[Turing_Machine]

Flash and Java also required a compile.

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.

[muyuu]

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.