Flash and Fireworks-worth getting? hard to use?

[Martin Courtois]

When I talk to my colleages who want to develop web-based tutorials, it's
enabling the user to interact with the material being taught that's the
big thing. The example that Scott mentions has pop-up text, text that
moves across the screen, and buttons that twirl, but the only interaction
required is to click on the "Forward" button to move on to the next page.

I realize this is a work in progress and interactive elements may still be
under development.  Do Flash and Fireworks have the potential to
develop true interaction, such as seen in Xiaodong Li's excellent 
"Landview III Tutorial" (http://library.tamu.edu/hss/landview/)?

Thanks,

Marty

***********************************************************
Martin Courtois
Electrical Engineering/Computer Science Reference Librarian
Gelman Library
George Washington University
2130 H St., N.W.
Washington DC 20052
Phone: (202) 994-0684
FAX: (202) 994-1340
E-mail: courtois at gwu.edu

On Mon, 2 Aug 1999, d scott brandt wrote:

snip
> 
> While I agree with most of what Dowling said regarding the use (or misuse)
> of software like Flash in attempts to simply make sites more attractive or
> "trendy" looking, I wouldn't agree that "Animation is an express route to
> user annoyance." Simple animation, maybe. But not animation which does
> have a purpose. (His point, I take it, is that most doesn't.)
> 
> Check out: http://www.lib.purdue.edu/~techman/ovidprn.swf   While
> this is just a piece of a work in progress, it does demonstrate some of
> the potential of Flash for use in things like tutorials. (BTW, the Flash
> Lessons tutorial which comes with the product focuses on using it
> primarily for drawing, but I think the interactivity and animation are
> much more likely to be readily usable.) 
snip
> 
> D. Scott Brandt				  Technology Training Librarian
> Associate Professor		 	    Purdue University Libraries
> <techman at purdue.edu>	            <http://www.lib.purdue.edu/~techman>	
> 
> 
> 
>