The Other Side of Flash

There's been a lot of talk about flash lately. Between the Flash 10.1 announcement with Adobe's demonstration on the Pre and the Adobe MAX presentation, it seems like everyone is gaga over Flash on the webOS.  However, at some point we need to step back and notice Flash has some notable downsides that need to be addressed and considered.

First and foremost, Flash is a proprietary format developed by Adobe. It's nowhere near as open a standard as html/css/js. Everything is developed in Adobe-created tools and the format is defined by what Adobe sets it at. That a lot of power and control in the hands of a single company, especially if Flash for the webOS were to gain momentum. And if iTunes has taught us anything, one company have singular control over a format can be detrimental. Kinda funny that the Flash Mobile development group was called the "Open Screen Project," eh?

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