Gone in a Flash? How jQuery can improve your site performance and your bottom line.
Posted by mroach
December 7th, 2009
As new plugins become available to developers every day, jQuery is quickly becoming one of the most popular javascript libraries. jQuery is an easy solution for interactive development and a remarkable alternative to traditional flash-based components. In fact, the versatility of jQuery is truly astounding and in many ways, makes it a much better alternative to Flash.
Although jQuery isn’t known to be the best solution for 3-D and vector-based graphics, there are several other areas in which jQuery out-performs Flash.
Search Engine Friendly:
Your site’s content is not locked up in Flash file, thus making it accessible to search engine bots and screen readers. Freeing up your content can drastically increase your site rankings.
User-Friendly:
jQuery doesn’t require a plug-in like Flash does. Your Web 1.0 user won’t need to download anything to view or interact with the functionality on your site.
Browser-Friendly, Mobile-Browser-Friendly
jQuery is supported by most browsers (provided the user hasn’t disabled Javascript), including Safari on the iPhone. To date, Flash is not supported by the iPhone.
Developer-Friendly:
jQuery is executed through Javascript, HTML and CSS. No Flash developers are required. Also, subject to debate, but the learning curve with jQuery isn’t nearly as steep as Flash.
Budget-Friendly:
jQuery is completely free. Adobe Flash costs upwards of $700, and that’s before you’ve even begun to scope a designer to do the work.
Server-Friendly:
jQuery code is lightweight: no large Flash files, no large downloads.
As more and more plug-ins become available and gain support from the developer community, it’s important to keep in mind that there may already be a jQuery solution for your needs out there. Depending on what you’re trying to achieve, it’s important to evaluate both technologies. If there is a jQuery solution, it may provide a more cost-effective solution for you – and a better experience for your users.
Tags: Flash, jQuery, search engine optimization, Usability
This entry was posted on Monday, December 7th, 2009 at 8:39 am and is filed under Application development. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.