Flash sucks for Search Engines

• Search engines only see text, and Flash has no text. So, search engines will not return results for a site whose content is embedded in Flash.

Misused, Flash sucks for Visitors

• Pages takes longer to open (typically 2 to 10 times more)
• The user must wait for the intro to complete
• A plug-in must be installed (and updated every few months)
• Simple video and audio files are wrapped in an extra layer of complexity
• Animations are impossible to ignore
• You can't navigate using standard controls, such as the URL and the Back button
• Navigation controls, such as the URL and the Back button, don't work

Many users don't have access to Flash:

• WebTV users
• Corporate users behind certain firewalls
• Mobile devices (phones, PDAs,...)

When users see Flash, they think:

• the content is probably useless and glitzy
• it's likely to be an ad
• it's probably not worth waiting for it to download
• the webmaster that doesn't give a hoot that 1/2 the visitors never see the content

A webmaster who doesn't use Flash is saying:

• I have worthwhile content, and I am just going to go ahead and show it to you right now

Flash sucks for disabled people

• Sites that can only be navigated with Flash require the visitor to have functioning eyes and hands.
• If a site can only be navigated through Flash, people who can't see will not be able to find the Flash navigation menu.
• If a site can only be navigated through Flash, people with motor disabilities may not be able to move a mouse to a Flash menu and click it.
• Blind people use readers to visit a site. A reader reads aloud the text on the page. Flash has no text, so the reader sees none of its content, and the blind visitor won't have access to that content.
• People with limited sight cannot increase the text size to make it legible.

Source http://flashsucks.org

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