What percentage of computer have flash on them ?
What percentage of computer have flash on them ?
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Discussion

redweapon

Original Poster:

112 posts

310 months

Tuesday 18th October 2005
quotequote all
Does anybody know what percentage of computers have flash installed on them? Macromedia reckon 97% but as IE & other browsers don't come with flash as standard I find this hard to believe, as this would assume that everybody out there could be arsed / or were able (if at work) to install the plug in....

Plotloss

67,280 posts

300 months

Tuesday 18th October 2005
quotequote all
Over 500m installations

Dont know how many web connections there are in total though to give a percentage.

The VAST majority of people will use Windows and a Rich GUI browser like IE or Firefox so I would expect the VAST majority of people to have flash.

That said though I have it on 3 or 4 machines but not on the laptop.

robbieduncan

1,993 posts

266 months

Tuesday 18th October 2005
quotequote all
Most if not all modern desktops or laptops will probably have flash installed. Still doesn't mean it should be used unless necessary (buttons/menues and the like are not good).

zumbruk

7,848 posts

290 months

Tuesday 18th October 2005
quotequote all
I run the Firefox plugin, flashblocker, since I find 95% or more of Flash animations to be pointless distractions. Most of the rest could easily be done in straight HTML. Very, very few web pages actually *need* flash.

About the only real use for it is animations - Weebl & Bob being a favourite!

redweapon

Original Poster:

112 posts

310 months

Tuesday 18th October 2005
quotequote all
robbieduncan said:
Most if not all modern desktops or laptops will probably have flash installed. Still doesn't mean it should be used unless necessary (buttons/menues and the like are not good).


Just recieved some new PC's from Dell (WXP SP2) and they don't have flash on them. The users are not able to install the plugin as you need admin privalages to do it. So from what I can see most people browsing at work won't have flash, or be able to get it. So how do macromedia reckon that 97% of PC's can have it ??

_dobbo_

14,619 posts

278 months

Tuesday 18th October 2005
quotequote all
redweapon said:

robbieduncan said:
Most if not all modern desktops or laptops will probably have flash installed. Still doesn't mean it should be used unless necessary (buttons/menues and the like are not good).



Just recieved some new PC's from Dell (WXP SP2) and they don't have flash on them. The users are not able to install the plugin as you need admin privalages to do it. So from what I can see most people browsing at work won't have flash, or be able to get it. So how do macromedia reckon that 97% of PC's can have it ??


Because they are bound to say that as it encourages people to use it without fear that too many PCs can't see flash stuff.

Pigeon

18,535 posts

276 months

Tuesday 18th October 2005
quotequote all
zumbruk said:
I run the Firefox plugin, flashblocker, since I find 95% or more of Flash animations to be pointless distractions. Most of the rest could easily be done in straight HTML. Very, very few web pages actually *need* flash.

Me too, flash is evil. Any website that is crass enough to use it for navigation makes me lose interest in it immediately.

Docevi1

10,430 posts

278 months

Tuesday 18th October 2005
quotequote all
Flash is hideous, horrible, painful and nasty. Don't use it

Unfortunately, the work site uses it exclusively for all navigation links. Sigh.

rico

7,917 posts

285 months

Tuesday 18th October 2005
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Whoever invented flash ads with sound should be shot! They're a menace!

_dobbo_

14,619 posts

278 months

Wednesday 19th October 2005
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rico said:
Whoever invented flash ads with sound should be shot! They're a menace!


Firefox with adblock is your friend - especially with a decent adblock list imported.

Can't remember the last time I saw an advert of any kind, let alone a flash one!

rameshuk

595 posts

292 months

Wednesday 19th October 2005
quotequote all
redweapon said:
Does anybody know what percentage of computers have flash installed on them? Macromedia reckon 97% but as IE & other browsers don't come with flash as standard I find this hard to believe, as this would assume that everybody out there could be arsed / or were able (if at work) to install the plug in....


I'm sure that the stats refer to users who browse the internet. The must have updates once connected to the net are the latest flash plug-in, Adobe's free Acrobat reader and a ZIP file program.

I love Flash. I remember the animated GIFs of 1996.

Sure quite a few sites have annoying Flash content
(long, clunky interfaces) but it brings a lot of great features to the table.

*Platform independant content
*MP3 sound support
*Vector graphics
*Efficent use of bandwidth - Flash files are very well optimised.

zumbruk

7,848 posts

290 months

Wednesday 19th October 2005
quotequote all
rameshuk said:

I love Flash. I remember the animated GIFs of 1996.


I block those, too. Anything that's animated attracts the eye away from what you're really looking at (which is the point, of course) and I immediately block it (right mouse click in Firefox; "Block images from ..."

rameshuk said:
Sure quite a few sites have annoying Flash content


The vast majority. Flash content is annoying by definition.

rameshuk said:
(long, clunky interfaces) but it brings a lot of great features to the table.


Only to spikey haired, oddly bespectacled, dressed entirely in black, so-called "Web designers". All of whom should be subjected to whole body liposuction, then boiled to death in the fat.

rameshuk said:
*Platform independant content
*MP3 sound support
*Vector graphics
*Efficent use of bandwidth - Flash files are very well optimised.


I never return to a site that plays sound without warning. And the technical aspects are irrelevant when the Flash is *really* *irritating*. And most of it is. Except Weebl and Bob.

jimothy

5,151 posts

267 months

Wednesday 19th October 2005
quotequote all
Using Uk Government style statistical analysis...

I have 4 PC's, 2x86, 2 Macs. All of these have flash. Therefore we can extrapolate that 100% of all PC's have Flash installed and their owners would be willing to pay £1000 for their ID cards.