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Adobe Improving Flash Web Search Support

by , 7:55 AM EDT, July 2nd, 2008

Flash-based content has historically been difficult for Web-based search engines to index, but Adobe is hoping to change that by working with Yahoo! and Google to make it easier for engines to sort through dynamically created Flash-based content.

Adobe's move should ultimately make it easier for end users to find more content online, and Flash-based Web site and rich Internet application developers will potentially find their content in front of a wider audience.

David Wadhwani, general manager and vice president of the Platform Business Unit at Adobe, commented "We are initially working with Google and Yahoo! to significantly improve search of this rich content on the Web, and we intend to broaden the availability of this capability to benefit all content publishers, developers and end users."

Since the necessary changes to make Flash content more searchable will happen on Yahoo! and Google's end, developers won't need to make any changes to their Web sites or rich Internet applications.

While the team-up may be good news for developers and most Web surfers, it does have a downside: Now there is one less barrier keeping bad designers from creating poorly thought out Flash-based Web sites.

Observer Comments

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Close Name:Guest
Wed Jul 02, 2008 10:58 am Subject: Adobe Support

If only they could improve their customer service, then that would really be progress!


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Close Name:Guest
Wed Jul 02, 2008 11:00 am Subject: Adobe Support

If only they could improve their customer service, then that would really be progress!


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Close Name:amblin Posts: 1 Joined: 02 Jul 2008
Wed Jul 02, 2008 11:02 am Subject: Adobe Support

If only they could improve their customer service, then that would really be progress!


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Close Name:Burnum -   TMO Staff Posts: 801 Joined: 17 Jun 2001
Wed Jul 02, 2008 11:10 am Subject:

I think Gruber had a valid concern, that this technology isn't open to all search engines, just Yahoo & Google. I bet the folks at Ask.com are steaming.


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Close Name:Sir Harry Flashman Posts: 792 Joined: 08 Feb 2007
Wed Jul 02, 2008 11:16 am Subject: Oh my God! why!

Why in the hell would you want to find Flash content? Well maybe so a search engine could flag a return that the site contains Flash, then we could avoid the page.


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Close Name:Guest
Wed Jul 02, 2008 1:04 pm Subject: Uneducated...

Possibly some early abuse of Flash technology, and even lack of maturity as far as the language is concerned caused people to shy away.

But after several years, they have seriously matured into some very powerful technologies.

Flex (MXML and AS3) is by far the most advanced language available in the world today. Don't reply unless you've used it and understand its key features. Up until now, Objective-C 2.0 was the top seater, but this was easily trumped by Flex.

With the creation of Flex, Java is no longer the power player. If you haven't looked into Flex, then you most definitely need to. It is a 100% OO language that integrates nearly 100% with a highly advanced markup language for interface design. MXML is not just for design either, it is a full language in itself.


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Close Name:Sir Harry Flashman Posts: 792 Joined: 08 Feb 2007
Wed Jul 02, 2008 1:34 pm Subject: Good points!

SKIP INTRO

It isn't so much Flash that is the problem, as it is the designers and coders who continue to abuse it. Horrid navigation schemes, unnecessary sounds that blare when the page opens or mouse over a link, white sans serif body copy on a black background.

You sound like a spokesperson for Adobe.

Quote
Guest wrote:
Possibly some early abuse of Flash technology, and even lack of maturity as far as the language is concerned caused people to shy away.

But after several years, they have seriously matured into some very powerful technologies.

Flex (MXML and AS3) is by far the most advanced language available in the world today. Don't reply unless you've used it and understand its key features. Up until now, Objective-C 2.0 was the top seater, but this was easily trumped by Flex.

With the creation of Flex, Java is no longer the power player. If you haven't looked into Flex, then you most definitely need to. It is a 100% OO language that integrates nearly 100% with a highly advanced markup language for interface design. MXML is not just for design either, it is a full language in itself.


 Reply | Quote
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