who

don't upgrade?  Or do you think this is an ongoing issue for as long as the

web exists?



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