How to disable Flash in Microsoft Windows
Attempts to download and install Flash can be prevented by adding http://download.macromedia.com to the Restricted Sites security zone in Internet Explorer or by blocking access to that site in other ways. Adding ad services to the Restricted Sites zone will prevent them from being able to use Flash ads.
Saving the following text to a file called noflash.reg and double-clicking on it will turn off Flash support in Internet Explorer, by adding Flash to the list of ActiveX controls the system administrator deems a security problem:
REGEDIT4
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\Software\\Microsoft\\Internet Explorer\\ActiveX Compatibility\\{D27CDB6E-AE6D-11CF-96B8-444553540000}]
"Description"="prevents Macromedia Flash from running when flags are 00000400"
"Compatibility Flags"=dword:00000400
Saving this to flashon.reg and double-clicking on it will remove the block.
REGEDIT4
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\Software\\Microsoft\\Internet Explorer\\ActiveX Compatibility\\{D27CDB6E-AE6D-11CF-96B8-444553540000}]
"Description"="this prevents Macromedia Flash from running when flags are 00000400"
"Compatibility Flags"=dword:00000000
There are exactly five lines in each of these, starting with REGEDIT4 and ending with Compatibility Flags. Use copy and paste to get them exactly as written and avoid the possible effect of line wrapping which can prevent them from working properly.
Combining these steps will let you turn off Flash animated ads and requests to install most of the time, choosing to install it or let it run only when you encounter one of the rare sites which can't be used without Flash.
It's possible to block Macromedia Shockwave with similar files, replacing {D27CDB6E-AE6D-11CF-96B8-444553540000} with {166B1BCA-3F9C-11CF-8075-444553540000} .
Competition
In October of 1998 Macromedia disclosed the Flash Version 3 Specification to the world on its website in response to many new, and often semi open, competing formats to SWF such as; XARA's Flare and Sharp's Extended Vector Animation formats. Several developers quickly created a C library for producing SWF. In Feburary of 1999 MorphInk 99 was launched, the first non-Macromedia, or third party program to create SWF files. Macromedia also hired Middlesoft to create a freely avialble developers kit for the SWF file format versions 3-5. Many open and free libraries based on the information released to the public in 1998 and from later study of the SWF file Format, such as Ming, exist to produce SWF files on many platforms. The Flash Files specification for version 6 and later is avaialble from Macromedia only as a PDF under a NDA agreement.
Many Shareware companies produced Flash creation tools and sold them for under $50 USD between 2000-2002. In 2003 competition and the emergence of Free Flash Creation tools, most notably Open Office, had driven many third party flash creation tool makers out of the market allowing the remaining makers to raise their prices, although many of the products remain under $100 USD and support Action Script.
In November of 2003 Microsoft announced that it was working on competing product, Sparkle, whose release would coincide with that of their next-generation Windows OS codenamed Longhorn. The purchase of Creature House Inc's assets in September of 2003 has lead to speculation that their Expression graphics engine would form the basis for the Sparkle product.
File Types
- .fla files are the source files, which contain source material for the flash application. They can be edited with Flash authoring software.
- .as (or sometimes .actionscript) files contain ActionScript, the source code for Flash applications.
- .swf files are completed, published files that cannot be edited. "swf" is pronounced "swiff".
- .flv files are Flash video files, that can be created by Macromedia Flash or Sorenson Squeeze.
Later versions of Flash can also create files in a variety of static or animated formats.
See also: limited animation, Shockwave, Weebl and Bob (Flash cartoon)
External links
Creating Flash files
Format documentation
Communities
Art
Security