Flash 4

I'm slightly more sceptical. To begin with the figure for Flash compatibility on my own site is more like 50 per cent. More to the point, it's important to remember that these figures refer to Flash 3. If a Flash 4 movie is viewed by the Flash 3 player most of the graphics will appear, but much of the interactivity will not function properly. In many ways this means that Flash 4 has to start again, building up its audience from scratch. It certainly means that if you were creating movies that don't use version 4 features, you'd be better off saving them to Flash 3 format. Having said this, I'm also sure that eventually the Flash 4 player will outstrip the penetration of version 3. To be able to provide streaming MP3 playback with a 200Kb download is impressive enough. When you throw in the animation and interactivity enabled by the Flash 4 player, it's the one plug-in that's an absolute must-have.

The same is true of the Flash 4 authoring environment. The major new features - MP3, QuickTime 4, form handling and advanced actions - extend Flash's power on all fronts: sound, video, interactivity and programmability. Ultimately though, it's the overhaul of the entire production process which really makes the difference. Flash still isn't the right program for dabblers, but it's no longer the preserve of experts. Flash 4 is definitely ready for the big time.

Author: Tom Arah