jgleman

I’ll try to keep this short. I wasn’t really going to weigh in on this here because, frankly, who cares what I think? I have been closely following the Flash vs. HTML5 debate that the Apple iPad announcement seems to have highlighted and people missing what I feel is the fundamental reason that HTML should be favored over Flash.

To me, Flash shows a fundamental disrespect for the user. Arguments about Flash being open aside, Flash sites are closed. This is not Flash vs. HTML5. The argument is Flash vs. HTML. I would rather visit a less capable Web site written in HTML than a rich site served up in Flash for the simple fact that when it comes to the HTML page, I can control the experience.

With HTML, the author sets a baseline for the experience and I can adjust that experience to my preferences. I can disable scripting. I can inject my own scripting (via bookmarklets or via the console in an add-on like Firebug).

Can something like Readability even exist for Flash?

With Flash, the author demands how the site will behave and there is nothing I can do about it other than not use it. I may not like the performance of Flash, but that can be fixed. The problem is not a technical, it is philosophical.