Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with flash

How to choose client side technologies for a new web project.

Good Brain — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 13:13:04 -0800

Why shouldn't we use Flash? Why should we use AJAX (DHTML/Javascript)? Should we support IE6? I'm wrestling with these questions for a new web product, and I'd like insight from others. This is for a consumer oriented web app (as opposed to B2B). A richly interactive UI is considered essential. It may well be that Flash is the only way to achieve what is being imagined, but I personally think AJAX could provide a very satisfactory experience. We also have the question of whether to support IE6.

I think the top arguments for Flash are:

Most capable.

Single platform to target (acknowledging performance differences between OSs)

Likely highest productivity (richer development tools, better testing frameworks, not having to worry as much about multiple browser versions)

Better integration with client OS for things like drag and drop, file uploads, etc

Am I wrong about any of these?

The thing is, I think these things have been true for quite a while, and yet Google chose AJAX for Gmail and Google Maps, Yahoo for their remade mail client & Flickr, which started out being mostly Flash has now converted most of it to AJAX.

The main downside I see for Flash could be equally true for AJAX:

bookmarkability/sharability is hindered since displayed URL likely doesn't recreate the current view.

The other issues are harder for me to quantify:

Flash isn't "cool"

Flash isn't open

What else should I be thinking about? How have you made your decisions? Real numbers would be appreciated (are adobe's estimates of Flash penetration anything close to accurate?)

There is also the issue of IE6 support. Numbers aren't declining quickly enough, and it seems likely that the holdouts are computers in businesses. Our app isn't going to be "work related" for most people, but the reality is, people use such apps from work all the time. We don't want people to be unable to use our app from work. On the other hand, using Flash would help work around a lot of IE6 issues.

Customized net prank

newfers — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 23:23:00 -0800

Where can I find a list of "prank" websites that use customization to put the name of the victim somewhere within the site? My google-fu is failing me, dear mefites. A friend send me the following link earlier, using my name, and the link shows a clever video using my name as a potential presidential candidate. (I doubt you will see MY personal video, but you can easily test it out, using your own name). The resulting video is cute, particularly the end section with the tattoo... I will admit to laughing out loud!

Anyway, I was wanting to find other, similar links, which use a person's name in a fake newspaper article, or flash site, or perhaps something even more creative. I seem to remember a great flash site that used the person's name in the address, something like my.name.sillyflashsite.com.

Has anyone bookmarked anything similar, or would you please help me find others?

Help me find a flash map.

Jeff_Larson — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 22:49:09 -0800

Are there any good, preferably open source flash maps available for mapping election data on the national level (with data for each state)? I've tried this, it's very pretty but doesn't seem to be what I need. But it seems to have problems with linking labels to state names, e.g. for the smaller states it must have an option to place labels outside of the state, and have the label's background color link to the states color. It also must be updateable in real-time, have the ability to drilldown into state data using popups or zooming, and look nice with loads of design customization options etc. Basically what I'm looking for is a thing like these:

NY Times - I know they had a deal with many-eyes for this, but i can't seem to get them on the horn to get something updateable.

WAPO - at the bottom.

CNN

Any leads?

#@$%!!! Flash!!

serazin — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 21:17:21 -0800

Annoyingly specific question about a failed Flash installation on a Mac: 1. Some website told me to update flash. In retrospect, I think I already had version 9, but I went to the Adobe sight and downloaded the installer for power PC Macs anyway.
2. The installer opens fine and then gets to "Items remaining to be installed: 4" and just stops. Nothing happens from there even if left all night.
3. So I go download the UNinstaller. Downloads fine, but when I open it, my computer freezes - every time.
4. Have tried restarting computer several times.
5. Opened Terminal and put in:
cd "/Volumes/Adobe Flash Player 9/Install Flash Player 9 UB/Contents/MacOS"
It says: No such file or directory

sudo "./Install Flash Player 9 UB"
It says: command not found

6: For the hell of it, I also used Disk Utility to Repair Disk Permissions.

Computer Specs: iBook G4, Power PC, OS 10.4.8. I mostly use Firefox 2 but also have Safari and Explorer.

Flash does not work at all on my computer now, which is a problem. Any suggestions would be appreciated! I also welcome you to tell me a better forum for this question! Thank you! !!

How to prevent Flash from stealing keyboard focus in Forefox

stovenator — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 21:53:33 -0800

How can I prevent flash from stealing my keyboard focus in Firefox on Win XP? I constantly use ctrl-tab and other keyboard shortcuts to flip between tabs in Firefox, and invariably some stupid flash application will steal keyboard focus, and I must use the mouse to click somewhere to regain it. Is there an add-on or other trick I can use to never let flash take certain key combinations, and only send them to Firefox? Does Greasemonkey allow this?

Is it MySpace Voodoo?

vertigo25 — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 09:43:26 -0800

How can I pull the data from a MySpace profile to include in flash or other custom layouts? One of the coolest things about LoveMyFlash is that their layouts automagically pull the data a user has entered in to their "About Me," "Who I'd Like to Meet," interest lists, etc.

How do they do it?

Obviously they're isolating each "blurb" and pulling it in to the swf. I could do the "pulling it in to the swf" part... if I knew *where* to get the blurbs. That's the part I just can't seem to figure out.

Is there a way to make a database query directly? This seems like a big security hole... but then again it's MySpace we're talking about here...

Is there a way to go to each blurb or section as an individual HTML page? That seems like the most direct route.

Or are they using some regex voodoo in the Flash script to seek out the words "About Me" then include everything until the "Who I'd Like to Meet." This seems like it would be doable... but complicated... especially since regex is not my strong suit... nor are the black arts.

Anyone have any clues?

Flash video in portrait?

jammed — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 11:15:03 -0800

Does anyone know any flash video site that supports portrait as opposed to the traditional landscape view? I'd like portrait view as default. If there isn't a site, perhaps there is a open source player that supports this (would I need to have the flash server to stream this?). Thanks in advance.

Why isn't my Facebook embedded Flash form working?

GilloD — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 07:15:35 -0800

PHP gurus, Facebook nerds, lend me your ears: I'm having a problem with an embedded Flash object on a Facebook Page. Here's the rub: I used to be Comp Sci, I decided I hated it and swapped out to English/Philosophy. Life being what it is, I'm a marketing guy now but my above-average know how lands me in a lot of tech-y marketing things.

So, we've got a Facebook Page. And we're running a contest. The easiest way to collect submissions and control the look was with an embedded Flash form. I brewed up a quick test: Flash form goes getURL onClick, submits via POST to a PHP, PHP e-mails my account with the info.

This works like a charm when I test it here: http://asilenttreatment.org/flashtest/testform.swf

It does not work when I test it here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Test-Lab/17009933723

The embedding code for Flash in FBML is:
fb:swf
swfsrc='http://asilenttreatment.org/flashtest/testform.swf'
imgsrc='http://www.ilovepeanutbutter.com/catImages/17010001_lg.jpg'

It embeds, it looks great, but when I click the button to Submit nothing happens. This is probably an obvious and embarrassing solution, but I'm stumped. Help a rusty tech guy flex his muscle!

i can has mobile video?

negative1 — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:06:09 -0800

Where can I get some introductory-level information regarding video player implementation on mobile phones? I want to build a site that will play video on a variety of mobile phones. I have a non-mobile version of the site already, and all the videos are FLV format playing within a flash player, but the file & player format can be modified as necessary.

Outta Stock

ejoey — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 01:58:31 -0800

I'm looking for decent stock web elements that aren't from 1998, but I'm totally stuck. Where should I go? All my googling results in 4 Hour Work Week-style stock sites that are clearly SEO-optimized, but don't seem to have very many if any stock illustrations or animations for professional website use that look or feel at all modern or of this decade. Any links would be greatly appreciated!

How do I connect my sony dslr alpha 100 to an off-camera flash?

binocularfight — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 13:09:06 -0800

I have the sony alpha 100, which has a proprietary hotshoe. I bought an fs-1100 so that i can connect a standard flash unit or a radio syncing device to do off-camera flash work. The fs-1100 doesn't seem to be working. does anyone have experience with these things, or know another way to connect a sony camera to a non-sony flash?

How Best to Set Up a Furniture Rearrangement Question?

WCityMike — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:08:21 -0800

How can I best set up a question regarding furniture rearrangement (in terms of spatially rearranging things, with measurements) on the Internet, and is Ask Mefi the best source or are there other communities that would be better? Are there Flash tools that let you post furniture floorplans and let others come and rearrange things? Alternatively, for advice simply on arrangement of furniture, how much might a professional's advice be, and would an interior decorator be the profession to turn to? (Do they still call themselves interior decorators? It seems a '70s term.) I am going to be living in a small studio for a while to come now. It is a great landlord and a pleasant building. I have no use for a one-bedroom and also would prefer to reserve funds (funds that would then go for increased rent) for other quite important targets at the moment, not to mention I don't have people who could help me move at the moment.

The problem with the studio is space and outlets, however: I have only two outlets in the main living area, limiting where certain things can be placed (computer, TV/DVD/cable, etc.), and electricians have advised that new outlets can't be added without major renovation.

I think I've done the best for what I've got, but it does need fixing. And recently I realized I have two furniture-space crises coming down the pike: (i) I've been sleeping on a twin air mattress for a while. I plan to replace that with a "full" bed, but have no idea how that might be introduced to the space without seriously getting in the way. And (ii) my bookshelves are overflowing and another one needs to be added, but there's utterly nowhere to put it. (I had considered a futon, but I think that after a certain age, it says that something's a little weird about you if you're still on a futon. Or is that just an idea I picked up from "The Office"? Dunno.)

I'd like to turn to hiveminds for advice -- either Ask Mefi's hivemind or that of a "furniture rearrangement" community -- but I frankly don't know how to appropriately post the problem in a manner that people can give effective answers, given that it involves accurate measurement and rearrangement of things.

I already have all the measurements done, and have set up a little cardstock model with rearrangable furniture to try my own hand at moving things around. Is there a website -- probably something involving Flash -- where you can set up a sort of bird's-eye view of your apartment and then Joe Schmoe come in off the street and rearrange the things inside?

Alternatively, how much would it zing me, financially, to get a professional to walk in and say, "If you put this there, put this there, put this there, and replace this with this, your problems should be solved"? (I live in Chicago.)

Wi-FI camera

Amby72 — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 13:17:37 -0800

How to use Wi-fi or eye-fi flash memory in my compact flash based DSLR. I have a Sony Alpha 100 that I love. I want to use an eye-fi card or something similarly wi-fi to facilitate the uploading of photos wherever I am. The camera uses Compact Flash. I see you can get an SD to Compact Flash converter. Just curious if it would work, or if it would break hamper it so it doesn't work. what do other people do, besides just normal transferring with the card or a cable?

WTF with Youtube?

timsteil — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 10:45:06 -0800

Why has Youtube started plaing in Flash? I am on a dialup, so if there is anything I want to see, I know it is a matter of clicking, minimizing, and waiting a half hour to hit view again. This morning, it started playing in flash mode, the little circle of dots going round, and even if I let it load all the way and hit watch again, its starts loading again. My computer?, or just changes at YT?

I need a flash animator

omnipotentq — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 05:25:16 -0800

I need to know: a) how much a good flash animator costs, b) where to find one and c) how long it would take to develop some simple flash based games. I have a client who needs some simple flash based games created that are much like the ones on these sites:

https://www.lumosity.com/sign_up/new

http://www.happy-neuron.com/freetrial/

http://www.mindhabits.com/

http://selfesteemgames.mcgill.ca/games/index.htm

After looking them over, most of them appear to be fairly simple, but I'm not a flash guy. I could spend an intense week learning flash at my own expense then developing a (probably very crappy/rough) simple game for a demo (since that's all he needs right now), but I'd like to know how much a good flash designer would cost, where I could find one (if I could get one on here, I'd love that!) and about how long it would take to develop a simple game like the ones above.

Alternatively, is there a flash-game creator that could be used to create simple games like that? The content of the game is un-important at this point, but will likely be similar to the games on the sites above.

Cost is, as it usually is, important here, so I'd like some realistic numbers. Pessimistic is always better than optimistic, at least for estimations like these.

(Registration is required for some of those games, but I think the last link is registration-free.)

Thanks in advance for your help!

Converting Flash to QT?

moedym — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 07:27:30 -0800

Can I convert this flash-format into quicktime or some other burnable format? I am an actor. I did this webisodic thing for Tassimo hot beverage machines. It's in a flash-format thing. I can't get a copy of it from the ad people and so let's assume I really can't and skip suggestions on that. Can anyone out there figure out how to download this into a format I could add to a reel, say?

Thanks for your ideas!

Bonus points for someone who can actually demonstrate that a theory works.

Playing flash video when a click is required to start?

zzztimbo — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 17:59:43 -0800

Is there any way to get a flash video to play when a click is required to start it? I would like to be able to programmatically visit a site that has a flash video and then click on the start button. I have looked into Selenium, but there doesn't seem to be an easy solution there.

My dell hates me!

jytsai — Fri, 30 May 2008 07:58:32 -0800

I have a Dell Inspiron 600m that has a weird problem: USB flash drives aren't detected at all, but other usb devices (i.e. external usb harddrives) work perfectly fine. Clean install of Windows with updated drivers does not fix this problem. My google-fu apparently isn't sophisticated enough to dig up a solution. Ideas?

I want to corrupt my memory!

ChrisManley — Mon, 26 May 2008 07:03:12 -0800

How can I corrupt memory? I have a plain SD card, and I'd like to be able to reliably make the memory corrupt. Can this be done? Basically, I want to get that error that everyone dreads when it shows up on the digital camera. That the card is corrupted and needs to be formatted.

I've found many resources on how to recover from corrupt memory, but none that give any idea how to cause it consistently. The only information I've found are the things that might cause it - running on low batteries, unplugging during file copies and the like.

I've spent some time with a hex editor, attacking the headers and such of the memory stick, but none of these have caused corruption.

Any ideas?

blog audio player

ChickenringNYC — Tue, 20 May 2008 18:17:44 -0800

I see audio players like the one on this page all over the internet. I am HTML-impaired but want to use this player on my little blog so I can post clips of music and write about them. How do I get this player, and what's the easiest way to implement?

How can I embed an audio player into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet?

Emanuel — Tue, 20 May 2008 11:55:41 -0800

I have an Excel spreadsheet that contains a list of songs, and I want the viewer of the spreadsheet to be able to conveniently listen to sample clips of these songs. The 30 second sample clips are stored in MP3 format on a publicly accessable web server. Ideally, I would like each song to have a little "play" button next to it, which when clicked will stream the clip. And I'd like it to work on Windows and Mac OS, in Excel 2000 and up. I'd prefer that no extra window appear when streaming the clip, but a small, unobtrusive window that pops up quickly would be acceptable.

At the moment, the spreadsheet simply has a hyperlink to the MP3 for each song. This is inconvenient because, when clicked, the spreadsheet gets minimized and the user's web browser is loaded to play the clip. This makes for an annoying process if the user wants to listen to a bunch of the clips. If this could be done without minimizing Excel, that would be acceptable. Even better if the browser window that appears could be small and unobtrusive.

I've also tried embedding a Flash player into the spreadsheet. It works on Windows, but does not seem to work on Mac OS (I haven't looked deeply into this yet because I don't have direct access to a Mac). In addition, I can't seem to set the FlashVars property for the flash player in Excel, which means I can't specify the MP3 to play.

So, to summarize, here's what I'd like help with:

- Is the ideal solution possible, and how might I go about implementing it?
- If the ideal isn't possible, can I supress Excel's behaviour of minimizing when the user clicks on a web hyperlink? And is there a way to specify the size of the browser window that pops up?
- And finally, any hints on getting an embedded Flash player to work on Mac OS, and also how to set the FlashVars property in Excel?

Thankee!

CC outside the US?

breaks the guidelines? — Mon, 19 May 2008 14:05:58 -0800

Is the term “caption” or “closed caption” and the “CC in a TV” symbol commonly recognizable to non-U.S. people? Working on producing some Flash video content with English audio for which subtitles will be available in multiple languages, including European, South American, and Asian languages. Would non-English-speaking people know that the “CC” symbol in a user interface control indicates the option for subtitling?

Wikipedia says that most of the world make no distinction between “subtitles” and “captions.” Is there a standard terminology and semiology to indicate this feature as universally as possible?

Looking for a 3D renderer in Flash

greenie2600 — Sun, 18 May 2008 14:18:54 -0800

Is anyone aware of a general-purpose 3D renderer built with Flash? Sort of like a Flash version of those VRML plugins that were all the rage in 1997, only without the suck? I'm creating a browser game, and I'd like the main viewport to display 3D images. I could render images on the server and feed them to the client, but the demand on server CPU and bandwidth would be prohibitive. I'd love to find a client-side solution. What I'm hoping for, ideally, is a .swf file to which I can feed 3D models (via JavaScript, probably—as XML, perhaps), which will then display those models using the camera angles, lighting, etc. that I specify. It doesn't have to support animation, but if it does, then hey, great.

I don't even know what you'd call something like this, but it seems like it should exist. Any clues?

Best way to flash my BIOS

malpractice — Sun, 11 May 2008 16:09:19 -0800

A little advice required about flashing the BIOS on a new Gigabyte motherboard, and reducing the chances of killing it. I've got a Gigabyte (GA-MA770-DS3) motherboard and an AMD Phenon X3 (8450) CPU. The BIOS needs to be flashed to F4 for these two to play together.

Long story short, I killed this motherboard with what I thought was a successful flash (through the QFlash utility from the BIOS setup screen, which said the flash worked OK, then left me unable to even get to POST). I've managed to get a replacement board, but I'm worried about a repeat. So, after reading these previous questions, and browsing the web, I have a couple of questions:

1.) There are three ways I can flash the BIOS on this motherboard - from the BIOS setup screen (QFlash), by booting from a floppy disk with the BIOS upgrade and the upgrade program on it, and from Windows (@BIOS). Is one of these options more likely to succeed than the others?

2.) The BIOS is currently F2. I want version F4. Should I flash F3 first, or is jumping straight to F4 no more risky in that respect?

flashfilter: Good Flash Website Templates

Echidna882003 — Mon, 05 May 2008 13:47:20 -0800

flashfilter: Good Flash Website Templates - I'm technically capable but we need something quickly and don't have much money. We have access to Flash CS3 pro, Flex Builder 3, etc. I can get around in CS3 and can handle ActionScript. I, however, have no design skills at all. We already have artwork, logos, and a color scheme. Is there anywhere I can get free/cheap pre-built flash website templates that don't suck? Doing a few Google searches come up with a bunch of hokey template sites which all seem to share the same bunch of lousy templates.