As a long time js developer (started hacking serious js on the Mozilla XPFE in 2001) I'll defend flash for the platform consistency and for providing an initial

As a long time js developer (started hacking serious js on the Mozilla XPFE in 2001) I'll defend flash for the platform consistency and for providing an initial direction for the WHATWG efforts. I'll also note that Flex is more polished as a platform than anything available in the DOM world. The closest competitors in the thick client space are SproutCore and YUI3, neither of which has a great selection of widgets. Not that I'd start a new project in Flash/Flex, but let's be realistic here.