"Flash in a Web 2.0 World" - Geoff Stearns

The last day of Flash on the Beach. First up, Geoff Stearns from New York with a cracking session...

• Invented SWFObject for embedding Flash


• What is Web 2.0
  
  
  • State of mind, not a specific technology
  
  
  • Easy way for people who "get it" to talk shop
  
  
  • Using technology available to you in the best way possible


• Flash 2.0 - he used the term very tongue-in-cheek
  
  
  • No intro
  
  
  • Flash as style and behaviour (XML/database as content)
  
  
  • Flash video
  
  
  • Progressive enhancement
  
  
  • SWFObject (Detecting flash/flash version)
  
  
  • Using flash what it is good for
    
    
    • Remember, its not always the best tool for the job


• Philosophy of Web 2.0 (or one of them anyway)
  
  
  • Use progressive enhancement
    
    
    • Content HTML
    
    
    • Style CSS
    
    
    • Behaviour JavaScript
  
  
  • Flash can be all 3 - where does it fit in?
  
  
  • Flash as a Web 2.0 technology
    
    
    • 1. Separate content from the behaviour
    
    
    • 2. Use progressive enhancement
    
    
    • 3. Recreate basic browser functions
    
    
    • 4. Only use it when you need it


• 2. Progressive Enhancement
  
  
  • Build HTML version and/or upgrade message


• 3. Browser functions
  
  
  • Provide back button and browser linking
  
  
  • Don't break searchability
  
  
  • Tools to do this
    
    
    • SWFAddress
    
    
    • StateManager
  
  
  • Users JavaScript to update URL and back button
    
    
    • Needs Flash 8 and JavaScript
    
    
    • Not just for flash - Can also be used for Ajax


• 4. Only use it when you need to
  
  
  • Don't be stupid!


• HUF Technique - HTML Under Flash
  
  
  • Build HTML first
  
  
  • Then add Flash
  
  
  • Google gets HTML
  
  
  • User gets Flash
  
  
  • About providing alternate content


• SEO
  
  
  • Google can read swfs but why would you want it to as there's no content in them.
  
  
  • Want Google to index your HTML content
  
  
  • HUF Technique + "Crawl Pages" = SEO for your site


• Into the future - we need:
  
  
  • Browser makers need to fix <object> tag
  
  
  • Built in plugin version detection
  
  
  • Really need to sort out plugins in browsers
    
    
    • Working group or something like for HTML and CSS


• Progressive Enhancement applies to Flash more for content rather than applications


• To avoid having to duplicate content its good to generate HTML using include
  
  
  • Content in the XML can be XHTML


• Bugger with SWFObject is that you can't use it if you want users with JavaScript off but Flash on to get content - it seems silly to lock out these users (example could be a corporate or school)


• Links
  
  
  • Blog.deconcept.com/code/swfobject2.0/
  
  
  • exanimo.com/as2/statemanager (too bad about the rubbish design!)