When do you really need to use Flash?

There are a lot of flash e开发者_Go百科ffects that can be achieved with jQuery.So when do you really need to use Flash instead of javascript?

---

Quite simply, when you need to do something that jQuery can't do. This includes video/audio, complex animations, cross-browser vector graphics, multi-file uploads, etc. The list goes on.

Of course, you could always write your website in HTML/jQuery and only use Flash for the necessary parts. That way it's a win-win situation, and your application degrades gracefully for those that don't have Flash.

---

Flash should be considered a 'last resort' in my opinion, and it's one that is shared with many others. Some people use flashblock, so they'll never see it. Users on mobile devices won't see it either.

There are few areas left for flash currently, and HTML5 will likely eliminate one of them.

---

Only when I have no choice...or asked by my boss

---

Flash features:

• Compiled byte code versus interpreted
• 2D and 3D geometry libraries
• Animation and audio libraries
• Total control over Fonts/layout/design
• Binary network calls as well as Xml and JSON

I'm not crazy about Flash for brochure or forms sites but it sure is nice for online games.

If your dislike of Flash comes from a dislike of Adobe, check out the Haxe programming language. It can target the Flash runtime.

---

if you need something which cant be done by JQuery then go for flash. otherwise stick to JQuery.

---

It is good for times when you want to make screen scraping harder. A major real estate site I worked with used Flash to make it much more difficult for a competitor to scrape agent data.

Sure this could of been done with images but Flash was just easier for us to implement.

---

Flex, which runs on top of Flash, is a very nice platform for building applications. In my opinion, it's far better than trying to coerce HTML and JavaScript into being a platform for GUIs. Also, if you have a graphics designer, they will have a much easier time designing the look and feel with the WYSIWYG tools available in the Adobe tools.

However, for traditional web sites, I'd stick with HTML/CSS/JavaScript. Don't use Flash if all you need is simple effects.

---

Flash is a frontend tool that should be considered when there are requirements that make a project much easier to develop. I know that there are alot of Flash haters, and I understand the reasons. However, each developer should use the tools available to them that would allow the job to get done effectively and quickly. PHP, HTML and JS have its limits, just like AS3 does as well, but each has something that can help deliver a project.