Lots of users have been asking about the Flash Player versions needed for ColdFusion MX 7 features. There are three ColdFusion MX 7 features that can take advantage of Flash, and the player requirements are different for each:
When are Macromedia going to be releasing a known issues page?
I know certain people are having problems with MX7 installation under Win2k3.
It is very suspect the MM haan’t started a page as without this we will not go live with MX7.
If you are planning on using these features, it is critical to know the penetration of the various versions. Unless you are in a controlled environment, you will be excluding a certain percentage of your potential audience.
This link shows a chart of Flash Player penetration by version as of December 2004.
http://www.macromedia.com/software/player_census/flashplayer/version_penetration.html
You may want to look for other reports as well since the demographic for MM’s site may be different than the ‘Net as a whole.
Gus
I think the issue of Macromedia bundling the Yahoo! toolbar with the flash download is pretty chilling Ben. This can only hurt wider deployment of rich apps if users perceive flash as spyware…
http://developers.slashdot.org/developers/05/03/03/2343207.shtml?tid=156&tid=95
Unfortunately one of my favourite companies has become a software whore.
MM really really doesn’t understand the perception change this bundeling of Yahoo toolbar has made on a lot of MM users.
You have to also realise that the toolbar is US centric piece of junk.
MM really needs to pull it’s socks up here.
It would be nice if MM started recommending decent initiatives like the Firefox browser, which coupled with the developer extension, is a complete godsend to any web developer.
Adam, I believe that QA is looking into that one. There have been some reports of installation problems on Win2K3 (although, far more users have had no problems deploying on Win2K3), and if it turns out that there is an issue then something will be done about it. Not having a page is suspect? Sorry, that logic totally eludes me.
As for the Yahoo toolbar issue, all I can say is that I was pretty surprised when I first heard about it. Slashdot aside, lots of folks within Macromedia are discussing and debating this one right now. I expect that we’ll be hearing more about it shortly.
Just the fact that MX7 doesn’t have a known issues log yet. No software is perfect and the fact people are having install issues with MX7 should be more obviously declared as it is wasting people’s time.
That is what I perceive as suspect. If there are issues with MX7 (which their will inadverdently be) then get MM to get it out there. Having a documentation typo page doesn’t count.
I do realise 7 needs time to bed in.
What I’m hoping is that we don’t have a 6 -> 6.1 debackle.
Just to clarify the Yahoo toolbar issue …
1) Lots of the rants are over the bundling of the toolbar, but there actually is no bundle. It is a separate install.
2) Lots of other rants are about stuff being installed without consent or knowledge, and this is not the case. It is an option (although it is checked by default).
3) And what most have not realized is that this only impacts less than 5% of Flash installs, those that occur when users go to mm.com and install Flash from the download page (as opposed to via the download on demand when it is used in a page).
I understand that this will still upset many, and I am not even commenting on the rights or wrongs of all of this. But it does pay to at least have the facts (something that slashdoters generally don’t bother with).
Come on, I’m not even one of the rabid slashdotters (wipes away foam from mouth), it was just an easy way to link to the issue. I checked out the install myself before posting here and I agree that it would be hard for a savvy user to get the toolbar by accident; but I know quite a few people that balk at the the activex install pop-up and are forced to go to the macr site anyway. They are the ones that will fall for this trap. Why does macr need yahoo anyway?
I just did the install of the flash player with the Yahoo! toolbar and it is bundled. There is no separate download. You simply hit the install now button and get one confirmation box for Flash. Yahoo comes along for the ride. If it’s a separate install, it’s one that is initiated without user interaction.
One question that comes to mind is "What possible connection do these two pieces of software share?" I can’t even think of a reason why these two things are together other than a distribution deal. It would be different if the Yahoo! toolbar were some sort of whiz-bang Flash app. You could then make a strong argument for Yahoo! distributing the flash player with downloads of the toolbar.
I personally feel that this has cause considerable damage to the reputation of Flash as a possible enterprise technology platform.
Hopefully, MM will at least change the way the toolbar download is presented.
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