Ajax beatdown
October 8th, 2006 . by polyGeekJD over at Adobe gives a beatdown/retort to some Ajax evagalist.
Adobe/Flash has bent over backwards to accommodate the Ajax crowd. Flash has a robust interface for communicating back and forth with JavaScript. The success of Ajax does little to hold Flash back and might even help promote it in the long run. However, the opposite is not true.
If someone really wants to settle this, or at least put a big nail in this argument, they should hold a contest. Set up the backend server with the database and all and then give a team of experts in Ajax and another team of Flex/Flash experts a deadline to complete the client side interface. Then let users vote on which one they like the best.
I think it’s important to have an accurate estimation of the time involved in the work because that’s needed to get an idea of what the cost of development might be. You would also want a number of teams for each project and additionally a number of projects to give an accurate baseline on what each environment is capable of.
Of course one of the projects would have to be video/audio based. I want to see how an Ajax team might pull that off without using Flash. :-)
If someone really wants to do this I’m sure there’s a way of setting up this contest so that it’s fair and accurate. Go Flash!!! :-)
I hear you, but I actually *like* JavaScript. It’s good, useful technology. It drives the whole Dreamweaver ecology!
I’m just objecting to this “ajax triumphalism” stance, and how their proofs are not solid arguments.
It’s okay if people reach different decisions. But I think technologies should be chosen based on the job at hand, not advertising jingles. :(
Now that would be a contest worth seeing! There’d have to be a huge prize.
Still like all these things, I do think that the best result is when its all used in tandem, as John says noone likes “triumphalism” though, thats for sure!
John, I agree about JS being very useful. Actually, it’s awesome. It’s browsers that *suck*. I don’t want to think about the number of times I’ve written JS and tested along the way with one browser. Then when finished test it out on another to find it not working. Then fixing it there and going back to the first browser and find it not working there. ARRRRGGGGG!!!
This website here is an example of how screwy browsers are. I had to change the theme because, even though it was just right in FireFox, it was absolute crap in IE. Like the main content area didn’t even render.
I’m just pleased as punch that at work I’m the Flash guy. Anyone mentions HTML/Javascript and I pick up my flame thrower. :-)
Collis, Best bet is to have a big toolbox and know how to use all the tools in it, right? We all have our favorites. And sometimes we have to a grinder as a circular saw but in the end it’s about getting the job done.
That reminds me, I really need to go through the Flash Help files and make sure I at least know what all is there. I still run across things every now and then and say, “Frak, I wish I’d know about this class a few months ago.” Know your tools.
hmmm. no application is an island. I guess something can work well within itself but not be so great globally.
so goes the Great Unification Theory at least…
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