Especially on 1995 technology, that mattered. Compiling Java took a while. I didn't use Flash enough to retain an impression of speed, but it sure wasn't instantaneous.
It's also the reason why Flash was so prevalent until recently and is still installed in 90-something % of desktop computers: it's faster. Significantly faster, and very specially so in the 90s and early 2000s.
Javascript just required that you click refresh.
Especially on 1995 technology, that mattered. Compiling Java took a while. I didn't use Flash enough to retain an impression of speed, but it sure wasn't instantaneous.