I don't believe that David said there had been no innovation within the
Ajax world (I think it is pretty clear there has been). I think he
pointed out the simple fact that new versions of the Flash player (with
new features) can get out into the public, and reach ubiquity
(approximately 80% in a year) much faster than new versions of browsers
(historical browser and Flash player install trends support this).

In addition, a developer not only has to wait for a new browser to reach
ubiquity, but they have to wait for all other browsers to add that
feature and then wait for those browsers to reach ubiquity.

For example, Flash Player 8.5 (now in public alpha) adds support for
binary sockets. We plan to release that player in the Spring of 2006,
and thus based on historical trends, that player will reach 80%
penetration within a year (i.e. Spring 2007).

Now, if a new feature was added to a browser, it would take much longer
for that feature to be available to most end users. This is because new
browser install rates are lower, and there are multiple browsers (i.e.
Firefox, IE, etc..) that need to implement the functionality.

I think that is just a fact of life. The Flash Player is a much smaller
bit of code than an entire browser, and thus can be more readily updated
by end users. It also offers (in many cases) a much more seamless
install experience, often allowing end users to update their player
inline without having to restart their browser.

Btw, I am a Flash lover, although I am also pretty keen on Ajax... ;)

mike chambers

mesh@...

Laurent Muchacho wrote:
> Hi David,
>
> I agree with you on all the good thing Flash can do. I think the rate of
> innovation of AJAX/DHTML application as not being frozen on the last 5 year
> you can simply put your nose out there, in a world outside of your enclosed
> Flash cocoon where you seems to think that it's the best for everything.
>