> Nobody wrote flash libraries that your JS code could use This isn't precisely true. Before widespread availability of similar HTML 5 features, Flash was used

> Nobody wrote flash libraries that your JS code could use This isn't precisely true. Before widespread availability of similar HTML 5 features, Flash was used for file upload (especially multiple files w/ progress bars), clipboard access, and pre-websockets network push. Client-side image processing, too, although you might consider that as part of the "big old <canvas>" usage. Your overall point is right on, of course.