Flash Trend: Compete and Google Ad Planner

I’ll try to keep this as on-topic as possible, and please don’t flame the post with hate towards Apple, Steve Jobs, God, Hell, evolution, whatever.

Has anyone recently looked at the unique users on the leading 15 Flash Marketplaces and top 5 Flash Blogs (won’t name them)? Two of the best websites are Compete and Google Ad Planner. They both show the same results.

If we go by the mantra numbers don’t like, it looks like Flash will be in BIG trouble in two years tops. All these places, including ActiveDen, have lost close to 60% of the total trafic they had in 2010, and the trend remains: going down.

Obviously as Flash will go extinct, or close to, the prices will drop, the budgets for custom work will be barely reasonable, and the world of Flash Development will explode. We at Vuzum, had NO project as a full flash website in 2011 so far. We did Flash, for Facebook apps, for Custom Tshirt Apps, for Cropping faces and placing them on top of other images, and stuff like this, that can only be done in Flash, TODAY . But NO flash website.

There is almost every day a request to change something from Flash to mobile supported format (aka NO Flash), and we even tell our customers to avoid using Flash when it’s not needed (95% of the time).

So my question for those that have been doing only Flash until now is: what will you choose to do further? Will you do design? Learn new development languages? Have you prepared your portfolio?

We’ve been hard at work to create a mixed portfolio as we were doing a lot of Flash in the past, and almost no web development. Now, it’s the other way around. Plus we learn iOS and Android.

So, how are YOU preparing for the future (almost no Flash work)?

P2P Video Conferencing (in the browser) and large scale games. These will remain Flash based for quite some time still.

I’m just learning HTML5 and try the “new” features whenever I have the time. Someone said it will become the new Flash. Let’s do it. The only thing I’m impressed are the 3D transitions offered by CSS3 but again it works only on webkit and I’m sick of working with fallbacks, workarounds and all this stuff since I’m used to create consistent experiences, not patchworks.

flashedge said
I’m just learning HTML5 and try the “new” features whenever I have the time. Someone said it will become the new Flash. Let’s do it. The only thing I’m impressed are the 3D transitions offered by CSS3 but again it works only on webkit and I’m sick of working with fallbacks, workarounds and all this stuff since I’m used to create consistent experiences, not patchworks.

+1. The only thing that keeps me from transitioning to HTML 5 and stuff from Flash, is the inconsistent way of doing things. Some people might argue, but I really hate the fact that whenever I get stuck at something while doing HTML , and CSS stuff and try to find its solution on the internet, I always come across a “work-around”. Why, o why not a proper/decent solution for everything? Unarguably, working in Actionscript 3.0 has taught me one thing i.e. coding elegantly. And I am sure many people will agree with this.

HTML5 - I think this will be the Rolls-Royce of the templates, yes we all know it has its problem but HTML5 is keep evolving even if many of us think its crap alternative (I think its crap now and all this so call WP/HTML 5 really don’t bring anything new, old stuff with a new dress, even there browser compatibility is a true pain ).

jQuery that’s what damage flash the most and jQuery ‘overtakes’ Flash in website use it’s a fact, unbelievable with jQuery i feel like i am going back to the 90’s of flash in coding time ,but jQuery does not require a software installation like Flash so its help for many.

Problem competition will be a killer not like flash we where few.

And flashedge good luck with that 3D ,i know you love patchworks .

but ill keep doing flash for a few years for sure ….

As i’m a designer who one day (once upon a time) decided to create a button in flash, the easy thing for me is just make the step back. I’ve never left the design side of my work (in fact, outside AD i’m not a developer), so the logical “scape” for me is focus again on pure design, hiring people to do the hard job (html/js/php…) for web projects. For me the learning curve of all the stuff needed nowadays to make a simple site is so high, and i’m not a young guy full of free nights to expend learning anymore, i’m afraid.

So Andrei, if you need a designer in your current country, i’ll be here waiting your call.

pezflash said
i’m not a young guy full of free nights.

I should talk to some of the guys here to do money collect for you and buy you a walking stick ….grandpa. i almost share a tear

I will continue create Flash application / animations because I believe Flash never die. Yes, it is demode now but it might be rising again at future. Also I can’t learn HTML5 or CSS . Because they are very boring code and I’m very old man for learn new somethings. Flash always is best solution for come true your visions but it is not ideal for earn more money..:(

^ Look that this is plenty of old lazy guys. Tsafi, buy one more walking stick.

^I don’t think so, older dev` 10-15 years or above average age in the bus` are already have solid platform with clients, so we have more alternative then others.

Nice to see barisintepe is one of the good guys.

And pez i think i am older then both of you, just on me end life are much more fun, but last 2 month i am working like crazy cos` i am of the glob again soon, so i am 18-20 hours in front of my pc./laptop/mac/tablet and the rest the crap that produce green for me then the fun start and the new cyclic in life start over again …@hey paz i didn’t know you do design stuff as freelance, are you any good ?