Re: SWF (Adobe Flash) support
On Wed, 18 May 2011 14:46:33 -0400, Gilbert Sullivan wrote:
> On 05/18/2011 09:17 AM, Camaleón wrote:
>> But it's not only video, there are many sites that are completely
>> rendered and rely on a specific version of the player and you are
>> completely out of luck if you're using a flash version that does not
>> match the site requirements.
>
> Yep. I'm particularly nasty when I write to the folks who maintain sites
> that require Adobe flash for navigation. Requiring a
> security-hole-ridden piece of proprietary software to be installed on
> the client's system just for navigation is not acceptable. I gave what
> for to the folks who managed a Blue Cross (health insurance) Web site a
> couple of years ago. To my surprise, they fixed the problem! I have to
> admit, though, that most such folks don't even bother to respond.
:-)
I've been working as a web developer and I fully agree with you that is
is not an acceptable policy. If someone wants to develop a crapped web
site full of fading windows that come in and come out in front of the
user, good, but you also have to provide a fallback site to the users
that cannot even load the main page.
We used to have a flash animation on our site that, as soon as I had the
time to perform the changes, has been replaced by a combo of css+dom
+javascript, fully rendered with just the browser.
> I simply won't do business with such folks over their Web sites. I'm
> willing to put up with the inanity of automated phone systems and the
> slowness of mail when dealing with them in order to avoid their Internet
> sites. I'm sure I'm inconveniencing myself more than I'm inconveniencing
> them, but I don't care. I just refuse to install and use the junkware on
> any system that I maintain. It's not a religious thing. I'm just
> stubborn.
I wish I can do that way.
Look, I recently had to buy a ticket for a fly with an airline company
that presented the timetable using some kind of flash animation. Yes, I
could have placed a phone call and buy the tickets in the "old way" but I
was told to do it online so we can send the tickets to the passenger via
e-mail. I'm using lenny, and if I had used the gnash plugin the passenger
could have been finished in another country completely at the opposite to
the desired destination :-)
> Obviously, I know lots of folks who use it all. I don't chide them about
> it, but they do get an earful if they ask my avoidance of it. This has
> actually turned out to be an easy way for me to avoid feeling obligated
> to help people who ask me for help configuring and maintaining their
> systems. If I explain that I won't help them maintain systems running
> proprietary software (I'll make an exception for firmware, sometimes.)
Ahh, true. Nowadays we cannot completely avoid using some closed source
programs/firmwares/drivers ;-(
> they usually shrug their shoulders and ask someone else -- which is just
> peach with me.
>
> ;-)
Well played by you.
> Did I mention that I'm a bit of a curmudgeon?
It's the only way to survive in the jungle :-)
Greetings,
--
Camaleón
Reply to: