Why is there special treatment for Macromedia?

[Opticreep]

This has been bugging me for a few years now:

What the heck makes Macromedia so special such that PC users are
PROHIBITED from uninstalling or disabling it? The goddamn thing is
practically an adware virus, IMHO. Once it's installed in a computer,
it constantly hijacks your computer without permission. You cannot
disable it without hacking into the registry. 9 times out of 10, it
is only used for annoying advertisements that waste your internet
bandwidth and your time, as you sit there being forced to sit through
the entire advertisement. Not "stop" or "close" button, sorry! It's
not uncommon for mainstream macromedia ads even maliciously follows
you around as you try to scroll past it.

Macromedia is just about the most malicious software that hasn't been
classified as a virus yet. I really don't give a rat's ass if
Macromedia manages to be genuinely useful in 1 out of 10 instances,
because it's goddamn annoying in those *other* 9 instances.

And the thing that irks me about Macromedia is that there's no
"official" way to either disable, or uninstall, it from Windows. What
the heck makes Macrodemia so special that makes them enjoy this
special treatment from Microsoft Windows? Seriously?!? 99.99% of
programs I install into windows can be uninstalled. Why the special
treatment for Macromedia?

 

[Peter]

Macromedia Flash and Shockwave per se are by no means spyware, and are
perfectly safe. They are essential to view most web pages these days. You
obviously have downloaded something that's piggy-backing on a flash object.
Suggest running Adaware SE, CWShredder and Spybot Search & Destroy plus a
good firewall and virus check would help.

 

[Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]]

This has been bugging me for a few years now:

What the heck makes Macromedia so special such that PC users are
PROHIBITED from uninstalling or disabling it? The goddamn thing is
practically an adware virus, IMHO. Once it's installed in a computer,
it constantly hijacks your computer without permission. You cannot
disable it without hacking into the registry. 9 times out of 10, it
is only used for annoying advertisements that waste your internet
bandwidth and your time, as you sit there being forced to sit through
the entire advertisement. Not "stop" or "close" button, sorry! It's
not uncommon for mainstream macromedia ads even maliciously follows
you around as you try to scroll past it.

Macromedia is just about the most malicious software that hasn't been
classified as a virus yet. I really don't give a rat's ass if
Macromedia manages to be genuinely useful in 1 out of 10 instances,
because it's goddamn annoying in those *other* 9 instances.

And the thing that irks me about Macromedia is that there's no
"official" way to either disable, or uninstall, it from Windows. What
the heck makes Macrodemia so special that makes them enjoy this
special treatment from Microsoft Windows? Seriously?!? 99.99% of
programs I install into windows can be uninstalled. Why the special
treatment for Macromedia?

I personally don't install it because although it can be nice to use, I have
yet to figure out how to prevent flash-based ads popping up in IE.

 

[Phil]

I'm not sure what you're talking about, but flash has never bothered me
once. Many times you can right click on the movie and control it to your
liking. Many flash ads can be blocked as well with the right config. It is
not adware or spyware just because you allow it to bother you. There are
plenty of ways to uninstall it. Some manual and some automatic. Here are
some unistall links to get you going. A simple 10 second search on google
found these:
http://www.sharewareconnection.com/dmf.htm
http://weblogz.org/ehaugsjaa/how_to_uninstall_flash.htm
http://www.macromedia.com/support/flashcom/ts/documents/uninstall.htm
http://www.ozoneasylum.com/4999

 

[Wesley Vogel]

Macromedia Flash is totally annoying to me. This works for me. ;-)

SpywareBlaster | Tools | Flash Killer |
Disable and block Macromedia Flash (4.x, 5.x, 6.x) in Internet Explorer

[[Flash Killer: Macromedia Flash can be used to display animated interfaces
on websites, animations, and other "Flash" content. Unfortunately,
advertisers have begun to use Flash as a method for creating annoying and
distracting content. And some users that wish to keep Flash off of their
computers altogether have found it troublesome to prevent every website that
uses Flash from installing it. Flash Killer can set the kill bit for the
Macromedia Flash control (versions 4.x, 5.x, or 6.x) - preventing the
installation completely and disabling it if it is already installed.
Reversing this procedure is easy. ]]

 

[Guest]

This has been bugging me for a few years now:

What the heck makes Macromedia so special such that PC users are
PROHIBITED from uninstalling or disabling it? The goddamn thing is

Because they pay Microsoft to include it.

You can disable it by using IE's 'manage add-ons'. (Previous versions could
be done other ways. Through the temp net files, settings, view objects. I
think....)

Or you can go to Macromedia's web site and download a utility to completely
remove flash.

And, of course, you need to adjust your browser settings to prevent it (and
other activeX controls) from installing and/or running.

practically an adware virus, IMHO. Once it's installed in a computer,

I fully agree with your attitude.

Technically it's not spyware, but it sure is a PITA.

Actually a lot of people dislike flash. Most people just don't realize that
it's flash because they are too stupid to realize the difference between a
regular web page and flash. They just assume it's the web page itself.

And study after study has shown that flash web pages are consistantly less
navigatable, less friendly, less useful than a regular web page.

And the thing that irks me about Macromedia is that there's no
"official" way to either disable, or uninstall, it from Windows. What

Sure there is. But you have to hunt for it on Macromedia's support page.
It's hard to find.

http://www.macromedia.com/support/flash/ts/documents/remove_player.htm

There's also a util for the shockwave player.

And if you hunt hard enough, you can find the standalone installers for both
of those.

the heck makes Macrodemia so special that makes them enjoy this
special treatment from Microsoft Windows? Seriously?!? 99.99% of

Because they pay Microsoft. Microsoft always listens to money when the
company isn't a direct competitor.

 

[Guest]

Macromedia Flash is totally annoying to me. This works for me. ;-)

Or you can go into the 'manage add-ons' and disable it there. (Older
versions could do it other ways.)

Or just uninstall it using Macromedia's own tool to do it.

[[Flash Killer: Macromedia Flash can be used to display animated
interfaces
on websites, animations, and other "Flash" content. Unfortunately,
advertisers have begun to use Flash as a method for creating annoying and
distracting content. And some users that wish to keep Flash off of their
computers altogether have found it troublesome to prevent every website
that
uses Flash from installing it. Flash Killer can set the kill bit for the

Not hard at all to prevent it... You just need to increase your browser
settings.

After all, if Flash can install, then so can spyware, trojans, etc.

Most people never think to actually look at the browser security setttings,
and the advanced settings tab.

 

[Guest]

Macromedia Flash is totally annoying to me. This works for me. ;-)

Or you can go into the 'manage add-ons' and disable it there. (Older
versions could do it other ways.)

Or just uninstall it using Macromedia's own tool to do it.

[[Flash Killer: Macromedia Flash can be used to display animated
interfaces
on websites, animations, and other "Flash" content. Unfortunately,
advertisers have begun to use Flash as a method for creating annoying and
distracting content. And some users that wish to keep Flash off of their
computers altogether have found it troublesome to prevent every website
that
uses Flash from installing it. Flash Killer can set the kill bit for the

Not hard at all to prevent it... You just need to increase your browser
settings.

After all, if Flash can install, then so can spyware, trojans, etc.

Most people never think to actually look at the browser security setttings,
and the advanced settings tab.

 

[Phil]

Ya, you remember, I used to be a big flash user/developer, but haven't done
that in a few years. But I still think it's a great technology for streaming
videos and audio on webpages and for making the sites "pop" more than text
and gif websites. For someone who doesn't know code, flash is a great
alternative to create a great website with.

 

[R. McCarty]

Shockwave Flash can be disabled by settings it's ActiveX compatibility
Flag to 400 (Hexadecimal, value of 0 re-enables it). Log-off and back
on, then use the following to test that Shockwave is "Disabled".
http://static.kdenews.org/mirrors/malte.homeip.net/base.html
If Shockwave is off, the test box will be blank with a single Red place
holder shown. I just don't care for Shockwave content. In fact I turn
off IE animations and sounds as well. Some web pages overdo it &
they remind me of the "Whack-A-Mole" games.

Macromedia Flash is totally annoying to me. This works for me. ;-)

Or you can go into the 'manage add-ons' and disable it there. (Older
versions could do it other ways.)

Or just uninstall it using Macromedia's own tool to do it.

[[Flash Killer: Macromedia Flash can be used to display animated
interfaces
on websites, animations, and other "Flash" content. Unfortunately,
advertisers have begun to use Flash as a method for creating annoying and
distracting content. And some users that wish to keep Flash off of their
computers altogether have found it troublesome to prevent every website
that
uses Flash from installing it. Flash Killer can set the kill bit for the

Not hard at all to prevent it... You just need to increase your browser
settings.

After all, if Flash can install, then so can spyware, trojans, etc.

Most people never think to actually look at the browser security
setttings, and the advanced settings tab.




----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet
News==----
http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! >100,000
Newsgroups

 

[Michael Solomon \(MS-MVP\)]

And now that broadband is much more widely available I'm not so opposed to
pages with all that animation...Of course the ads I could do without!

 

[Guest]

Ya, you remember, I used to be a big flash user/developer, but haven't
done that in a few years. But I still think it's a great technology for
streaming videos and audio on webpages and for making the sites "pop" more
than text

You don't really need flash to do any streaming. Unless you want very low
quality stuff, or very low frame rates, more like a picture slide show.

Unless, of course, you are talking more about doing animations etc.

and gif websites. For someone who doesn't know code, flash is a great
alternative to create a great website with.

And unfortunately, it's also a great way for "someone who doesn't know code"
to create a website that is significantly less useful than a more
traditional website.

It takes far more experience, skill, and effort to create a useful flash web
site than it does a regular website.

Flash is, well, 'flashy'. It's main goal is to look pretty.

Usability is not even in its vocabulary.

Pick a hundred flash based web sites and more than 90% of them will have
significant usability problems.

Then throw in all the stuff advertisers are doing, and there's no good
reason to even have flash installed anymore.

 

[Guest]

Shockwave Flash can be disabled by settings it's ActiveX compatibility

I assume you mean Shockwave and/or Flash.... Those two are different
things.

Flag to 400 (Hexadecimal, value of 0 re-enables it). Log-off and back

Yeah, you can do those sorts of hacks.

But why bother, when there are already several 'official' ways to do it?

And if you want to, you can uninstall them completely so you don't have to
even have it installed.

on, then use the following to test that Shockwave is "Disabled".
http://static.kdenews.org/mirrors/malte.homeip.net/base.html
If Shockwave is off, the test box will be blank with a single Red place
holder shown. I just don't care for Shockwave content. In fact I turn
off IE animations and sounds as well. Some web pages overdo it &
they remind me of the "Whack-A-Mole" games.

I too turn that stuff off.

 

[R. McCarty]

With SP2 and the ability to permanently opt out of a specific Add-on,
I suppose you are right about even having it installed. I just disabled it
that way from habit. If fact it's been a while since I checked on Add-ons
and should probably review the settings and track what is installed.

 

[Guest]

-----Original Message-----
for making the sites "pop" more than text
and gif websites.

They almost always "pop" me right off the site ;-)

 

[Phil]

Ya I have to agree the flash ads that you just can't stop can be annoying.

 

[Wesley Vogel]

No need to test the damn thing. I know it's off.

[[Many of the rich-media features of Comcast.net require the Macromedia
Flash Player version 6 or higher. For the best experience, we suggest you
download this free software. Please click on the button below to download
the latest version.]]

rich-media features... Hah! Irritating horse apples is what it is.

IE animations and sounds are turned off here also. If I want to watch
cartoons, I'll turn on the TV.

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.
Wes

In

Shockwave Flash can be disabled by settings it's ActiveX compatibility
Flag to 400 (Hexadecimal, value of 0 re-enables it). Log-off and back
on, then use the following to test that Shockwave is "Disabled".
http://static.kdenews.org/mirrors/malte.homeip.net/base.html
If Shockwave is off, the test box will be blank with a single Red
place holder shown. I just don't care for Shockwave content. In fact
I turn off IE animations and sounds as well. Some web pages overdo it
&
they remind me of the "Whack-A-Mole" games.

Macromedia Flash is totally annoying to me. This works for me. ;-)

Or you can go into the 'manage add-ons' and disable it there. (Older
versions could do it other ways.)

Or just uninstall it using Macromedia's own tool to do it.

[[Flash Killer: Macromedia Flash can be used to display animated
interfaces
on websites, animations, and other "Flash" content. Unfortunately,
advertisers have begun to use Flash as a method for creating
annoying and distracting content. And some users that wish to keep
Flash off of their computers altogether have found it troublesome
to prevent every website that
uses Flash from installing it. Flash Killer can set the kill bit
for the

Not hard at all to prevent it... You just need to increase your
browser settings.

After all, if Flash can install, then so can spyware, trojans, etc.

Most people never think to actually look at the browser security
setttings, and the advanced settings tab.




----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet
News==----
http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!

100,000 Newsgroups

 

[R. McCarty]

Cartoons, Good One - Flash is Web content for Attention deficit disorder.

No need to test the damn thing. I know it's off.

[[Many of the rich-media features of Comcast.net require the Macromedia
Flash Player version 6 or higher. For the best experience, we suggest you
download this free software. Please click on the button below to download
the latest version.]]

rich-media features... Hah! Irritating horse apples is what it is.

IE animations and sounds are turned off here also. If I want to watch
cartoons, I'll turn on the TV.

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.
Wes

In

Shockwave Flash can be disabled by settings it's ActiveX compatibility
Flag to 400 (Hexadecimal, value of 0 re-enables it). Log-off and back
on, then use the following to test that Shockwave is "Disabled".
http://static.kdenews.org/mirrors/malte.homeip.net/base.html
If Shockwave is off, the test box will be blank with a single Red
place holder shown. I just don't care for Shockwave content. In fact
I turn off IE animations and sounds as well. Some web pages overdo it
&
they remind me of the "Whack-A-Mole" games.

Macromedia Flash is totally annoying to me. This works for me. ;-)

Or you can go into the 'manage add-ons' and disable it there. (Older
versions could do it other ways.)

Or just uninstall it using Macromedia's own tool to do it.

[[Flash Killer: Macromedia Flash can be used to display animated
interfaces
on websites, animations, and other "Flash" content. Unfortunately,
advertisers have begun to use Flash as a method for creating
annoying and distracting content. And some users that wish to keep
Flash off of their computers altogether have found it troublesome
to prevent every website that
uses Flash from installing it. Flash Killer can set the kill bit
for the

Not hard at all to prevent it... You just need to increase your
browser settings.

After all, if Flash can install, then so can spyware, trojans, etc.

Most people never think to actually look at the browser security
setttings, and the advanced settings tab.




----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet
News==----
http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!
100,000 Newsgroups

 

[Phil]

You don't really need flash to do any streaming. Unless you want
very low quality stuff, or very low frame rates, more like a picture slide
show.
Unless, of course, you are talking more about doing animations etc.

Ya I meant animations and "movies" as flash calls them. Shouldn't of said
video.

And unfortunately, it's also a great way for "someone who doesn't
know code" to create a website that is significantly less useful than a
more
traditional website.

It takes far more experience, skill, and effort to create a useful
flash web site than it does a regular website.

Flash is, well, 'flashy'. It's main goal is to look pretty.

Usability is not even in its vocabulary.

Pick a hundred flash based web sites and more than 90% of them will
have significant usability problems.

Then throw in all the stuff advertisers are doing, and there's no good
reason to even have flash installed anymore.

Ya I agree. But that's a problem that isn't just with flash stuff, it's
websites and even computers in general. Marketing has degraded computers and
websites to appliances and making people think that everyone needs a website
to show their pics no one cares about. Imo, as I stated many times before,
computers and advanced things they do should be left to the experts. If you
can't learn to use it right, don't use it at all. If you aren't a digital
artist or multimedia developer then you don't need to use flash on your
personal website. When amateurs start doing stuff that only experts should
do then you get crappy websites. And yes I agree most flash sites do suck,
but that's not because of flash, it's because marketing has convinced users
that they can create a site with it too, and these users haven't a clue on
how to copy and paste let alone how to make a site, so you get crappy sites.
A true expert in digital media or artistry can create some of the best
working and best looking sites I have ever seen. Check out www.gabocorp.com
for examples of what an expert can do with it. Just because users don't know
how to use it doesn't mean it crappy technology. Marketing is the problem,
not flash. If you want to use flash on a site, then learn to use it
correctly so your site isn't hard to use or don't use it at all. I always
say, if you can't cook, get out of the kitchen.

 

[Wesley Vogel]

<ROTFL>

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.
Wes

In

Cartoons, Good One - Flash is Web content for Attention deficit
disorder.

No need to test the damn thing. I know it's off.

[[Many of the rich-media features of Comcast.net require the
Macromedia Flash Player version 6 or higher. For the best
experience, we suggest you download this free software. Please click
on the button below to download the latest version.]]

rich-media features... Hah! Irritating horse apples is what it is.

IE animations and sounds are turned off here also. If I want to
watch cartoons, I'll turn on the TV.

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.
Wes

In

Shockwave Flash can be disabled by settings it's ActiveX
compatibility Flag to 400 (Hexadecimal, value of 0 re-enables it).
Log-off and back on, then use the following to test that Shockwave
is "Disabled".
http://static.kdenews.org/mirrors/malte.homeip.net/base.html
If Shockwave is off, the test box will be blank with a single Red
place holder shown. I just don't care for Shockwave content. In fact
I turn off IE animations and sounds as well. Some web pages overdo
it &
they remind me of the "Whack-A-Mole" games.

Macromedia Flash is totally annoying to me. This works for me.
;-)

Or you can go into the 'manage add-ons' and disable it there.
(Older versions could do it other ways.)

Or just uninstall it using Macromedia's own tool to do it.

[[Flash Killer: Macromedia Flash can be used to display animated
interfaces
on websites, animations, and other "Flash" content. Unfortunately,
advertisers have begun to use Flash as a method for creating
annoying and distracting content. And some users that wish to keep
Flash off of their computers altogether have found it troublesome
to prevent every website that
uses Flash from installing it. Flash Killer can set the kill bit
for the

Not hard at all to prevent it... You just need to increase your
browser settings.

After all, if Flash can install, then so can spyware, trojans, etc.

Most people never think to actually look at the browser security
setttings, and the advanced settings tab.




----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure
Usenet News==----
http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!
100,000 Newsgroups
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