> Recently, I checked again: there are Flash plugins, but not Shockwave > ones!! > > Have UNIX people been written off as too small a market segment or is > it just too hard to implement? > I'll probably get creamed for this, but I think there's a more basic issue.
Judging from what I saw at the Flash MX unveiling, my guess is that Macromedia is positioning Flash as their major Web development tool. I doubt there will be any officially-announced policy, but I think Director is going to be positioned more for CD-ROM and broadband network development. Since broadband has been slower to catch on in the consumer marketplace than a lot of people thought, I think broadband means, largely, corporate and academic markets. Shockwave can do a lot of things that Flash can't, so it's not going away. However, the downloads (both the plug-in and the app) are a lot bigger than Flash. Plus, Flash penetration is significantly higher than Shockwave. Also, the new capabilities of Flash MX (including faster processing) are moving it more into the low-medium range that used to be Shockwave's territory. This is really no more than informed speculation--I don't have any inside information on this. I think the handwriting is on the wall, though. That doesn't mean give up Shockwave or Director. It just means that adding Flash to your repertoire will be good for your career. Cordially, Kerry Thompson [To remove yourself from this list, or to change to digest mode, go to http://www.penworks.com/lingo-l.cgi To post messages to the list, email [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Problems, email [EMAIL PROTECTED]). Lingo-L is for learning and helping with programming Lingo. Thanks!]
