Flex or Ajax?
6th September 2006
I started a new project recently. Before starting development work I spent quite some time considering whether to use Flex 2.0 or Ajax in the project. It was a tricky decision, partly because I wanted to use Flex, but I eventually decided to use Ajax.
The front-end for the site is fairly simple (the back-end is another matter). Although it is, in essence, an application I want it to feel like a web site (but a very responsive and helpful one). So I’ll build the site in HTML with a number of Ajax features thrown in and fallbacks for non-javascript browsers. If all goes to plan, users will get the impression of a very modern, easy to use website, not an application. In addition, it should be easier to get the search engines to take note, and with the current low penetration of Flash Player 9 it should be easier to get users to use the site.
None of this is to denigrate Flex 2. I wanted to use Flex 2 for the site because I’ve been playing around with it, I think it’s really great and I’d like to do a real project with. I just think Ajax is more suited to this project.
My impression is that, barring concerns about low penetration of Flash Player 9 for the next few months, Flex is certainly better suited to web-hosted applications. Also, if I was building applications for use on an intranet I’d have no hesitation - roll out Flash 9 to all users desktops and get on with it. Ironically this is one area where Flex will probably take a long time to get any significant levels of use but an area to which it seems to me most obviously suited.
Ajax, on the other hand, is great for adding dynamic features to web sites and may replace flash in this regard in some of my future work. But I’d be reluctant to use Ajax as the underlying technology for a full web-based application.
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