Java, Shockwave and Flash support
There are multiple programs and applications that can be downloaded by new website owners in order to improve the viewing experience of their website visitors. Some of the more popular graphic website programs are:
- Java
- Shockwave
- Flash
Other website owners believe that other essential programs to improve the website design and experience are:
- Animated GIFs
- Dynamic HTML
However the main problem of website owners is that these website embedded graphics must small enough to be easily transmitted from the website to the website visitor. This is especially crucial for some website visitors that have a slower internet connection in their countries or their internet plan. This is further worsened by the fact that website visitors are always looking for the wow factor and therefore the website graphics must be more elaborate while still retaining a lower file size.
Java Applets
Java is a universal programming language that is designed to be network-oriented. This means that website visitors need to download the Java program on their computers before they can watch the downloaded Java applications at a later period. These Java programs developed for website content are normally called as applets.
Technically these Java applets are not complete applications since it needs to be combined with the programming codes of the website visitor’s computer browser. Some of the more popular Java applets are animation files, which can be opened in all types of operating systems due to its flexibility. Some of the animation examples done using Java are vector shapes as well as bitmap images. Java is particularly appropriate for websites that include animations such as basic interactive games since it handles 3-d graphics better than other multimedia software. The additional value of Java is that it can be used for online chatting especially with the increased popularity of social media networks in various electronic devices.
Shockwave
The increase in website development has led to the popularity of browser plug-ins since these display multiple graphic content without waiting for the entire file to be opened or downloaded. The main problem with this application is that the plug-in program must be downloaded by the website visitor before the plug-in file can be opened, which is normally suggested by the dHTML script.
This program is primarily designed to make the webpages appear more animated by allowing the website visitor to view images and videos in an interactive format. The reason for this is that it is designed to create a more complex animated format with interactive features. This implies that the software is primarily more acceptable for the development of online games. This is done by recognizing the user input and through various programming codes will produce a different result or output. The main limitation of this program is that it is normally available for computers that have Windows or Mac operating systems.
Flash
The value of Flash to programmers and website owners is that it allows large files to be compressed into a smaller size. Flash is normally used for simple interactive animations using vector images, which is typically seen within the website. Flash is normally bundled with computer browsers and therefore download speed is faster for animation files resulting in a more fluid movie, which makes it more appropriate for online videos.
The main advantage of Flash is that it is more flexible when it comes to operating systems, therefore making it appropriate for less popular operating systems such as Solaris or Linux. This is the reason why video intensive websites such as Youtube primarily use this multimedia content program.
Shockwave or Flash?
Both Flash and Shockwave are considered to be vector-based 2-D animation viewers, which means that it allows movies or animations to be viewed before the file download is finished. This means that the files are perceived to be mathematical values instead of the traditional pixel values used by other animation programs resulting in a faster download time. The value of Flash and Shockwave to website visitors is that the animation is played before the file is finished downloading through a series of codes, which mimics steaming videos.
Shockwave was originally developed to create content for CD-ROMs while Flash was specifically developed for web use. This means that Flash files are downloaded more quickly than Shockwave files but Shockwave is more flexible since it can be used to develop complex games. This is due to the interactivity features of Flash along with the use of detailed animation. Flash files can be imported into a Shockwave file due to its universal features as well as popularity since Flash is an open-source format program.
What is better?
Unfortunately, Java applets and flash files cannot be viewed on iPhone and Android mobile phones. Therefore, multimedia applications for mobile devices are normally developed using either Ajax or Javascript. Website programmers and developers suggest thatJava, Shockwave, and Flash needs to be downloaded on the website visitor’s computer in order to play online games, view 3-D objects, and chat.