I’ve been writing about the Flash vs. HTML5 debate for awhile as it pertains to MLS systems and a post by Discover MLS caught my attention. Currently their is only one Flash based MLS system, Discover MLS. The big guys (LPS and Corelogic’s Marketlinx) have also bet on Flash for their next generation MLS systems, reinsight and Fusion respectively.
Last year Rapattoni made a decision to abandon plans to port their MLS to Microsoft’s Silverlight platform (Microsoft’s version of Flash). In a recent blog post Discover MLS’s Bret Wiener announced:
“We’re very anxious to watch the evolution of browser support for HTML5, and we’re equally anxious to watch the evolution of Flash support on mobile devices. As the future unfolds, Discover is committed to leveraging the relative strengths of both and offering the best applications we can, using the best technologies of the day.”
Bret makes it clear that they are not giving up on Flash and they still believe it is the best solution. He highlights issues with HTML5 but concedes that Apple’s iOS is something that is not going away and will probably not implement Flash anytime soon.
I would say that the question is not whether Apple will ever implement Flash but
whether Adobe will ever be able to deliver a Flash solution that works well on mobile devices and doesn’t drain your battery like a vacuum hose.
Only time will tell if LPS and CoreLogic will reach the same conclusion. ReInsight and Fusion were announced many many months ago. So far no signs of the what Bret touts as the “fast paced development” process of Flash based apps for either MLS system.
Meanwhile as LPS and CoreLogic spend hundred of thousands of dollars porting building a new MLS system in Flash and Discover works to perfect its HTML5 solution; companies like FBS are brewing up some really innovative stuff (WordPress plugin and an evolving API) and Rapattoni has shored up their MLS system to work on all browsers (including the iPad).
I wish good luck the guys at Discover MLS and look forward to seeing how this all shakes out.