Flash and HTML5 are two of the most important topics today involving Rich Internet Applications (RIA). Both of these technologies have robust capabilities to leverage web applications for designers and developers alike. Additionally, they help to optimize end user experiences by allowing for audio and video to play on the page, rendering vector graphics, etc.
From a purely development standpoint, both of these technologies can be beneficial since developers are able to preserve the look and feel of their familiar desktop software without installing or maintaining additional tools. Additionally, implementing Flash or HTML5 is extremely intuitive since it can be done directly from within a browser. That said, Flash and HTML5 are not without their shortcomings. Though both technologies can ultimately produce the same end result, they require completely different approaches for implementation and are not compatible with all of the same platforms. Additionally, thus far, these technologies are not universally code level compatible either, meaning that if you are planning a web application that needs to be accessible to multiple browsers or operating systems, your code will likely need to be written twice.
So, in the process of trying to maintain web applications with the same business logic but different codes you will probably find yourself asking questions like, “If HTML5 and Flash are doing the same thing, why do we need them both? Which one is better? And which one will ultimately survive the other as a superior alternative?”
Our next post will feature a side by side comparison of the two technologies illustrating the ups and downs of each across 6 different categories, including website application/adoption, performance, authoring and developing, current availability, features, and compatibility. This upcoming comparison should help you to draw your own conclusions to the questions above and better understand which technology will work best for you.
