An industry flashback.(Editorial)

This past summer I visited Walt Disney World, and was amused by my nine-year-old's reaction to the Carousel of Progress in the Magic Kingdom. Created for the 1964--1965 New York World's Fair, the attraction highlights the journey of an American family, in 20-year increments, as it experiences technological transformations throughout the 20th century. My son was shocked to learn there was a time when the family was entertained by listening to a show on a radio, rather than watching it on a high-def TV. He was even more surprised to discover that video games, DVD players, and PCs are relatively new staples of the American home.

We only have to step back in time a mere 10 years to notice how computer graphics technology has evolved into a relative standard in our lives. A decade ago, Toy Story introduced us to the first full-length animated feature film created entirely by artists using proprietary computer tools and technology, while the merger of Wavefront Technologies, Alias Research, and Silicon Graphics led to the development of Maya, a commercially available advanced tool set for the creation of digital content. Also, Quake and other 3D games began to emerge, and PCs were beginning to flex their power within the professional graphics community. Meanwhile, the Internet was expanding by leaps and bounds, and with that came the early growth of graphics on the Web.

This month Adobe is celebrating the 10th anniversary of Flash, which has evolved from a simple Web animation tool to a broad and robust platform for delivering rich media content and applications. Introduced as FutureSplash Animator in 1996, the product was swiftly purchased by Macromedia and re-branded with its current name. Originally designed for vector illustration and animation, Flash continued to evolve, and in 1999, Flash 4 included a scripting model for development of dynamic, interactive content--one of the most vital aspects of the technology today.

No doubt many of us can recall when ...