[thelist] ASP + Flash detection?

[aardvark]

> From: "Flavia Silveira-Tarzwell (FayeC)" <fayec at canada.com>
[...] 
> My associate and I have been discussing the pros and cons about using
> Flash on the company's site. He argues that we would be excluding a
> lot of would-be clients from seeing our site. I argue that the numbers
> are not that big and that we look kind of outdated by not using at
> least a little bit of Flash on the site (i.e. navigation or funky

well, you would exclude me... i've set my security settings at work 
to not play Flash... at home, i've done the same, but the 33.6 
connection makes it necessary (that and the fact that this machine 
is a P133 that's over 5 years old and is always running at least 8 
other applications -- it probably couldn't run the Flash without 
chunking horribly)...

also, configuration issues pop up... just because you may have 
users on all NN4+ and IE4+, who are supposed to have Flash by 
default, doesn't mean they have the right version, or won't get 
prompted to install it... hell, when i do have it enabled, a lot of sites 
ask me to install it again, and i have the 5.0 plug-in...

i also disagree that you'd look out-of-date... if anything, not having 
an accessible site, considering all the laws and press of the last 
few months, would make you look out-of-date...

> animation). I told him that we had the option of creating two sites
> and then including a flash player detection on the flash site and in
> case one didn't have the player then one would be seemlessly taken to

well, if you like doing twice the work, sure... build two sites... but 
that seems kind of silly, now, doesn't it?  why would you want to 
do that?

> the html site instead... He said it would be too much trouble and that
> we should do it using Flash (IF no player THEN load javascript/img

using Flash to detect Flash is my preferred way to do it... default to 
non-Flash, but let a Flash movie move the user along for those who 
have it...

> navigation...) Now I have 2 questions... #1 - What is the percentage
> of ppeople out there still using 3.0/or non-flash enabled browsers and
> how bad it would be to have a Flash site (only). Bear in mind that

the client is irrelevent... print/web design doesn't automatically 
mean that qualifies them for anything... the *user* base is, 
however, relevent...

as for percentages, i can't tell you that, you need to look at your 
own logs and make some assumptions based on inadequate 
date... Macromedia will tell you most users have it... my own 
experience will suggest that maybe 3/4 of users of many of my 
sites have it... now you need to see how many users of your site 
will have it... not having that information in advance is a pretty poor 
way to embark on a project like this...

> it's a web/print design company. #2 - How can I include a flash player
> detection in ASP?

well, ASP doesn't do that on its own... you need some sort of 
client-side work to get the info, and then pass it on... and given 
how IE for the Mac doesn't offer plug-in info, it seems kind of 
pointless...

that being said, go to 
http://browserhawk.com/products/bhawk/new.asp and see if their 
BrowserHawk utility can help... it requires some negotiation 
between the browser and server, and it allows you to use ASP to 
manipulate the info you get (like plug-in detection)...