Making a Website, But Avoiding Flash

[thedarkchariot]

Hey guys.

I am currently trying to make my portfolio site, and I am in full opposition to using flash and flash video. Well, what's a guy supposed to use then? I understand that jquery (and javascript) can be used for animations, and I use some jquery (just some thickbox/highslide stuff right now), but can someone point me in the right direction?

Also, if the iPhone and iPad don't support flash, and they support HTML5 video...doesn't that mean HTML5 video should play on the iPhone? How can I implement HTML5 video on my website?

Thanks. I realize these are very n00bish questions, but I am just getting started.

 

[miles01110]

You should describe exactly what you're trying to do. Your "question" is really vague at the moment.

 

[ezekielrage_99]

Not sure how to answer the question due the vagueness... But on my portfolio I've got an h.264 MOV to get around the "flash issue" on an iPhone.

If you are concerned with copyright or people ripping your idea then you can always water mark

 

[digitalpencil]

ezekielrage_99 is right. your best bet is to detect for absence of Flash and substitute H5 <video> in its place. Detecting for the iPhone and delivering tailored content (larger buttons, interface refinements, plugin-free etc). would be even better if you're planning on getting large hit ratios for mobile deployment.

on a side note, i wouldn't advise skipping out on Flash entirely. it's a formidable technology that is adept at delivering far more than simple video but has earned a bad reputation amongst certain devs for poor execution. this is mostly a lack of understanding though, it can deliver truly remarkable results.

with regard to IP protection, again Ezekial is right but i honestly wouldn't worry about it. Flat video can be grabbed easily, FLV with the target URL and watermarking does little to deter content thieves.. long story short, if someone wants it, they'll get it and steps to attempt securing it are as arbitrary as the no-right click scripts from the days of yore.

 

[definitive]

why are so many people on here acting like flash is dead, and html5 has been finalized? and also why are iphone/touch/ipad the defining factors in whether you make a page with flash or not? it's not like majority of the computer users are browsing the web using iphone/touch/ipad as their primary internet access device.

 

[ezekielrage_99]

why are so many people on here acting like flash is dead, and html5 has been finalized? and also why are iphone/touch/ipad the defining factors in whether you make a page with flash or not? it's not like majority of the computer users are browsing the web using iphone/touch/ipad as their primary internet access device.

There is a difference between acting as though flash is dead and looking for the best possible solution. If it mean a watermarked h.264, boobtube, etc.. so be it.

 

[splitpea]

What is it that you'd use Flash for? It's perfectly possible to build a portfolio site in plain non-moving HTML without Flash *or* Javascript. If your portfolio needs video, Flash is probably your best option at present. But that doesn't necessarily mean you have to (or by any means should) do the whole site or anything other than the video itself in Flash.

Other than that, what is it you're trying to accomplish?

 

[adamvk]

What kind of portfolio are you building? What will be in it?

 

[eleven2brett]

Check out the implementation of some of the portfolio sites on http://cssmania.com/

 

[Cromulent]

why are so many people on here acting like flash is dead, and html5 has been finalized? and also why are iphone/touch/ipad the defining factors in whether you make a page with flash or not? it's not like majority of the computer users are browsing the web using iphone/touch/ipad as their primary internet access device.

I could ask the reverse. Why are so many people trying to use Flash when it is not the best tool for the job?

 

[adamvk]

I could ask the reverse. Why are so many people trying to use Flash when it is not the best tool for the job?

I agree, flash is messy. Plus, not using flash will be more compatible anyways. And Definitive said not to use iPhones/iPod Touches/iPads as a basis of whether or not to use flash. But, there are millions of iPhones/iPod Touches out there, and the number is growing. If a large corporation like Apple doesn't support flash, you can bet less and less people will use it.