Today I dropped by Macromedia's DevNet to pickup a couple of tips and see what was happening with Flash. As usual I stopped by the main page to see the latest announcements. I was greated with a fresh new look that is sure to please some folks out there. However, when proceeding down a couple of trails I was hit with a page that directed me to a technote telling me I had to load/update my player. I find this odd since I use FlashMX daily, and I have a current version of the player loaded.
Anyway, I decided to check out DevNet and found Jerry Knight's article about the new Macromedia beta site. Jerry begins by saying, "But most exciting of all is a set of Rich Internet Applications that we launched this week on the site. We developed these applications to help site users better accomplish their goals." This move appears to be prompted by the contraints imposed by HTML.
Is this a good thing? Does it make sense for a company to require a user to download their product to access their website? Components based on technologies like Flash and Java should compliment the standards. If I am a user that does not have Java or Flash I ought to be able to access the site and obtain information without the need to modify my system. If I decide that I want to receive the latest news bulletin via a Flash or Java banner I should be directed to the download.
I like the concept of Rich Internet Applications. They make sense to me. But utilizing the browser to "hog-tie" the user into submission seems foolish. Since the web is built on open standards, and not closed solutions, it will be interesting to see how Macromedia's bold move plays out. Personally, I have already voiced my concerns via the survey and a phone call. If you have any thoughts on the matter, please do the same.
9:55:12 AM 
|
