Flash is a software program by Macromedia, the industry leader in web development applications whose titles also include Dreamweaver, Fireworks and ColdFusion. Flash is generally considered to be an animation program, but it has evolved into a powerful tool integrating text, audio, and graphics to create media rich movies, interactive applications and streaming video.

Flash is the world’s most pervasive software platform, used by over one million professionals and reaching more than 97% of Internet-enabled desktops worldwide, as well as a wide range of devices.*

Flash movies - Flash's use of vector graphics provide clean and scalable text and images. This allows smooth and seamless animated effects with brilliant quality. Rich, layered content incorporating photographic elements, text and sound can give your web site that extra edge over the competition. Get more content to your visitors faster, with more excitement!

Interactivity - Flash's ActionScripting is a powerful programming tool that is integral to Flash's performance. With ActionScripting, we can build interactive movies, allowing user input to control various aspects of the movie. Visitors can play, rewind or skip to various parts of the movie, finding the content they want when they need it. Forget those other "slide show" programs. Flash delivers more flexibility and richer content than ever imagined.

Streaming Video - Flash is bringing true streaming video to 97% of Internet-enabled desktops worldwide. No more loading three different plug-ins to watch the many types of video formats out there. No more waiting for downloads before you can watch a movie clip. Flash delivers video within the Flash movie, starting playback before the movie finishes downloading so you get content right away. Not only that, but video becomes part of the movie itself and is therefore subject to all of the effects that Flash is capable of!

*Source: Macromedia.com