From Flash to SVG: A Web Developer's Journey
I'm Botrous Kerolos, a web designer and developer specializing in interactive maps for WordPress. I've been building map-based web experiences since 2009 — starting in an era most modern developers never touched: hand-coding SWF interactive maps in Macromedia Flash, drawing hit areas region by region, with no APIs, no JavaScript frameworks, and no mobile responsiveness to worry about because mobile barely existed yet.
When Apple dropped Flash support in 2010 and the web began its long migration to open standards, I rebuilt my entire approach from the ground up — moving from Flash's proprietary vector format to SVG, and from ActionScript to JavaScript. That transition shaped how I think about mapping tools today: lightweight, standards-based, and free of vendor lock-in.
What I Do
I'm the founder and lead developer of WP Map Plugins, where I design and build self-hosted, SVG-based interactive map plugins for WordPress. One of my first WordPress plugins, Interactive US Map, launched on CodeCanyon in 2015 and has since been used on 4,000+ websites worldwide — from small local business sites to real estate portfolios, travel blogs, non-profits, and educational platforms.
My focus has always been narrow and deliberate: interactive maps that are fast, accessible, and don't depend on a third-party API or a recurring bill to keep working.
Experience and Expertise
- 15+ years building interactive web maps, from Flash/SWF through modern SVG and JavaScript.
- Founder and lead developer of WP Map Plugins, with 9,000+ customers since 2015.
- Individually designed and built map plugins covering world maps, continent maps, and all 50 US states.
- Regular contributor to the WP Map Plugins blog on WordPress performance, accessibility, and web map design.
What Early Customers Say
Reviews via CodeCanyon