FLASH: Javascript and IE Mac

[Gahlord Dewald]

On 10/5/00 at 9:58 AM, Truth and Beauty <

amsfusionstudios [dot] net

> wrote:


> Hey Gahlord,

> 

> Can you talk a bit more about your comment

> that you "lose MAC IE" users with javascript?

> I am going to do the tutorials you suggested

> but I was curious about your insight.



Truth (or beauty or both),


First principles:

1  I use IE on a Mac as my primary surfing browser.


5  So do a lot of other people.


10 The beauty of javascript is that it's client-side. This means that when the 

   visitor does something, there is an immediate response; no going back to the 

   server, waiting for some processing time, then sending back to the browser.


20 For javascript to communicate with Flash there needs to be some sort of 

   conduit or protocol. For netscape this is called swLiveConnect. For IE this 

   is done through ActiveX controls. IE for the Mac doesn't have ActiveX. And 

   it's implementation of javascript is tweaky (_especially_ IE 4.5).


30 Normal, everyday Javascript without any talking to Flash or whatever works 

   fine on IE on the Mac (or as fine as anywhere else anyway).

   

35 Variables can be passed to swfs as they load by changing the movie name 

   parameter to include the variable strings (see my previous posts). This 

   method does not need javascript or anything else. But its interactivity is 

   limited to passing variables only when a new swf loads.

   

Further thoughts:


40 If you want Flash to interact with a page of DHTML you will need to pass 

   variables between the two.


50 Since there is no ActiveX on IE Mac, Flash can't talk back to the DHTML, nor 

   can the DHTML (javascript) talk to the swf.


En Summa:


60 Including IE Mac users in an interactive environment relying on javascript 

   and Flash will result in cognitive dissonance.




Further reading:

Hit the Moock IE Mac bugs page. It rocks. It will answer most any other question

related to this issue. 


Further commentary and asides:

This issue is the result of a great number of real world variables: Microsoft

building ActiveX into their OS, the lack of a protocol to support

plug-in/browser communication and the resulting hacks developed by both major

browser makers, the demise of netscape as a viable or useful browser (especially

on the Mac in later releases), etc.


hth,

g







Gahlord Dewald

Weeds Media Consortium

Hoops of Fire. Dancing Bears.

Interactive Designers.

http://www.weedsmedia.com


v: 802.658.4267 x 1

f: 800.863.9606

e:

gahlordweedsmedia [dot] com

Weeds Media Consortium

416 Pine Street

Burlington, VT 05401

USA




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