After reading yet another 'nail in the Flash coffin' article yesterday (this time about YouTube switching to HTML5 by default) I started wondering if we, as Flash developers, would be better off with the Flash (the development platform) changing name. The reason is simple: Public opinion of "Flash" as a brand is extremely low because the average internet user doesn't distinguish between Flash, the browser plugin (which is quite unpopular and probably on its way out) and Flash, the development platform (which the public has no real opinion of and which we probably all agree is a great tool).
As a Flash developer, the fact that my development platform is associated with the unpopular browser plugin hurts me a lot. Client shy away from hiring me when they learn that I develop in Flash Pro because of the stigma attached to the similarly named Flash player, and most of them are still surprised to learn that Flash can even be used to create mobile apps for iOS. "But I thought Apple prohibited the use of Flash on their devices?" This is a now five year old misconception which stems from the public's idea that the web player == the development platform.
I feel that if Flash Pro / Flash Builder / the other tools that are part of the development platform were to change name, we'd be given a clean slate for building a new reputation as developers. Telling clients that I develop in Blush (as a random example) would at least allow me to present the advantages of my platform from scratch rather from pre-existing and wrong conceptions.
Thoughts on this?