Disable Flash by default

[Neil Stansbury]

I'm doubting I'll get much support for this but...

Personally I am sick to death of Flash content hanging Firefox and
generally going into high utilization, just to view some irrelevant rubbish.

Why is it install/enabled by default?
If it must be installed, why can't it have a checkbox like the "Enable
Java/Javascript" options in preferences? (I've posted a flash block
patch for this)

I don't see why I need to keep installing Flash Block to kill the
proprietary content I don't want anyway.

Why is proprietary content enabled at all?

Surely Moz should be encouraging developers to use open standards like
SVG rather than flash?

Disabling Flash by default on Firefox would send a loud and clear
message to all the developers out there that at least 10% of their
audience probably won't see their content, so they'd best start
considering something else.

IMO, the other main plugin offender is PDF. I have to say the best
feature about moving to Linux was being able to use Evince to view PDFs
rather than Adobe's bloated viewer.

N

[Moritz 'Morty' Strübe]

Post by Neil Stansbury
Why is proprietary content enabled at all?

Because 99% want it that way. And the other 1% has enaugh ways to
disable it. And anyway: Why do you install Flash at all? Or just try
this: search for the NPSWF32.dll in the plugins dir and delete it.
FF is popular because it's easy to use (you don't have to click some
hidden checkbox to get flash running) and not because of some kind of
nothing-proprietary-idiology. Feel free to make a
nothing-proprietary-contrib. ;-)

Morty

[Neil Stansbury]

Post by Moritz 'Morty' Strübe
Because 99% want it that way. And the other 1% has enaugh ways to
disable it.

Yep fair point, but... in Preferences

I can stop Images loading
I can stop Javascript loading
I can stop Java loading

Then why do I need an extension to stop Flash loading?

I'd never install a Flash plugin (knowingly) - hate the stuff. I've
always assumed either it's a) part of the binary b) FF installs the
plugin so efficiently I miss the chance to stop it.

If the plugin installs by default then IMO I see an argument for an
"Enable Flash" next to "Enable Java". Enabled by default or otherwise.

On the ideological front - I thought Mozilla was about making the web
accessible to as many people as possible. I guess you could argue that
flash helps, I just see it hindering it though.


N

Post by Moritz 'Morty' Strübe

Post by Neil Stansbury
Why is proprietary content enabled at all?

Because 99% want it that way. And the other 1% has enaugh ways to
disable it. And anyway: Why do you install Flash at all? Or just try
this: search for the NPSWF32.dll in the plugins dir and delete it.
FF is popular because it's easy to use (you don't have to click some
hidden checkbox to get flash running) and not because of some kind of
nothing-proprietary-idiology. Feel free to make a
nothing-proprietary-contrib. ;-)
Morty

[Moritz 'Morty' Strübe]

Post by Neil Stansbury

Post by Moritz 'Morty' Strübe
Because 99% want it that way. And the other 1% has enaugh ways to
disable it.

Yep fair point, but... in Preferences
I can stop Images loading
I can stop Javascript loading
I can stop Java loading

Hmm ok, Java is a bit problematic, as it's a plugin, t0o. Have a look at
the about:plugins - page. Some people have _lots_ of plugins installed
and you can't have a button for each of them. Some way to en- and
disable the plugins without having to deinstall them would be nice, though.

Post by Neil Stansbury
Then why do I need an extension to stop Flash loading?

Because the idea is to only add option a majority uses and do the rest
with extensions. update.mozilla.org needs a bit of work to get smooth
though. (Personally I'm hoping for a XUL - thing to do this stuff)

Post by Neil Stansbury
I'd never install a Flash plugin (knowingly) - hate the stuff. I've
always assumed either it's a) part of the binary b) FF installs the
plugin so efficiently I miss the chance to stop it.

Well, you probably have (Windows does in some versions ;-) ). The new
feature(!) which came somewhen around 1.0 is that FF searches if Flash
is already installed, because people wen't mad because it didn't work
and switched back to ie.

Post by Neil Stansbury
If the plugin installs by default then IMO I see an argument for an
"Enable Flash" next to "Enable Java". Enabled by default or otherwise.

No it doesn't. Only if Flash is already installed.

Post by Neil Stansbury
On the ideological front - I thought Mozilla was about making the web
accessible to as many people as possible. I guess you could argue that
flash helps, I just see it hindering it though.

Flash works fine here and unfortunately a lot of site use it for
navigation. I'm not happy with it, but if you can't fight something you
have to live with it.

Morty

Post by Neil Stansbury
N

Post by Moritz 'Morty' Strübe

Post by Neil Stansbury
Why is proprietary content enabled at all?

Because 99% want it that way. And the other 1% has enaugh ways to
disable it. And anyway: Why do you install Flash at all? Or just try
this: search for the NPSWF32.dll in the plugins dir and delete it.
FF is popular because it's easy to use (you don't have to click some
hidden checkbox to get flash running) and not because of some kind of
nothing-proprietary-idiology. Feel free to make a
nothing-proprietary-contrib. ;-)
Morty

[Justin Wood (Callek)]

Post by Neil Stansbury
On the ideological front - I thought Mozilla was about making the web
accessible to as many people as possible. I guess you could argue that
flash helps, I just see it hindering it though.

Not Exactly,

"The mission of the Mozilla project is to preserve choice and innovation
on the Internet." (From http://www.mozilla.org/about/ )

See also various links from that page.

~Justin Wood (Callek)

[Nachiket]

Firefox does not install the Flash plugin.Neither is it part of the
binary. When you install the Shockwave Flash on your computer through
Macromedia's installer, you get an option to install Flash Plugin for
Mozilla Firefox(among other browsers).

Therefore, you have installed Flash, unknowingly perhaps if you dont
pay attention to the dialog boxes. Removing it is simple enough, just
do what Morty said.

[Ruediger Lahl]

Post by Neil Stansbury
If it must be installed, why can't it have a checkbox like the "Enable
Java/Javascript" options in preferences? (I've posted a flash block
patch for this)

Use the extension prefbar from: http://prefbar.mozdev.org/ then you can
switch off flash.

[Will May]

Post by Neil Stansbury
I'm doubting I'll get much support for this but...
Personally I am sick to death of Flash content hanging Firefox and
generally going into high utilization, just to view some irrelevant rubbish.
Why is it install/enabled by default?
If it must be installed, why can't it have a checkbox like the "Enable
Java/Javascript" options in preferences? (I've posted a flash block
patch for this)
I don't see why I need to keep installing Flash Block to kill the
proprietary content I don't want anyway.
Why is proprietary content enabled at all?
Surely Moz should be encouraging developers to use open standards like
SVG rather than flash?
Disabling Flash by default on Firefox would send a loud and clear
message to all the developers out there that at least 10% of their
audience probably won't see their content, so they'd best start
considering something else.
IMO, the other main plugin offender is PDF. I have to say the best
feature about moving to Linux was being able to use Evince to view PDFs
rather than Adobe's bloated viewer.
N

One thing you can try with Flash, is FlashBlock
(https://addons.mozilla.org/extensions/moreinfo.php?id=433).

[Al]

Post by Neil Stansbury
I'm doubting I'll get much support for this but...
Personally I am sick to death of Flash content hanging Firefox and
generally going into high utilization, just to view some irrelevant rubbish.
Why is it install/enabled by default?
If it must be installed, why can't it have a checkbox like the "Enable
Java/Javascript" options in preferences? (I've posted a flash block
patch for this)
I don't see why I need to keep installing Flash Block to kill the
proprietary content I don't want anyway.
Why is proprietary content enabled at all?
Surely Moz should be encouraging developers to use open standards like
SVG rather than flash?
Disabling Flash by default on Firefox would send a loud and clear
message to all the developers out there that at least 10% of their
audience probably won't see their content, so they'd best start
considering something else.
IMO, the other main plugin offender is PDF. I have to say the best
feature about moving to Linux was being able to use Evince to view PDFs
rather than Adobe's bloated viewer.
N
http://www.snapfiles.com/opinions/Foxit_PDF_Reader/Foxit_PDF_Reader.html