Kottke has a really long article up discussing the possiblity of a future Operating System based on the idea of the Web. He just dismisses Flash as an option out of hand and links to another lengthy article that implies Flash is inherently wrong because it is a plug-in. First let's bring Flash back to the table. The newest version of Flash (8, coming soon) will allow easy and direct connection to almost anything via an ExternalInterface. Conceivably a developer could create a full Flash GUI for a computer that has a backend linking to Cocoa or .Net or Java or Visual Basic hooks that control the user's system. Plus I see Flash and JavaScript as sisters seperated at Open Source (with Flash being the more popular and prettier one). Strangely Kottke links to an article on AJAX without seeing that it includes a footnote specifically saying Flash and AJAX are extremely similar. If and when Macromedia (and/or Adobe) decides to start allowing anyone to bundle the Player not as a plug-in but as an integral part of the browser (is this really needed? given Flash penetration of over 98% world-wide not just in one OS) then JavaScript and Flash will be equal, but Flash will be more fun to use. Imagine easy VOIP or teleconferencing via your Flash OS plus a truly goo-y GUI with easy animation and control.
Flashers of the world what do you think? Should we just ignore this partial argument or what?
1. I read Jason's piece, twice... that's sixteen page-scrolls total. ;-) I'm still not sure why he settled on the past "operating system" model for the way the future will unfold, however.
(I'm not sure I could get to the core of his argument... with the length, and absence of summary, I kept on veering off into sidetracks based on individual lines.... :(
"Should we just ignore this partial argument or what?" Marketing folks have taught me stuff... sometimes they break ideas out into "the tag line" (the phrase which best describes an idea, to print on the box), "the elevator pitch" (the paragraph which tells the story within the time of an elevator ride), and then the whole enchilada where you get into all the rest. I'd need to get confirmation that I'm seeing Jason's core points as he sees them before I could judge my response to it....
(Bill McCoy of Adobe (see bio: http://blogs.adobe.com/billmccoy/2005/08/lifting_the_vei.html ) had a followup to Jason's essay which may be of interest: http://blogs.adobe.com/billmccoy/2005/08/webos_-_yes.html )
jd/mm
Posted at 9:23PM on Aug 24th 2005 by John Dowdell