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Subject:RE: web animation From:SteveFJong -at- aol -dot- com To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Thu, 14 Mar 2002 06:52:33 EST
To me, the general response "just say no" to animation (and sound) on a Web
site appears reactionary. Frankly, you sound like someone circa 1970 saying
there's no need for color TV, or a 1990 PC user reacting to the Macintosh by
pooh-poohing integrated sound cards. Not only do I disagree for Web sites, I
disagree, at least in the abstract, for what we would call technical
communication on the Web.
We are visual creatures, and the Web's almost irrational appeal lies in part
to its ability to bring color, sound, and motion to data displays. Any
rhetorical device can be misused or overused, but the fundamental power of
color, sound, and motion is obvious by inspection. (Anyone want to bet on
whether a poll of Web used would favor black and white, silence, or static
display?) Turning our backs on animation seems to me a fundamental mistake.
For technical illustration, animation is literally another dimension: it
shows change over time. Not all illustrations show change over time, but for
those that do, animation is, at least in theory, the right way to do it.
During my recent unexpected vacation, I've been learning some new tools,
including Flash. I'm excited by its possible uses. To me, the issue is not
whether to use it or not, the issue is how to use it efficiently. Admittedly,
there's a devil of a lot in that detail, but I'm looking forward to exploring
it further.
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