Difference Between Flash & Shockwave
Both Flash and Shockwave are multimedia players from Adobe. Many people confuse the two, going so far as to refer to them collectively as "Shockwave Flash", but they are distinct programs and offer different features. Depending on you needs, each offers its own strengths and weaknesses.
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Distribution
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Both Flash and Shockwave are widely distributed, but Flash is more so. The file size is smaller, and the program does not require the expertise to master that Shockwave does.
Authoring programs
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Flash can be created with many authoring tools. Among those are Adobe Flash, FreeHand, Generator and others. Shockwave, on the other hand, can only be created using Adobe Director. Some technical knowledge is required to master the scripting language used for Shockwave, but it offers deeper features than Flash and can even integrate Flash.
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File formats
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Flash saves as a .SWF file, which is accepted by many programs and allows Flash to be used with different tools. The file format for Shockwave is .DCR, the file format of Adobe Director.
Content delivery
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Flash was designed with the Internet in mind and has content optimized for web delivery. Conversely, Shockwave is an older format and has traditionally been developed for CD-ROM. While newer versions include web authoring tools, more work has to be put into a Shockwave file to make it Internet-ready.
Cost
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While both Flash and Shockwave offer free downloadable plug-ins, the cost of the software differs greatly. Flash retails for $299; Shockwave has a sticker price of $999. That $700 difference can be huge for small developers and gives Flash an advantage.
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