Flash Platform Examination

The Flash platform is a comprehensive infrastructure of runtime clients, developer tools, and server-side technologies for designing, developing, and delivering an extensive variety of software content and applications. Crowning this platform is the worlds most ubiquitous application runtime environment - the Flash player, providing developers and end users alike the benefits of a consistent and unifying architecture across competing browsers, desktops, and mobile devices. The core strengths of the platform include multimedia, graphics, animation, and advanced text, all of which can be enhanced with sophisticated interactivity. Arguably more significant is Flashs capability related to developing and deploying second generation web-based programs with desktop style interaction, collectively known as rich internet applications. As a research tool, Flash offers a highly versatile prototyping and rapid application development environment for exploring, refining, and experimenting with novel user interface concepts. Flash applications of varying fidelity can incorporate advanced data visualizations, novel interactivity, rich animation, and numerous forms of multimedia. Being a predominant and forefront technology of the web, Flash is ideally positioned for leveraging the exploding wealth of cloud based informational services and resources available across the internet. This document examines the Flash platform from both an end-user and developer perspective, primarily within the context of a research tool for design, development, and experimentation involving defence and security information systems.