Flash Scripts

An aptly named application.

FLASH is proprietary software code developed by ADOBE Systems. In order to view the code in action, a user has to have a FLASH reader installed on their computer. This is downloaded for free.

When you load a web page using FLASH, the browser will call on the FLASH reader to display the contents. Most modern computer systems and browsers are capable of viewing FLASH.

FLASH is highly popular because it works well, is secure and you can create visual effects that are truly stunning. Typically web projects involved in the entertainment industries will use FLASH. It is not so commonly used in commercial or retail business applications.

FLASH is used to create web page applets. This, it does better than any other software language. A web page applet would contain code to produce things like an instant messaging pop-up or an animated computer game.

Drawbacks

FLASH will task the processor of your computer and the internal graphics card in particular. If you surf the web using an older computer system, page loading may freeze when you hit a FLASH applet.

FLASH is not searchable code. Web search engines cannot presently parse the contents of a FLASH page.