7 ms·

Daring Fireball: Going Flash-Free on Mac OS X, and How to Cheat When You Need It

68 points by barredo 16y ago

alanh 16y ago
I do the opposite, disabling Flash in chrome (about:plugins) and using Safari when I really need Flash to access stubborn websites. However, no Youtube5-like extension for Chrome seems to work for me.
- tvon 16y ago
  I believe anyone can opt-in to the YouTube HTML5 trial: http://www.youtube.com/html5 http://www.youtube.com/html5
  - alanh 16y ago
    It doesn't affect embedded YouTube videos across the web. That's the problem YouTube5 solves.
  - jonhohle 16y ago
    Unfortunately, there are features in the Flash version of YouTube player which aren't available in the HTML5 version, such as subtitles. I've watched several videos where I didn't get the joke because the subtitles were missing :p
frou_dh 16y ago
My cheat is having Flash and Silverlight installed in my Windows VM. Having to wake up a VM is a bit cumbersome, but I don't often feel the need.
zackattack 16y ago
what's the best Click To Flash extension for Chrome? the downside to hiding flash is that your brain no longer can feed on the ads that users are being exposed to - you don't know what the trends are, etc.
- guns 16y ago
  Recent development builds have had native click-to-play for all plugins, including Flash.
- kylec 16y ago
  Chrome has the functionality built in - just go into Settings -> Under the Hood -> Content Settings -> Plugins and select "Click to play".
  - trezor 16y ago
    Running Chrome 7.0.517.44 here, and all I get is a simple on/off/exceptions menu. Your statement might be true for future releases, but unless you are running nightlies, Chrome does currently not have this as a builtin feature.
CoryOndrejka 16y ago
Doing this in Firefox will result in an annoying "install missing plugins" warning from Firefox. You can click the "x" but to suppress the warning: * go to about:config * search on plugin.default_plugin_disabled. * set to false
- Chullish 16y ago
  Keep the Flashblocker extension enabled it'll prevent the "missing plugins warning" with the added benefit of giving a visual indication that a webpage uses flash incase you'd like to switch to a different browser. With the plugin.default_plugin_disabled set to false I'd miss out on embedded youtube videos (I can't find a youtube html5 converter for firefox)
  - DLWormwood 16y ago
    One of the key points about Gruber’s article is that he actually wants the situation you are trying to avoid. Basically, he wants to see how many of his websites will present HTML5 based content if the website detects a missing Flash install. ClickToFlash (not sure about Flashblocker) pretends to be Flash, as far as most browser detection scripting is concerned. Otherwise, it wouldn't know there is Flash to be defered in the first place.
  - sid0 16y ago
    (I can't find a youtube html5 converter for firefox) Firefox doesn't support H.264. If you're using Firefox 4 you can opt in to the HTML5 beta and get a fair number of videos served as WebM, though.
tomlin 16y ago
"We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. As of today, there are significant performance and battery life gains to be had by disabling Flash Player on Mac OS X." No, we won't "cross that bridge". Colour me skeptic, but I've yet to see DF admit to any of the insufficiencies of HTML5 over Flash. When confronted with contrarian proofs, the average Steve Jobs allegiant will cite other FUD grab-bags (ex: security issues, battery life, etc.). It's tiring to watch intelligent people pushing HTML5 based on fallacy after fallacy. Everyone wants HTML5 to evolve, but not by the hand of bullshit.
- statictype 16y ago
  um, all he's saying is that we should wait for animated ads to show up in HTML5 and see what they are like before deciding how to disable them or even if it's required to do so.
  - tomlin 16y ago
    We don't need to wait to see. We all know that advertisers will demand horrible HTML5 ads. Pretending they won't is embarrassingly hopeful.
    - beej71 16y ago
      Indeed, I've already seen them. Here's a short writeup of how one of them worked: http://www.google.com/reader/item/tag:google.com,2005:reader/item/e61ad0fa2304a1b1 http://www.google.com/reader/item/tag:google.com,2005:reader...
- larrywright 16y ago
  You're missing the point. I don't think anyone believes that HTML5 does everything Flash does. That said, for the things that people use Flash mostly for these days, such as video, audio, and animation, HTML5 does just fine. What people like Gruber are reacting to is the craptastic Flash ads that permeate websites today, and the negative effect that they have on performance and battery life.
EthanEtienne 16y ago
I think you need Perian installed to make the youtube html5 extension work. I tried getting rid of flash a few days ago, and youtube didn't work for me most of the time. I saw this post from Gruber again tonight, and then saw that the youtube html5 plugin noted that 480p is always encoded in flash (I forgot what codec it is). Installing Perian did the trick for me (so far anyway).
commandar 16y ago
Funny thing is that since upgrading from a G1 to a G2 last week, I've gotten a definite sense that while Flash isn't end all be all, having Flash available makes the web experience more whole. On my G1, browsing was a quick bit of text here and there; with the G2 I don't think twice when a site links to something like Vimeo. It just works. It's the web. I can't understand intentionally taking that away from yourself.
- rimantas 16y ago
  I don't think twice when a site links to something like Vimeo. It just works. It's the web. It does the same for me too. On iPhone. Without Flash. The web, indeed.
  - commandar 16y ago
    Then choose any of the other embedded media scattered across the web that hasn't already catered to iOS. Point is I don't have to shrug my shoulders and say "guess I can't check out this content because I'm on a mobile device" anymore. I don't have to think in terms of real web vs mobile web, which I was certainly doing before.
    - rimantas 16y ago
      Then choose any of the other embedded media scattered across the web that hasn't already catered to iOS. The thing is that most of the cases where I may want to check something out is already made to work with iOS. I guess we think differently of what "real web" is. For me it is built on HTTP, HTML, CSS and JavaScript.
      - commandar 16y ago
        For me, it's any content I may find interesting. I don't care what format it's presented in. You're making a technical distinction, I'm making a content-based one.
- alexyoung 16y ago
andrewhake 16y ago
Inspired me: http://www.andrewandoru.com/2010/11/05/labs-flashy/ http://www.andrewandoru.com/2010/11/05/labs-flashy/ flashy! is an AppleScript applet that makes the simple simpler by automatically enabling and disabling the Flash plug-in by moving the appropriate components from their normal directory, and placing them in a “.disabled” directory for safekeeping.
bilban 16y ago
Seems a shame that a browser can't pick it's preferred format.
bilban 16y ago
Flash is such a waste of CPU cycles, I disable flash, and lots of other things in my primary browser. If I need to view flash I'll fire up chrome.
bilban 16y ago
Interesting point about the future of the web. That's a horrible idea that HTML 5 will be able to run rampant in my backgrounded tabs - certainly an itch that needs scratching...
factotvm 16y ago
I bypass the GUI all together and find battery life is increased even further!

68 points by barredo 16y ago

alanh 16y ago

I do the opposite, disabling Flash in chrome (about:plugins) and using Safari when I really need Flash to access stubborn websites. However, no Youtube5-like extension for Chrome seems to work for me.

tvon 16y ago
I believe anyone can opt-in to the YouTube HTML5 trial: http://www.youtube.com/html5 http://www.youtube.com/html5
- alanh 16y ago
  It doesn't affect embedded YouTube videos across the web. That's the problem YouTube5 solves.
- jonhohle 16y ago
  Unfortunately, there are features in the Flash version of YouTube player which aren't available in the HTML5 version, such as subtitles. I've watched several videos where I didn't get the joke because the subtitles were missing :p

frou_dh 16y ago

My cheat is having Flash and Silverlight installed in my Windows VM. Having to wake up a VM is a bit cumbersome, but I don't often feel the need.

zackattack 16y ago

what's the best Click To Flash extension for Chrome? the downside to hiding flash is that your brain no longer can feed on the ads that users are being exposed to - you don't know what the trends are, etc.

guns 16y ago
Recent development builds have had native click-to-play for all plugins, including Flash.
kylec 16y ago
Chrome has the functionality built in - just go into Settings -> Under the Hood -> Content Settings -> Plugins and select "Click to play".
- trezor 16y ago
  Running Chrome 7.0.517.44 here, and all I get is a simple on/off/exceptions menu. Your statement might be true for future releases, but unless you are running nightlies, Chrome does currently not have this as a builtin feature.

CoryOndrejka 16y ago

Doing this in Firefox will result in an annoying "install missing plugins" warning from Firefox. You can click the "x" but to suppress the warning: * go to about:config * search on plugin.default_plugin_disabled. * set to false

Chullish 16y ago
Keep the Flashblocker extension enabled it'll prevent the "missing plugins warning" with the added benefit of giving a visual indication that a webpage uses flash incase you'd like to switch to a different browser. With the plugin.default_plugin_disabled set to false I'd miss out on embedded youtube videos (I can't find a youtube html5 converter for firefox)
- DLWormwood 16y ago
  One of the key points about Gruber’s article is that he actually wants the situation you are trying to avoid. Basically, he wants to see how many of his websites will present HTML5 based content if the website detects a missing Flash install. ClickToFlash (not sure about Flashblocker) pretends to be Flash, as far as most browser detection scripting is concerned. Otherwise, it wouldn't know there is Flash to be defered in the first place.
- sid0 16y ago
  (I can't find a youtube html5 converter for firefox) Firefox doesn't support H.264. If you're using Firefox 4 you can opt in to the HTML5 beta and get a fair number of videos served as WebM, though.

tomlin 16y ago

"We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. As of today, there are significant performance and battery life gains to be had by disabling Flash Player on Mac OS X." No, we won't "cross that bridge". Colour me skeptic, but I've yet to see DF admit to any of the insufficiencies of HTML5 over Flash. When confronted with contrarian proofs, the average Steve Jobs allegiant will cite other FUD grab-bags (ex: security issues, battery life, etc.). It's tiring to watch intelligent people pushing HTML5 based on fallacy after fallacy. Everyone wants HTML5 to evolve, but not by the hand of bullshit.

statictype 16y ago
um, all he's saying is that we should wait for animated ads to show up in HTML5 and see what they are like before deciding how to disable them or even if it's required to do so.
- tomlin 16y ago
  We don't need to wait to see. We all know that advertisers will demand horrible HTML5 ads. Pretending they won't is embarrassingly hopeful.
  - beej71 16y ago
    Indeed, I've already seen them. Here's a short writeup of how one of them worked: http://www.google.com/reader/item/tag:google.com,2005:reader/item/e61ad0fa2304a1b1 http://www.google.com/reader/item/tag:google.com,2005:reader...
larrywright 16y ago
You're missing the point. I don't think anyone believes that HTML5 does everything Flash does. That said, for the things that people use Flash mostly for these days, such as video, audio, and animation, HTML5 does just fine. What people like Gruber are reacting to is the craptastic Flash ads that permeate websites today, and the negative effect that they have on performance and battery life.

EthanEtienne 16y ago

I think you need Perian installed to make the youtube html5 extension work. I tried getting rid of flash a few days ago, and youtube didn't work for me most of the time. I saw this post from Gruber again tonight, and then saw that the youtube html5 plugin noted that 480p is always encoded in flash (I forgot what codec it is). Installing Perian did the trick for me (so far anyway).

commandar 16y ago

Funny thing is that since upgrading from a G1 to a G2 last week, I've gotten a definite sense that while Flash isn't end all be all, having Flash available makes the web experience more whole. On my G1, browsing was a quick bit of text here and there; with the G2 I don't think twice when a site links to something like Vimeo. It just works. It's the web. I can't understand intentionally taking that away from yourself.

rimantas 16y ago
I don't think twice when a site links to something like Vimeo. It just works. It's the web. It does the same for me too. On iPhone. Without Flash. The web, indeed.
- commandar 16y ago
  Then choose any of the other embedded media scattered across the web that hasn't already catered to iOS. Point is I don't have to shrug my shoulders and say "guess I can't check out this content because I'm on a mobile device" anymore. I don't have to think in terms of real web vs mobile web, which I was certainly doing before.
  - rimantas 16y ago
    Then choose any of the other embedded media scattered across the web that hasn't already catered to iOS. The thing is that most of the cases where I may want to check something out is already made to work with iOS. I guess we think differently of what "real web" is. For me it is built on HTTP, HTML, CSS and JavaScript.
    - commandar 16y ago
      For me, it's any content I may find interesting. I don't care what format it's presented in. You're making a technical distinction, I'm making a content-based one.
alexyoung 16y ago

andrewhake 16y ago

Inspired me: http://www.andrewandoru.com/2010/11/05/labs-flashy/ http://www.andrewandoru.com/2010/11/05/labs-flashy/ flashy! is an AppleScript applet that makes the simple simpler by automatically enabling and disabling the Flash plug-in by moving the appropriate components from their normal directory, and placing them in a “.disabled” directory for safekeeping.

bilban 16y ago

Seems a shame that a browser can't pick it's preferred format.

bilban 16y ago

Flash is such a waste of CPU cycles, I disable flash, and lots of other things in my primary browser. If I need to view flash I'll fire up chrome.

bilban 16y ago

Interesting point about the future of the web. That's a horrible idea that HTML 5 will be able to run rampant in my backgrounded tabs - certainly an itch that needs scratching...

factotvm 16y ago

I bypass the GUI all together and find battery life is increased even further!