Archive for the ‘Real World Web Design’ Category

Why Flash-only websites are a bad idea.

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010


I’m a big fan of Flash and it has many uses .. one of them though, is NOT to create an entire website with it.

My top four reasons for not creating a Flash only website:

  1. Limited search engine visibility.
  2. Harder to update because you have to crack open Flash source files.
  3. Harder to find Flash developers/designers than it is HTML/CSS nerds.
  4. Apple’s iPhone and iPad can’t see Flash.

Learn from the past …

Back in the 1990’s, Flash only websites became a big thing for a while … then people realized that it was a bad idea, and the Web returned to traditional HTML and CSS based web sites. Let’s not make the same mistake.

Attack of the KILLER APPLE

Another fact that should make you reconsider Flash only sites, is that Apple is now in open warfare against Flash, where they will not let Flash work on the very popular iPhone and soon to be released (with much hype) iPad. That means that a Flash only website cannot be seen by millions of iPhone users.

Flash should only be used for:

  1. Application development.
  2. Only in parts of your HTML web sites – to do things like play video, audio or some other multimedia use.

This short article may piss-off some Flash maniacs … but what can I say, sometimes the truth hurts.

Stefan Mischook
www.killersites.com

Posted in Adobe, Flash, Professional Web Design, Real World Web Design, Web Design | No Comments »

iPad and iPhone are BAD for the Web

Thursday, January 28th, 2010

I don’t want to bore you guys to tears, but Apple’s latest move to not support Flash (and thus 99% of web video) on the iPad is very disturbing.

The facts are simple:

  • Millions of web pages with Flash content will break on iPhones and iPads.
  • Like it or not Flash is ubiquitous.
  • Flash is controlled by Adobe but free to anyone to write code against.
  • Apple is doing this to try and control content distribution – IMHO.
  • HTML 5’s video support is years away from being an option to use on commercial web sites.

Since Flash is not supported by the iPad or the iPhone and since the vast majority of web surfers don’t have HTML 5, if we want to deliver video on the Web, we have to support two methods of delivery.

… Just like it was during the 1990’s browser wars, where we had to write code for IE and code for Netscape. Thanks Apple for bringing back the good old days! Jerks.

Apple has to stop being a bunch of iJerks and support Flash.

Stefan Mischook
www.killersites.com

Posted in Flash, Real World Web Design | 42 Comments »

With iPad, Apple has started a new browser war!

Thursday, January 28th, 2010

ipad image 167x240

It seems that Apple wants to start a new 1990’s style browser war – this really sucks!

Instead of the war being centered around HTML and the DOM, Apple has decided to make it about rich media delivery – Apple does not like Adobe Flash and they are not supporting it on iPad and iPhone.

… Hey Apple, did you hear that Flash IS THE Web standard for rich media?

Because everyone uses Flash to embed video and audio on the Web today, blocking Flash on the iPhone and iPad (with special exceptions made for Youtube of course!) … is NO DIFFERENT than the proprietary tag wars of the 1990’s between Microsoft and Netscape.

In the original browser war’s, it was all about the software, Netscape vs. Explorer … this time the browser is the physical device .. iPad and iPhone vs practically every other device in the world that can surf the Web. Man this is really beginning to piss me off!

With the HTML/DOM browser wars, in the end, everybody lost … and I lost a lot of hair trying to build cross browser compatible websites!!

Adobe fights back against the tyranny of an Apple

Adobe responds by giving Flash the ability output native iPad applications.

From the article:

The iPhone and iPod Touch were the first devices to popularize surfing the Web from a small screen, using multitouch input to allow users to zoom in and out of Web sites that were originally designed to be seen on larger screens. But the iPhone and iPod Touch don’t support Flash, which is widely used for online multimedia content, and Apple hasn’t signalled that it’s interested in adding Flash support to its line of mobile devices.

… This doesn’t solve our web browsing issue but at least we can enjoy the creativity of the millions of Flash developers out there on the iPad and iPhone – something Apple does not want it seems.

Stefan Mischook
www.killersites.com

Posted in Real World Web Design, Web Design News | 4 Comments »

SEO Tip: Geo Targeting your Web Server

Wednesday, January 27th, 2010

Hi,

In this video I reveal a very important fact that will impact on your traffic .. something I learned first hand!

Check it out:

Thanks for watching,

Stefan Mischook
www.killersites.com

Posted in Real World Web Design, SEO & SEM | No Comments »

The Web 2.0 Web Designer

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

Hi,

In the following video, I talk about the skill-sets that modern web designers need to know.

Let me know what you think. Oh yea, a high quality version of this video can be found in the killersites university.

Stefan Mischook
www.killersites.com

Posted in Business of Web Design, Real World Web Design, Web Design | 4 Comments »

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