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Planning | Strategy | Consultancy
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Flash Development Flash continues to be one of the most heavily used rich media platforms for website development on the Internet. Flash products can be found on the web in animated introductions, complex interfaces, navigation bars, games, and narrative mini-movies, as well as in kiosk applications, on PDAs, cell phones, dedicated CDROMs, and even ATMs. However, the reputation of Flash has seen its ups and downs. Its very name seems to say it all: glitz, speed, and not much substance. While this may have been true in the past, when Flash-based 'brochureware' and 'Skip Intro'-style introductions were typical of many major websites, Flash is changing. Macromedia has added significant new functionality to expand Flash's use into the realm of web applications and database-integrated interfaces. These new directions mean that companies can consider Flash as a stable, cross-platform solution for delivering dynamic, database-driven, and engaging experiences to users. Flash has long been renowned for delivering visually engaging and well designed content on the web. The increased emphasis on web application development (and the limitations associated with such applications), together with the recent release of FlashMX, has opened a new chapter in the use of Flash on the web. Flash-based applications allow for rich, interactive interfaces; robust, stable, and widely available viewing platforms; low-bandwidth, single-step task completion; and integration into existing architectures. As individual and business Internet users become aware of the benefits of rich web user interfaces, Flash-based components and applications will become more important in realizing the Internet's promise of increased efficiency and value.
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