Flash or Flush?

Here I am going to get into a lot of trouble 'speaking' my mind. Yes, I think Macromedia's Flash is a great product. I think it's cool even but really, do you ever visit a page on the web just for the fancy animations (that, mind you, might take ages to download)?

I DON'T think so!

Yes, I am ALWAYS impressed by a great FLASH 'movie' when I come across it but I cannot remember one site that I have returned to, since. My interest on the web (always) is content, content, content!

Let me ask you this question, think of the 5 sites that you regularly visit and I can be almost certain none of them use Flash at all!

I know Microsoft doesn't, all the sites that 'teach' me everything about computers and software don't (and including even the ones on FLASH itself), not one web based email provider (that I know) such as Hotmail, uses it (Thank GOD!) and these are sites that we all use nearly daily!

By the way, the only way web sites make money or gain anything from being on the WWW is the number of people visiting the pages or hits (NOT how impressed one is, viewing your pages!).

The only people who will enjoy using a Macromedia's Flash 'movie' as an intro to their website or page are the designers who mistakenly assume that viewers will be so enthralled by their fine work and return for more of, actually the 'same' thing...

Heck, even I designed a few myself before coming to my senses... Just give me a well laid out, easy (on the eye) to read page with minimum graphics so that I can find the information that I am really looking for! ... and that is already hard enough to do in the first place!

So if you can't make up your mind about what to learn next to upgrade your web page building skills, e.g. Flash or PHP; you know what I will suggest.