Flash really was something special. We created all kinds of training content in it (all of which was completely replaced with static text and images after all of our customers adopted iPads for doing associate training -
Which where it still is today, extremely boring). We all these animated characters, with their own backstories and personalities, that each had their own professional voice talent. Associates in Asia especially loved them. Another project was for people who repaired printers. All the printers this company produced were 3d models inside of flash that could be rotated on any access and disassembled to the smallest screw. A tech could choose something to repair and it would show them step by step how to do the repair. They could rotate/zoom the printer however they wanted to see the current step playing out. Neither video nor static text/images are a good replacement.
The best thing was, everything was vector graphics, so the file sizes were minuscule.
I think the point that gets missed with the power of today's devices is how much could be delivered on device, and going to text was a step backwards in some ways, when flash might have delivered text in a more interactive or engaging way.
How accessible was that training content for disabled people, particularly blind people with screen readers? Or was it about tasks that are inherently visual? Plain text is better in some ways.
now that is the real flaw of flash, and the most overlooked bit.
all the while people (and adobe) were making login pages and security within flash (which is insane, you don't use an animation tool for those!) they should have focused on accessibility. Adobe promised the world when they bought macromedia and instead did nothing.
The best thing was, everything was vector graphics, so the file sizes were minuscule.