It never ceases to amaze me how many websites are, as Shakespeare put it, "full of Sound and Fury, signifying nothing." Although, more aptly it would be: "full of 'Flash' and signifying nothing."
The point of the web is to communicate information. Reliably, quickly and without fanfare. Anyone interested in Web Publishing, or involved in any way with the creation of web sites, should read Philip Greenspun's book, Philip and Alex's Guide to Web Publishing. It's poignant, and very funny. He notes that the web is all about online communities. About learning, and teaching others what you've learned. The vast majority of websites miss that point.
All the fancy glitz and use of Flash and other eye-candy is fine if you want to be the online equivalent of David Copperfield. But if you want to educate and inform, then all that stuff is useless baggage. Yahoo is clean and useable. Google is indispensible. The stage magic behind those sites is hidden, and the utility is not conveyed with a laser light show. It just works the way it is supposed to. God, I love that....
