AJAX vs ActiveX / Flash for browser

Question

I have been using JavaScript for the last few years, and with the release of extremely fast scripts (V8, SquirrelFish Extrene, TraceMonkey, etc.), JavaScript has grown significantly. However, the share of using Internet Explorer combined with the lack of support for the latest standards makes me want to drop the bomb in Microsoft HQ, as it creates a huge amount of problems for any website.

The game should be quite dynamic on the client side, with animations and other items for the eyes, but not a full-fledged game, such as those that run directly on the OS using DirectX or OpenGL. However, this can be a little stretched for JavaScript and, of course, very slow in Internet Explorer (given that the current IE engine can be hundreds of times slower than SFX, I should see what IE9 will do), it would be better to just do is everything in flash? I know this means a plugin is required. And I have no experience with Flash (other than watching YouTube: P). It also means that I cannot just output directly from PHP, I would have to use XML or some other format to transfer data to it (JSON integrates directly into JS, and PHP can handle it easily).

Another idea is to provide an alternative interface only for IE, although I don’t know how (ActiveX maybe? Or with Flash, why not just provide it to all browsers) or not fully support it and require the use of other browsers, although this is pretty stupid from a business point of view.

So here I am, wondering which approach to take and thus ask for advice. How do I create a client side? AJAX in all browsers, Flash in all browsers or in a mix (AJAX for "modern" browsers and something else for "grandfather": IE).

Answer 1

I recommend the plugin platform (Flash, Silverlight or Java) over AJAX. Having a clean layer of abstraction between your game and the client browser is a big advantage. In any non-trivial AJAX game, we look forward to endless corner cases where browsers are distinguished by performance or implementation.

Personally, I find it easy for Flash to find out if you come from an AJAX experience. Flash is currently the most widely installed and tested browser plugin. However, Silverlight and Java both create momentum. In addition, the Unity engine has become a popular choice for commercial browsers.

Answer 2

I think you should not leave Java out of the equation. It is a powerful, fast language and Java applets, you can do almost anything. If you need hardware-accelerated graphics through OpenGL, JOGL can do this even in an applet.

On the other hand, this may not be right for you. But at this early stage, I think you should evaluate all your options, and since you have no experience with Flash, but sound like you have some programming experience, you can feel at home with Java.

Answer 3

I believe the current answer is a Flash game.

Alternative:

Java Applet: becoming less and less common in those days, and it is usually not installed as a plugin on many computers.

SilverLight: too new and may change and change over time. usually not installed on many computers, but Microsoft (who has a tendency to change technology every 2 years ...)

JavaScript / AJAX: still a new guy on the block, it is growing, though with many nice features, but still the lack of a good cross browser for IE, even IE8, cannot play sounds internally, even slower than others, and you don’t know where he will develop.

Ultimately, probably the best solution at the moment is the development of Flash: Cross platform. It works fast. For a long time already alive and have great support.

I hope this answer changes next year. Happy Peasach.

Answer 4

Check out Jmonkey. The plugin loads if Java is installed on your computer. After caching it, the next time the visitor goes to the page, your game loads very quickly. Check out their website for a demo and see what I mean: http://www.jmonkeyengine.com/

Oh, I forgot to say this is a 3D script of the Java engine. I just tried again and it booted into linux. Looks like they put a good job.

Do not do this with javascript in the browser. And Flash can really be a pain only because it closed the source, and you don’t know if you made a mistake or found a mistake - speaking from experience. I would never want to make another flash game again.

Answer 5

How about using RaphaelJs , it is a Javascript library that makes dinamyc images using SVG, and for IE it tries to make these images using an alternative to IE: VML. I use it myself WebGame , but I really do not do complex graphics. The most difficult thing done on RapahelJs was the heath map (20 * 20 tiles) with the dinamyc transparency slider. It works with jquery without any problems or configuration!