Not to mention with swf-to-exe tools like Zinc, I could create portable and lightweight desktop applications without fighting with compilers and build steps. 20

Not to mention with swf-to-exe tools like Zinc, I could create portable and lightweight desktop applications without fighting with compilers and build steps. 20 years ago I built a fairly sophisticated program to allow users to load, view, and manipulate 3D objects. Took me a week and I can still run it today. I supposed I could do the same now with JS libraries and Electron, but it's just not the same. We indeed lost something valuable.