We Need Good SMIL Software!
So what does Flash have that SMIL does not? And why hasn't SMIL claimed its rightful Web multimedia throne? It is all about content creation software. Flash has it. SMIL lacks it.

SMIL has and still continues to be a creation of Web engineers. I do not want to slam Web engineers. They are the people that provide the foundation upon which all that we do is built. But for SMIL to survive and thrive, it desperately needs Web designers. The structure is built, now it needs artists to paint it.

Designers do not think like engineers. They hate the cold and sterile authoring packages that engineers find understandable and reassuring. Designers think the Internet is run by Photoshop, Dreamweaver, and Microsoft NT. If it isn't point and click, they aren't doing it. Macromedia Flash is understandable and growing more polished with every release. In comparison, most SMIL authoring tools are buggy and look they are used to run a sewage treatment plant. The only bright spot on the horizon has been RealNetworks' RealSlideshow, an intuitive streaming image tool that is designer friendly.

There is one other important factor for designers. Creative people use Macintosh. To that statement, I usually hear groans. You can argue with me until you are blue in the face. But take a step into most hard core design shops and they are hard core Mac users. Engineers gravitate toward the PC. Designers typically prefer Macintosh. With the rebirth of Apple under Steve Jobs, that trend is only going to grow. Flash is cross platform. Most SMIL tools are Windows only.

So what does SMIL need to survive? People creating compelling content. What do those people need? Intuitive tools to author with.

The Web is quickly becoming a multimedia universe. With the right tools in the right hands, SMIL will be there to help start that revolution. Without the right tools, SMIL will become a footnote in Internet history.