Flash actually started as FutureSplash, and Macromedia bought them. And then Adobe kept swallowing opposition. Really crazy times in the early 90s. I still remember alpha testing FutureSplash plugin on Firefox 0.8. Hated ActionScript, still do. Luckily I'm retired.Flash started at Macromedia through version 8.0 before the adobe buyout. I'd say it peaked around version 5 or version 6. Talk about an amazing time for creativity and UI/UX... Any brand could truly have its own unique interface. Sure there was a lot of awful, but there was a lot of amazing too. 2Advanced, Eye4U Media, Phil Brown, so many others... This was the stuff that ultimately influenced my career path starting back in High School and so much of it is long lost now...
I'm always amazed at the influence of high school. Middle School did it for me while watching Spock deal with computers. High school I finally got to touch a computer! Awesome.