Flash 4 or 5 for easily-read site?

[flatback]

A long question: hopefully a short answer ………

I am working on a new corporate website in conjunction with a perl programmer.

I’m teaching myself Action Script; I’ve been told I need to use "loadVariables" and get the perl pages to spit out name value pairs of the results.

(I always have a fear of Flash especially for business websites, because I know how short-tempered the users are if they don’t have the right plug-in.)

• My question is this: should I be learning Flash 4 Action Scripting (slash syntax) or can I safely teach myself Flash 5 (dot syntax)?

I want a site that can be seen and read by every Bank-Manager’s Aunty ………

Many thanks.

 

[rgstewart]

If it's a corporate website for anything other than design / music / entertainment industry businesses then you shouldn't be using Flash, ESPECIALLY if you want it to be seen by "every Bank Manager's Aunty".

I think all the major whingers have gotten over their little huff about having to actually download something to see high profile presentations on the web (imagine not being able to view it instantaneously ... how non-British!!) ... so the plugin is not really an issue these days. What is, however, is the loading time required for most Flash material. 56K modem users feel the sting, and you can be sure most Bank Manager's Aunties are still using 56K modems, and DON'T want to have to wait for 5 minutes just to find out one piece of information.

If you are delivering information rather than an "interactive experience", I would hold off on the Flash. Stick to the tried and tested - HTML and top-of-the-range Graphic Design. If it looks good, no one will complain that the text doesn't explode in off the side of the page, or if things disappear rather than fading out.

 

[flatback]

Thanks for replying. You have just voiced my fears -- that corporate websites shouldn't be Flash.

However, this site is hopefuly going to be an interactive learning experience, and so it's not so much the flying text that I want, it's more the functionality that Flash has for manipulating information and allowing the user to know where they are at any particular moment within the site.

If you know of any, I would really appreciate some examples of HTML-based sites that offer that kind of interaction.

Thanks again for your input and advice.