What % of browsers are Flash enabled?

[Kieran Seymour]

(e-mail address removed) says...
The problem with Flash is that so many people have used
is badly in the past. Flash is an awesome tool that is just
as accessible as any other web based medium if done right.

A good guess for you is that the same crowd that turns off
Javascript will turn off flash.

Probably a fair assumption.

Then you have the awkward brigade like myself who have Javascript
enabled because it can be useful, but stop Flash files from playing
automatically because they have a nasty habit of making my PC grind to a
halt - Flash adverts being the main offenders...

All courtesy of an extension for the rather lovely Firefox

Kieran
____________________________________________________
The UK Sci-Fi TV Book Guide
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/john.seymour1/ukbookguide/
A comprehensive guide to 50 years of novelisations and script
books from the UK and US.

 

[Stephen Goodman]

And if you fork out the criminal prices to Macromedia to work in it, of
course. And the over-$100 upgrades to the product every 3 months or so. If
Macromedia was honest about their vague claims that Flash is some kind of
open platform there'd be more independent development for it.

 

[SpaceGirl]

And if you fork out the criminal prices to Macromedia to work in it, of
course. And the over-$100 upgrades to the product every 3 months or so. If
Macromedia was honest about their vague claims that Flash is some kind of
open platform there'd be more independent development for it.

Once a year... Macromedia release upgrades once every 12-18 months
The last update was well worth it. The same cant be said of Adobe, or MS...


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x theSpaceGirl (miranda)

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# remove NO SPAM to email, or use form on website #

 

[Stephen Goodman]

Once a year... Macromedia release upgrades once every 12-18 months
The last update was well worth it. The same cant be said of Adobe, or

MS...

Pah.

MX Plus to MX 2004? Bug fixes as new releases? Puleeze. At least MS
releases free bug fixes.

 

[SpaceGirl]

Pah.

MX Plus to MX 2004? Bug fixes as new releases? Puleeze. At least MS
releases free bug fixes.

MX 'plus' ? what was that?

I upgraded from MX to "MX 2004 Pro" (along with DW 2004). It was well
worth it.

There are bug fixes for Macromedia products released from time to time
for free too (example, using DW 7.01, which was a free patch). There
were masses of improvements in MX 2004... hard pushed to name one thats
useful in Office 2003, for example.

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x theSpaceGirl (miranda)

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[Uncle Pirate]

Friend of a friend....I wouldnt take it as gospel necessarily. I was hoping
someone could corroborate it or refute it.




Yes, exactly. The criticism was at my friend who "designed" an entire site
in Flash (and big Flash files too) with no consideration for things like
SEO, bandwidth, browser capabilities, etc. No insult was intended at Flash
nor professional Flash designers.

Deryck.

I don't even have the flash plugin installed. Why would anyone want to
download and install something so they can watch advertisements or some
horrid site like the one described above? I don't need ANY stinking
plugins. If it can't work just in the browser, I figure I don't need
it. And yes, I'm one of those that has javascript, java, and pop-ups
all turned off too. Except in IE which I only use to go to specific
sites where I need all of my security options off. I then run spybot,
ad-aware, and Bazooka to see if any junk was left behind.

--
Stan McCann "Uncle Pirate"
Webmaster/Computer Center Manager, NMSU at Alamogordo
Cooordinator, Tularosa Basin Chapter, ABATE of NM AMA#758681
'94 1500 Vulcan (now wrecked) http://surecann.com/Dcp_2068c.jpg
A zest for living must include a willingness to die. - R.A. Heinlein

 

[Stephen Goodman]

MX 'plus' ? what was that?

Just one of a collection of bug fixes from Macromedia presented as a new
release.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00008JON0/002-6541849-0332068

I upgraded from MX to "MX 2004 Pro" (along with DW 2004). It was well
worth it.

There are bug fixes for Macromedia products released from time to time
for free too (example, using DW 7.01, which was a free patch). There
were masses of improvements in MX 2004... hard pushed to name one thats
useful in Office 2003, for example.

And how much time did you spend online downloading 7.01? Time is also
money. IBM tried to get PC users to adhere to the old flim-flam known as a
"maintenance contract" on software. It didn't work for them either.

I didn't say 'free upgrade', a term not familiar to Macromedia. They've got
to be threatened with legalese just to comply with the time-honored "90 days
after purchase" rule.

Can you name an added feature - i.e. not a bug fix - in Macromedia products
that doesn't also make it necessary for ones' browsing users to also
upgrade? That's not an upgrade. It's a method of forcing end users to
become more entrenched and dependent. Perhaps someone will also come up
with an automated way of de-bloating the code DW spits out as well.

 

[Toby Inkster]

The problem with Flash is that so many people have used is badly in
the past. Flash is an awesome tool that is just as accessible as any
other web based medium if done right.

The problem with Flash is that 95% of the Flash files I encounter are ads.

I end up surfing with Flash (indeed all plugins) disabled most of the time
(but Javascript and cookies are usually on).

 

[Jeff Thies]

Does anyone know how many browsers are Flash enabled? Is there a resource

Check macromedia. They have statistics on it.

But you can assume ALL flavors of IE have it because it is installed
and turned on by default (so that is about 85% of your visitors give
the 15% that dont use javascript probably don't use use flash either)

Well I'm running a fresh copy of IE6 and there's no flash. Probably
because of my ActiveX security settings.

Jeff

 

[Kris]

ISTR that it's about 92%. (Remember: shutting out 8% of your audience is
equivalent to powering down your web server for the whole of August!)

Not at all! It's a natural elimination of... unwanted customers.[/QUOTE]

If you sell books about JavaScript, perhaps.

 

[SpaceGirl]

And how much time did you spend online downloading 7.01? Time is also
money. IBM tried to get PC users to adhere to the old flim-flam known as a
"maintenance contract" on software. It didn't work for them either.

Er... seconds... Perhaps you should get broadband. It's quite nice you know.

I didn't say 'free upgrade', a term not familiar to Macromedia. They've got
to be threatened with legalese just to comply with the time-honored "90 days
after purchase" rule.
*shrugs*

Can you name an added feature - i.e. not a bug fix - in Macromedia products
that doesn't also make it necessary for ones' browsing users to also
upgrade? That's not an upgrade. It's a method of forcing end users to
become more entrenched and dependent. Perhaps someone will also come up
with an automated way of de-bloating the code DW spits out as well.

Sounds like a bad workman blaming his tools to me. DW generates perfect
code if you know how to code in the first place. Saves a LOT of time.
But if you struggle writing pages in the first place, you're in the
wrong job...




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x theSpaceGirl (miranda)

# lead designer @ http://www.dhnewmedia.com #
# remove NO SPAM to email, or use form on website #

 

[Neal]

Er... seconds... Perhaps you should get broadband. It's quite nice you
know.

I'd love it. Can you run some cable to my house?

 

[Matthew Superstar Swass]

Depends on your demographic.

If you are a band website that has 16yo boys visiting, assume 98% have Flash
installed and of those that don't many will install it just to look at the site
if they are a big enough fan.

If you are a cooking site for mature women, it's anyone's guess as to the %
there.

 

[SpaceGirl]

Depends on your demographic.

If you are a band website that has 16yo boys visiting, assume 98% have Flash
installed and of those that don't many will install it just to look at the site
if they are a big enough fan.

If you are a cooking site for mature women, it's anyone's guess as to the %
there.

As a designer who works almost exclusively with trendy brands and band
web sites, this is VERY true. I'd say that virtually 100% of certain
markets can be said to have flash and js enabled, and they are also FAR
more likely to be broadband as well.

This, however, does not give us excuses for doing fat sites only
accessibly through one particular medium - that just leads to lazyness,
and smacks of shortsightedness too. Trendy internet markets are just as
fickle as other offline markets, and liable to change very quickly. With
Microsoft getting smacked every-which-way over security with IE, in the
space of one year we've seen a (relatively) massive drop in market share
with users switching wholesale to other browsers, and it's only going to
accelerate. With so many converging platforms (games consoles that are
web aware, cellphones that are web browsers and games machines, video
recorders that record onto DVD/hard disk and use a Flash based front
end... etc etc) the days of people with slow connections on
low-media-enabled PCs sat in a lonely room at home are numbered - but I
cant claim to know what direction this will go any more than the next
person. Tomorrow, Flash might be dead meat and we'll be onto the next thing.

Hm that turned into a mini rant, sorry

Time for bed!

x

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x theSpaceGirl (miranda)

# lead designer @ http://www.dhnewmedia.com #
# remove NO SPAM to email, or use form on website #

 

[Webcastmaker]

And if you fork out the criminal prices to Macromedia to work in it, of
course. And the over-$100 upgrades to the product every 3 months or so. If
Macromedia was honest about their vague claims that Flash is some kind of
open platform there'd be more independent development for it.

Uh oh, someone sound the no clue alert!

SWF format is 100% free public domain to create and use how ever you
like. If you want to build an application that creates SWF files
then you are free to do so, Macromedia will even supply you with the
tools needed to build such an application.

For proof of your ignorance, google "create SWF file tools"

See if Flash were as bad as you say, then you could use facts rather
than resorting to lies and inaccuracies to try to prove your point.

 

[Webcastmaker]

MS...
MX Plus to MX 2004? Bug fixes as new releases? Puleeze. At least MS
releases free bug fixes.

One word. Classes. That makes the upgrade worth every penny.

 

[Webcastmaker]

Sounds like a bad workman blaming his tools to me. DW generates perfect
code if you know how to code in the first place. Saves a LOT of time.
But if you struggle writing pages in the first place, you're in the
wrong job...

No kidding...

 

[Webcastmaker]

The problem with Flash is that 95% of the Flash files I encounter are ads.

I completely agree with you (did I say that?) Flash has been abused
for years. My life quest is to make developers use it correctly (ok,
maybe not my life quest)

I end up surfing with Flash (indeed all plugins) disabled most of the time
(but Javascript and cookies are usually on).

I just click the damn things shut.

 

[Webcastmaker]

Well I'm running a fresh copy of IE6 and there's no flash. Probably
because of my ActiveX security settings.

Yep, probably right.

 

[Webcastmaker]

As a designer who works almost exclusively with trendy brands and band
web sites, this is VERY true. I'd say that virtually 100% of certain
markets can be said to have flash and js enabled, and they are also FAR
more likely to be broadband as well.

Man, I get reamed when I say that.....

This, however...

<rant snipped>

I agree with your rant (kinda)