What is Flash?

Flash is a widely used authoring software, developed by Macromedia, it is used to create vector graphics-based animation, with navigation interfaces, graphic illustrations, and simple interactivity in an antialiased, resizable file format.

Think of Flash as a 'window' that is displayed within the HTML environment.
You have complete control of the window. You can display animations. You can make the animations clickable. You can make text move and change. Flash is very fast because it draws graphics on the fly, rather than storing text or graphics as complete images. (Although Flash can also display photographic images and illustrations). Flash gives you much more creative room than HTML, but it requires a 'plug-in', a piece of code on your computer that runs Flash. The newer browsers automatically come with Flash. If your user has an older browser, and they don't already have Flash, they will be asked to download it. If they agree to download Flash, they will be sent to the Adobe site where they will need to click on a few things to receive Flash.

Not all site viewers update immediately as new Flash versions are released, there is usually some lag time to catch up. Therefore while version 10 is the latest release available, sites should be designed and "saved down" in version 8 or version 9. "Saving down" insures that as many viewers as possible will be able to see the animation without being redirected to a "you must have the latest version of Flash" page. While the download is free, not everyone will take the time to do it. Sometimes special effects or relationships within the Flash animation are only available in the latest Flash version. In that instance, consider which is more important—your special effect or the accessibility to a wide-spread audience. This can be decided by reviewing the needs of your target audience.

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