Fantasy-Interactive (Fi) have just launched their highly anticipated new website. If any of you know Fi, you’ll know they are famous for creating highly engaging Flash portals and microsites. They were also the first company to enter the highly acclaimed FWA Hall of Fame. I must admit - I’m over the moon with the fact that they have opted for a non-Flash website. Here’s an extract from their website regarding the decision to use HTML:

Our sites used to reach out, grab the user, shake them vigorously and scream, “Made by Fantasy Interactive!” Fi was notorious for developing everything and anything in Flash, Today in Fi, you will only find Flash in places it needs to be and fits. Looking back over the past nine years, the average website has matured substantially. Choosing the correct technology is imperative for a company’s goals.

We’re just about to kick off the redesign of stonewall.co.za, and we’re also opting for an HTML-based website, but it’s taken some time to reach this decision. Sure, nothing can beat the fluidity and energy of a Flash website (provided you get it right), but gone are the days of “Flashmania” - Flash for Flash’s sake.

A short while ago, the anti-Flash argument usually went something like this:

Flash websites take ages to load, and search engines cannot read and index their content.

These days, this is totally untrue. If a Flash website is built right, it can be SUPER-fast, and search engines will index their content without any issues. That said, there is still a strong argument against using Flash purely “because we can”. The choice of technology should always be based around the requirements.

If the requirement is the rapid browsing and delivery of content, HTML simply can’t be beaten.

I could seriously talk about Flash vs HTML for hours, but rather than bore you, check out the comment chain on Fi’s blog (Think Swedish) in response to the new website - it’s far more juicy!