4 Reasons to Learn Adobe Flash ActionScript 3.0

Flash has been changing the face of the web since its inception. It is true that the platform has had its criticisms over the years-but unlike many web technologies, it is adapting and improving with time. Flash seems to be on the rise now more than ever, and here are some reasons you should get involved with the latest incarnation of its scripting language, ActionScript 3.0.

1) Longevity

The latest version of Flash-the recently released CS4-still uses ActionScript 3.0 as its primary language of choice. Essentially, this means that AS3 will be around for a long time to come. And even once version 4 inevitably sees the light of day, you can be sure there will be plenty of overlap.

2) Indexing

For the majority of its existence, one of the main criticisms of the .SWF files created by Flash developers was that they could not be properly crawled by search engine spiders. But thanks to innovations by Google in 2008, Flash can now be indexed like never before. That means more people will be able to stumble across Flash content, making developers even more sought-after.

3) Demand

These days, browsing to almost any full-featured, interactive site will lead you to Flash content. YouTube, which is easily one of the most popular websites in the world, is reliant on Flash to display its videos. Flash has penetrated the web to such an extent that it will not be dislodged anytime remotely soon; which means it is a trusty skill to have in your arsenal.

4) Fun

It is so rewarding the first time everything just clicks and you have even a semi-professional Flash application going. Creativity definitely comes into play just as often as the core knowledge of ActionScript. So go find some tutorials and get yourself started with Flash today.