Developers around me have recently begun to look more closely at the fuzzy area where one should choose HTML/CSS/JS over Flash for rich browser content. Unfortunately, conversations on the topic have a tendency to get derailed almost immediately because features like Canvas, and even the whole JavaScript language, get dismissed entirely by a vocal few. When that happens, everyone heads off on a tangent to argue a couple points, and then the conversation pretty much ends. Without a clear winner, the dismissal becomes the defacto conclusion and further exploration within the group is halted, at least temporarily.

We’re all aware that certain options may be technically or aesthetically inferior. Yet, we can’t improve the situation without getting our hands dirty. Rather than preach to the choir, we should be providing clear, visible evidence of where web standards (or implementations of the standards) need improvement. We should be creating publicly visible works that push the limits of the browser as it exists today, even if doing so requires the nastiest of workarounds. In fact, finding those workarounds should be a priority because I want us to be able to point to them and say, “Hey browser vendors: I made this, and users love it, but check out this code that’s going to make you want to puke (or this overworked CPU, or excessive memory, or whatever). You need to fix that.” By showing truly compelling projects that can hit barriers and raise awareness of web development pain points that anyone can see, I think we’ll find that browser vendors can be far more agile than some people assume.

The open web community has been calling out Flash for many years, whether their arguments were accurate or not. Now that they’ve “won” for certain use-cases, I think that it’s time for the tables to turn, but in a more productive way. Targeted and actionable feedback, measurable data, along with impressive content will do much more to improve the web than complaining that we miss the good old days. Our jobs may not be as fun at first, but wouldn’t you rather make it better sooner than later?