is flash appropriate for navigation?

[monkeybrainz]

I've been having a debate with my Jacob Neilson worshipping boss. he tells me that flash should never ever be used in the main navigation of a site. I can see his point that it lowers the risk of someone not being able to see content, but I think if you know your target audience and have a set minimum browser requirement to use your site it is possible to integrate flash into a site's navigation (or use flash for navigation for that matter) using careful scripting.

Any thoughts? especially from the guys that have been at this the longest?

[Jesse]

You must design your site with a demographic in mind. Then, knowing your demographic you can decide whether or not they're likely to meet your minimum requirements. Windows XP for instance wont go below 800x600. While I wouldnt' design a site which didn't work at 800x600, I also don't make allowances for people running at 640x480, especially if I'm making a comercial site. The truth is that people running a system without Flash 4 installed, on 640x480 aren't the demographic for most commercial sites; in terms of avilable capital to spend.
Most large institutions (take my University for example) run at least IE4 which comes with Flash 4. Increasingly, large sites like Microsoft, CNet and others which have massive audiences are using Flash and not allowing for those without. It's a web trend. Tell your boss to get with it

[monkeybrainz]

so i says to him " You wouldn't understand boss, you're not "with it".

and he says:

"I used to be with it, but then they changed what "it" was, now what I'm with isn't it. And whats "it" seems weird and scary to me." (unquote)

[Jesse]

Hehe. That sounds like a quote from a film.. but I don't know which

[monkeybrainz]

ahh the poetry and wisdom of the simpsons are timeless

[Jesse]

Ah but of course. For my punishment I shall write "I shall watch more Simpsons" on the board, 100 times