"A common assumption on the part of some designers is to add in all the latest technologies without any thought at all on whether or not people have a browser to view the masterpiece.

Active X is a good example.

A flash site in Active X.. requires either a plug-in or IE 3.x. ..

Can you afford to write off 70% of NZ Internet users who don't use Explorer or plug-ins?

The same applies to embedded video, audio and other leading-edge technologies.

On the other hand, for a company that specialises in multimedia or one that targets power Internet users, the flash sites might be entirely appropriate.

It boils down to understanding your user base."