Jay Dyke over at CartoonSmart.com has posted a free video tutorial on how to use Geoff Sterns' SWFObject, a Javascript solution to the recent unpleasantness
regarding Flash running in IE 6 on Windows. If you're a real visual learner and you need to see how it all works, this
is the place for you. Jay rambles a bit, but he gets the point across eventually. And the SWFObject is an elegant
solution once you're all set up.
I'll warn you that this is a ~20MB ZIP file download. Jay is offering
tutorial files as well as the Quicktime movie of the tutorial which is almost 50 MBs (somebody get that guy a copy of
Captivate!), so...
You'll also note that Jay is using the older "FlashObject" which Stearns has
renamed the "SWFObject" for reasons explained here.
Last week, Robert Cringely posted an interesting story (one that
I will emphasize right here and now is complete an utter speculation: nothing, I repeat, nothing you read here
is grounded in fact, so don't go throwing yourself out a window or buying Adobe/Apple stock by the handfuls based on
this...depending on how you feel about it...) suggesting Apple's near-future business strategy. With release of the Boot Camp Public Beta, you can now run Windows on an
Intel-based Macintosh.
Cringely analyzes how this positions Apple to confront Microsoft in a much bigger
way than it has in years. Mostly, he spends the article discussing how Apple can compete with MS Office (pointing out
Apple's support of Open XML as a
document standard as a savvy move in the right direction), but toward the bottom of the page, he also points out
Apple's reliance on Adobe as a major developer of applications for their OS. To alleviate this dependence and ensure
continued dominance (though I think I would question the dominance at this point in time myself) in the graphics
market, Cringely suggests that Apple just buy Adobe!
I wonder why Cringely didn't make a
little more out of Adobe's document business as a potential competitor for Office in and of itself. It seems like the
whole Acrobat side of things might get Apple a fairly large step of the way toward competing with Microsoft.
Crazier things have happened (who would have thought 18 months ago that Adobe would now own Macromedia?!), I guess.
For the conspiracy theorists out there, Rigel has just enough to get the saliva glands going (the entire Aperture team
laid off?!), but I'm not going to hold my breath here...just keep my eyes open and always look over my shoulder...
So, yesterday's
news was about the PSP firmware update that included Flash Player 6. But that is only Flash 6. If you want to play
Flash 7 content on your PSP, you're going to have to resort to alternate methods. Oregan Networksannounced on 12
April the "imminent availability of its latest technology building block enabling rendering of Macromedia®
Flash® 7.0 content on non-PC entertainment devices." Later, in the press release, they specifically mention optimization
for the PSP. So what does this get you? Try:
• Flash 7.0 content rendering • ActionScript
2.0 support • JavaScript to ActionScript control API • Highly optimised integer-based code for
maximum performance on embedded platforms
All at a footprint of 500kb! Well, sounds promising, but I wonder
what exactly the schedule is for "imminent availability," and I wonder how this all sits with Sony who has
kept the PSP OS close to their chest. How important to you is Player 7 on your PSP?
I'm a little late on pointing this out, but its worth repeating it here again anyway.
Last week, Adobe released a couple of new templates for your Flash 8
IDE to address the latest changes in how Internet Explorer addresses active content (i.e. Flash). With the latest
update, IE users have to actively allow your Flash movie to play. The Flash Active Content Update
Extension will help in building new sites that avoid this problem.
If you're looking for help in
adjusting existing HTML pages, check out the Active Content Developer Center. And for information on the problem from the browser side of
things, check here.
So there was this big press conference at Sony headquarters yesterday to discuss the PS3 (which I will probably
avoid, $425 is too much) and the CEO had some announcements about upcoming PSP updates, including a new web browser.
The next PSP web browser will include official Flash support! Which means we can stop trying to hack the Flash Player
into the PlayStationPortable and just go with the flow. 1UP mentioned the inclusion at 10:42 AM PST yesterday. I only wonder if the player will be a
stripped down version or even just a modified version of the Palm OS Flash Player that was included with Sony's CLIE
product line. The release of a coming camera and GPS modules leads me to think that Flash developers may be able to
build full fledged RIAs that feature location based support and video teleconferencing. Now I just need to save up a
couple hundred bucks and grab on of these for 'work.'
Jan Kabili of our blog sibling, The Unofficial Photoshop Weblog, pointed out another good John Nack post
earlier this week. Adobe is looking for commentary from bloggers and web designers on ways to improve Fireworks for its
future integration into Photoshop and the Adobe Creative Suite of applications. I would like Fireworks to continue on
its current 8 path of integration with Flash and possibly replace ImageReady as Adobe's web image creator. I could even
see them integrating Fireworks into the consumer level Adboe products (like the gallery applications) as a way to easily
add home made graphics to original images and create easy web pages for the budding amature web designer.
In case you're like me and stuck no where near
Seattle this week, but wish you could learn more about integration from Photoshop and Flash, Jack Nack has a few good links for your. Jack's
buddy Michael Ninness compiled a set of tutorials and even gave a talk at FlashForward this week about the best ways to
combine our two favorite pursuits. I only wonder if this means animated cartoons showing off the perfectly toned body
attached to someone else's head... Back to the subject at hand though. Start your tutorials with one describing how to
adjust
your beloved Photoshop away from its print/camera roots and closer to your web needs. Then check out the rest at
the link.
Wow that sounds ominous doesn't it... Actually I just
want to direct you a an interview Adobe CEO Bruce Chizen did with University of Pennsylvania's Knowledge@Wharton a
short while ago. They asked him all the important questions including how the Macromedia acquisition is going to change
Adobe's future and ways Adobe will be able to use its new found control of Flash. They get into a discussion of the
newly re-named engagement platform. You can either read the article at the link or download it for later listening.
The Associated Press just announced a new video streaming
service this week and has totally screwed the pooch with it. They are using the now popular Microsoft video DRM format
that has taken hold of other services like Vongo, Comedy Central and VH1. Unfortunately this means they are going to
make it harder for their users and in turn the viewing public to see their content. Use of Micorsoft video
(specifically WMP10 based video) cuts out all non-Windows, non-IE users. Why not follow the better trend in web video?
Why not call up Adobe and see about hooking into one of the better ways to serve up streaming video, Flash. Sure you
could choose, Real or Quicktime video, but Flash video can be edited to include custom look and feel that doesn't
change based on Operating System or Web browser. But this would require opening up to a new standard and would mean
conforming to your user rather than forcing the user to conform to you... Personally I see this as useless. Consider
the fact that AP video is currently displayed by the Washington Post within a Flash-based
player.
On
Monday Adobe grabbed a DRM company that creates lock downs for PDF files via a client-server method and document
encryption. This seems old hat in the textbook and business documentation world, but I wonder if Adobe will use this
method to create a new SWF based DRM. For more clues I sat at work listening to the Gillmor Gang discuss DRM and video. They brought up the new Google Video store and how Google is using Flash (7 if you must know) to
display its videos. One member of the gang (I forget his name) said (aroung the 18 minute mark) that Adobe and
Macromedia's merger should bring DRM to Flash in the future so Flash can become a more viable content distribution
model. I'm all for it... er let me clarify, I'd prefer DRM free content for ease of use etc, but if it must be there I
want cross platform content, like Flash. In order words, that new VH1 video site and the new Comedy Central video
service are closed to my iBook due to lack of vision on the part of their developers (and the music industry, but
that's another story), but if the content was Flash based (like CNN's free in page
video) then the content would be semi cross platform (sorry Linux, wait for 8.5). The only question is: Is SWF (and On2
by association) better than WMV and M4V?
Ken Toley from Flash Technical Support has corralled a lot of good links and a few tips of his own on making Flash content accessible. Something we should all be aware of and practice. And not just because federal development jobs mandate it. It's an enlightening experience to "view" your sites (Flash-based an otherwise) using a screen reader or a zooming tool. After all, the goal is to have the most folks possible experience your work, so do everything you can to make that possible!
Today I was trolling the web looking for information about XML and components and came across an interesting list of tutorials not really about the relationship of those two things but covering XML, CSS, and image loading in Flash, plus a couple good Flash 8 how-tos and even a little video. NWebb is a full featured flash blog, portfolio and experimentation site for a European Flash guru whose extended Flash knowledge will help even the newest of the new get into Flash and quickly get up to speed. As you scan through his tutorial list make sure you try out the latest BitmapData how-to and learn a little Flash 8 before it comes out.
Toyota presents first full Flash 8 only website for major corporation. They have created a special translation of their Japan specific Hybrid City website that requires Flash Player 8, but the tag at the bottom of splash page says: "It is translated to English only for the Macromedia demonstration." Entering the presentation shows you exactly why the site needs Flash 8. The full screen presentation (with hilarious English dubbing of course) includes use of the new Flash video codec plus video blurring and alpha techniques. Its possible this presentation is just a direct conversion from a Shockwave (Director made) file to Flash 8 like the playdoCAM project. Also this really isn't that strange considering the amount of Flash already used by Toyota across their other sites.
Nintendo has put up a simplistic Flash-based site extolling the wonders of the coming Game Boy micro. Now you and I can realize the future of ignoring the world via a extremely small portable game device that has no internet connectivity (like cell phones the same size) and does play with Flash (like PDAs and cell phones the same size). I have the Flash 8 beta player installed of course and the size actually threw the familiar you don’t have Flash error. Yes Nintendo has not followed good design principles with their site and have the following Flash check in their JavaScript:
var requiredVersion = 6; var flashVersion = getFlashVersion(); if (flashVersion < requiredVersion && getCookie("ignoreflash") != "yes") { top.location = '/no_flash.vm'; }
and
if (flashPlugin.description.indexOf('7.') != -1) flashVersion = 7;
etc. Oh, come on Nintendo. There is no reason why any major professionally made site should throw an error with their user upgrades the required plug-in. You need to call up your site designers and give them a good slap in the face and demand free site edits to correct this issue. Jeez. In the mean time click the yes I understand my Flash might not work with this site button if you want to see the main Nintendo site and you have Flash 8 player beta installed. I know this is a nit-picky rant, but major world-wide companies should not have these kind of site design issues.
Ryan Hornbeck has written a short Google search sourced article on why some people (not us of course) can’t stand Flash and avoid it like the plague. I found it interesting that Flash is seen by some as the source of their headaches, when the real problem is bad design. Sure you can create a full Flash site that annoys all your users, but I can create a full AJAX or CSS or whatever site that also annoys all of my users, yet there aren’t too many out there looking to stop using the web (for now, just wait for 2.0). Like Hornbeck, I agree with Keith Robinson that the issue here is with the designers and developers. We see Flash as a way to expand our horizons and some of us put thing on the web that can only be classified as art. Unfortunately there are others who jump face first into bad design and throw up on their sites (causing their users to do the same). In the end I also agree with John Dowdell’s conclusion that best practices need to be developed and followed in order to create good sites in Flash. The release of Flash Basic may help push these standards on the new generation of designers, hopefully some of the rest of us can pick it up too. Whay do you think?
Jay Dyke over at CartoonSmart.com has posted a free video tutorial on how to use Geoff Sterns' SWFObject, a Javascript solution to the recent unpleasantness
regarding Flash running in IE 6 on Windows. If you're a real visual learner and you need to see how it all works, this
is the place for you. Jay rambles a bit, but he gets the point across eventually. And the SWFObject is an elegant
solution once you're all set up.
So there was this big press conference at Sony headquarters yesterday to discuss the PS3 (which I will probably
avoid, $425 is too much) and the CEO had some announcements about upcoming PSP updates, including a new web browser.
The next PSP web browser will include official Flash support! Which means we can stop trying to hack the Flash Player
into the PlayStationPortable and just go with the flow. 1UP mentioned the inclusion at
Jan Kabili of our blog sibling, 
In case you're like me and stuck no where near
Seattle this week, but wish you could learn more about integration from Photoshop and Flash, 
Wow that sounds ominous doesn't it... Actually I just
want to direct you a an interview Adobe CEO Bruce Chizen did with University of Pennsylvania's Knowledge@Wharton a
short while ago. They asked him all the important questions including how the Macromedia acquisition is going to change
Adobe's future and ways Adobe will be able to use its new found control of Flash. They get into a discussion of the
newly re-named engagement platform. You can either read the article at the link or download it for later listening.
The Associated Press just announced a new video streaming
service this week and has totally screwed the pooch with it. They are using the now popular Microsoft video DRM format
that has taken hold of other services like Vongo, Comedy Central and VH1. Unfortunately this means they are going to
make it harder for their users and in turn the viewing public to see their content. Use of Micorsoft video
(specifically WMP10 based video) cuts out all non-Windows, non-IE users. Why not follow the better trend in web video?
Why not call up Adobe and see about hooking into one of the better ways to serve up streaming video, Flash. Sure you
could choose, Real or Quicktime video, but Flash video can be edited to include custom look and feel that doesn't
change based on Operating System or Web browser. But this would require opening up to a new standard and would mean
conforming to your user rather than forcing the user to conform to you... Personally I see this as useless. Consider
the fact that AP video is currently displayed by the 
On
Monday Adobe grabbed a DRM company that creates lock downs for PDF files via a client-server method and document
encryption. This seems old hat in the textbook and business documentation world, but I wonder if Adobe will use this
method to create a new SWF based DRM. For more clues I sat at work listening to the 
Today I was trolling the web looking for information about XML and components and came across an interesting list of tutorials not really about the relationship of those two things but covering XML, CSS, and image loading in Flash, plus a couple good Flash 8 how-tos and even a little video. NWebb is a full featured flash blog, portfolio and experimentation site for a European Flash guru whose extended Flash knowledge will help even the newest of the new get into Flash and quickly get up to speed. As you scan through his tutorial list make sure you try out the latest BitmapData how-to and learn a little Flash 8 before it comes out.
Nintendo has put up a simplistic Flash-based site extolling the wonders of the coming Game Boy micro. Now you and I can realize the future of ignoring the world via a extremely small portable game device that has no internet connectivity (like cell phones the same size) and does play with Flash (like PDAs and cell phones the same size). I have the Flash 8 beta player installed of course and the size actually threw the familiar you don’t have Flash error. Yes Nintendo has not followed 
Ryan Hornbeck has written a short 
