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If Jakob Nielsen can change his mind, can’t you? Flash can’t be all bad, since its regaining popularity with developers - not just artists/animators.

I have been a huge fan and developer of Macromedia Flash ever since it was FutureSplash Animator. As a matter of fact, I still keep a boxed copy in my personal library. (It’s a silly thing, but I like the nostalgia of it. I also keep a boxed copy of NextStep for Intel.)

Flash has had it’s ups and downs, especially as enterprises have been trying to figure out what to do with it. Is it animation software? Is it application software? The maturation of the Flash Player and products built off of this player have helped to muddle the waters. This ubiquitous player allows developers to define the presentation of their data once, then it gets delivered anywhere the player will run - computer, mobile phone, wireless devices. (Remember, “Write Once Run Anywhere“?)

According to the following post, Flash has turned a corner and is making a comeback in the world of AJAX and Web 2.0. I’ve been encouraging my developer friends to give Flash/Flex a chance, and I’ve just begun experimenting with Flex 2. Give it chance and keep visiting, as I plan to post more articles about this tool along with my experiments.

The Resurgence of Flash by ZDNet’s Ryan Stewart — Flash has come a long way from Jakob Nielsen’s “Flash:99% Bad” proclamation. The rise of video and mobile phones and new ways to build Flash applications have helped put it in the minds of developers, designers and tech influentials. Now Flash has become a big part of Web 2.0 and continues to empower great experiences. This is a look at how Flash went from the skip intro button to the technology behind a $1.65 billion acquisition.