Ok, pick your side, grab your pitchfork and torch and lets throw down!  Those that work with me know that I love a little hyperbole, but unfortunately a lot of people out there have a hard-edged attitude about why Flash should die or why HTML5 will never be as cool as Flash.  I have long enjoyed building and viewing rich Flash content, but I tend to straddle the fence a bit these days.  Let’s dig in a little, shall we?

What is HTML5?

Ok, I’m gonna keep this short for our tech readers who are rolling their eyes right now, I think our layman friends will appreciate a pinch of info to level the playing field.  HTML5 is the latest upgrade to standard HTML web coding.  The new features can basically be summed up in 3 words: audio, video and canvas.  You can now use HTML to embed audio or video instead of relying on Flash, Javascript, helper monkeys, etc!  The canvas feature is a whole other animal (helper dolphins?). It is very deep, and web developers are only now scratching the surface of its potential.  With the ability to create scalable graphics and 3D objects, it is (IMO) by far the most exciting feature of HTML5. Check out one of my favorite HTML5 demos.

When someone tells you they want a HTML5 web site, chances are they mean jQuery also.  jQuery is an open source Javascript library and API structure that makes a lot of advanced coding simpler, faster, better looking, and more customizable.  Even though it isn’t technically part of “HTML5″, a lot of HTML5′s great features simply aren’t possible without it, including every good use of the canvas feature that I have seen to date.

So I don’t need Flash anymore, right?

Well… maybe.  First you have to ask yourself, “why am I trying to avoid Flash”?  If the answer is “because Apple says so”, we’ll get to that in a minute.  If the answer is “because HTML5 replaces Flash”, it is probably worth revisiting your wants, needs, and goals, just to be sure.  It’s about time that this blog gave you a nice visual, isn’t it?  Interpret as you please:

I want my site to…	HTML/ jQuery	Flash	Well…
be at the top of Google!			Even with HTML, you’ll need an SEO specialist. Also, make sure you developer doesn’t go and make your jQuery content hard for search engines to find!
be beautiful and exciting			It’s entirely up to you and your design/development team, no technology should prohibit you from having an awesome site!
include high touch animation and media			Sorry HTML5 evangelists, Flash is still king here. Scroll down if you need proof.
work on an iPhone			Apple still denies Flash access to the iPhone. iPad now has the option of iSwifter, which could be opening doors for Flash on iOS.  Almost all other tablets and smart phones support Flash.
have a high level of interactivity			Based on your needs, either technology may be the right one for you. jQuery can do almost anything interactive, but even Google still uses Flash for high level interactivity
have deep interaction with Social Media			There are many exciting ways to connect your site with Facebook, Twitter, etc.  APIs for social networks rely on Javascript and other dynamic languages, but that’s not to say that you can’t work it in to a Flash app.
have games or applications			Again, the technology that you need depends entirely on the type of game or application. Flash is often still the best choice, but canvas and jQuery are beginning to open up the field a little.
go viral!			Well I want to win the lottery! Fortunately, with viral hopeful sites there is a lot you can do to increase your odds.

So by now you may be seeing a little bit of my old Flash bias coming through.  I swear, I can quit any time I want!  To my own surprise, I have been shying away from Flash more and more lately.  For one thing, we often don’t have time or budget to create both a Flash and iPhone friendly version of everything, and jQuery really is a wonderful library for simple animation and many other features that Flash used to be the best option for.  For example, there is usually no reason to use Flash for photo galleries or drag and drop style interactivity these days.

However, when it comes to really cool (*wow*) animation, effects, interactivity, etc; boy oh boy does Flash perform ever so beautifully.  If I may toot the iDesign horn for a second, we won an Addy for davidphelps.com this year, a site that simply wouldn’t be half as cool without Flash (don’t worry SEO peeps, there is a simple mobile version).  But let’s look at some other amazing work out there that not only wouldn’t be as cool, in some cases wouldn’t be possible at all without Flash.

• http://hellohikimori.com
• http://www.doggelganger.co.nz/
• http://www.nationalparksproject.ca
• http://www.5gum.co.za/
• http://www.benhantoot.com/

WHOOAAA!!  Now tell me that those didn’t get you out of your seat.  There just aren’t many sites this visibly rich in HTML5 (yet).  A major problem with HTML5 is that talented designers and animators don’t have the kinds of tools to create sites like these.  As far as web games go, all Facebook games still use Flash technology (send me a Facebook HTML5 game if you find one!) and so far HTML5 games resemble the crappy Flash games of yesteryear (see Unwaivering).  This is not to say that it will always be this way, HTML5 just has a lot of catching up to do.

Apple vs Flash

Whew, this discussion takes a lot out of you!  We should take a minute to reflect on why this debate is so hot right now in the first place, though.  Apple has made it clear that they don’t like Flash and many people are hopping on the bandwagon.  The claim is that Flash sucks the battery life out of devices like the iPhone and is too resource intensive.  Before we just mark this off of our “to-think-about” list, a few recent developments should be noted.

1. Flash is becoming more widely used on mobile devices… except for the iPhone
2. Flash has updated its player to reduce computer resource use from about 33% down to about 10%, and in many cases, outperforms HTML5.  This feature is called “hardware acceleration” and it all but eliminates the battery life and performance argument originally presented by Apple as cause for denying the use of Flash in their products. Whether or not Apple will allow their customers to experience this benefit is still unclear.
3. Flash browsers are emerging for the iPad.

The battle between Flash and Apple has been fairly petty and dramatic, and unfortunately, consumers end up getting the short end of the stick.  Whether or not the 2 sides will ever start sending each other Christmas cards again is uncertain, but fortunately it is still a free internet and ultimately consumers will determine the fate of Flash and HTML5.

Wrapping up

Wowee, I didn’t expect to write this much, but this saucy topic deserves it’s due diligence, so thanks for hanging in there.

To wrap up, I have to reiterate that whether you need Flash or HTML5 really depends on your project and your goals.  If you are trying to sell product online or take over organic search rankings in your field, Flash isn’t the best option and probably isn’t even necessary.  However, if you are trying to create a rich experience to excite and inspire people, Flash may be just what the doctor ordered.