Why Use Macromedia Flash

With Flash, you can create interactive, vector-based Web sites and desktop applications. The software makes it easy for you to easily create graphics and quickly create complex animations, navigation controls, and even complete multimedia Web sites. You can use Macromedia Flash to create advanced Web applications, using scripting, forms, and server-side connectivity as well.

Flash movies are compact vector graphics that download rapidly and can scale to the viewer’s screen size.

Macromedia Flash Player

Flash requires a player to be viewed on the Web. The Macromedia Flash Player is very widespread (reaching 98% of Internet-enabled desktops worldwide according to Macromedia) because it’s distributed with the newest browsers and many operating systems.

www.macromedia.com/software/player_census/flashplayer

The player is also a very small file that you can quickly and easily download from Macromedia’s Web site.

You don’t need the Flash Player installed to view files on your desktop. Just make sure the Flash movie has been turned into a projector, which is a standalone executable version of the movie.

Streaming

The Macromedia Flash Player “streams” Flash movies as they download. This means the animation can begin before it’s downloaded in its entirety. When you make your Flash movies correctly, users will be able to start viewing your site within seconds and won’t have to wait for the whole movie to download. They’ll have something to look at right away, keeping them from clicking on the Back button!