Happy birthday Flash

Flash is much more than a tool for putting animation on your website. It has become a platform that goes almost everywhere the internet goes. Microsoft's Rich Internet Application strategy covers everything from Windows to devices and your living room, Adobe's strategy is no less pervasive. They have put Flash on nearly everything it can go on: PCs, phones, gaming devices. In the process they have created a platform that is synonymous with branding and experience, two things that are becoming more important to the development of the web.

Undoubtedly Microsoft and Adobe are on a more competitive footing than they have been in the past. Each is bringing a very rich platform for development to the web, and each will fight vigorously to ensure that theirs comes out on top. Much like the titans of the 1920's, the goal is to control a horizontal section of the market so that everything runs through you. There will always be open standards, but in an increasingly branded, rich internet, a platform that allows for multimedia, unique interfaces, and innovative experiences will have big draw. Flash has become that in 10 years, and will no doubt continue to pioneer rich experiences in the future. Cheers Flash - and many more on channel 4.