Is MacroMedia Flash a webbug?

[pheloxi]

I am curious if MacroMedia Flash is like webbug sofware creature.

If web site has MacroMedia Flash it looks like to check it each
time your visit if you have lastest version?

Does it know wich Web site you come from?

[jarnex]

It probably does - you probably already noticed (unless they took it down)
that at flash.com, Macromedia has a counter along the lines of "x00,000,000
current users of Flash plugin!" - sure they may be counting downloads (which
kinda blows in the first place beacuse it's one of those dodgy web installs)
but I think it's reporting information back to Macromedia. Want to have a
further look? Goto Regedit and find the keys under HKLM/Software/Macromedia
and HKCU/Software/Macromedia - you'll find a main Shockwave/Flash key with
all sorts of interesting info in there.. my one even has a number of
mouseclicks I've pressed in Flash animations.

As for which web site you came from, that's kind of a moot point because all
browsers have referrer logging by default so the webserver already knows
where you came from (unless you use a local proxy or Opera).

Cheers

"pheloxi" <phe...@strakmail.com> wrote in message
news:dPh2FTYz...@colossus.SMG...

[DennyK]

If Flash irritates you, just uninstall it... ;) Use Netscape or Mozilla
and rename the npswf32.dll file in your Plugins folder to npswf32.old.
Voila...no more Flash! If you really have to see a site with Flash or
view a Flash animation, just use IE, or rename the .old to .dll again.

As far as I'm concerned, Flash should never ever EVER be used except
tucked away behind a nice clean HTML page with a link that says "Click
here to watch our Flash animation." Flash splash screens (and splash
screens in general) are pointless and a waste of bandwidth. Flash splash
screens with NO HTML "Skip Intro" link are the second-worst Flash sin.
The worse Flash sin is designing any essential part of your web site in
Flash only without providing an HTML alternative. Web designers who do
that should be punished by having their fingers permanently fused to the
keyboard of a Mac Classic with a 300 baud modem, and then stranded on a
deserted island where their only link to the outside world is their own
Flash-based web site... ;)

DennyK

[Vip]

"DennyK" <sp...@is.bad> wrote in message news:3AE6F04F...@is.bad...

| If Flash irritates you, just uninstall it... ;) Use Netscape or Mozilla
| and rename the npswf32.dll file in your Plugins folder to npswf32.old.
| Voila...no more Flash! If you really have to see a site with Flash or
| view a Flash animation, just use IE, or rename the .old to .dll again.
|
| As far as I'm concerned, Flash should never ever EVER be used except
| tucked away behind a nice clean HTML page with a link that says "Click
| here to watch our Flash animation." Flash splash screens (and splash
| screens in general) are pointless and a waste of bandwidth. Flash splash
| screens with NO HTML "Skip Intro" link are the second-worst Flash sin.
| The worse Flash sin is designing any essential part of your web site in
| Flash only without providing an HTML alternative. Web designers who do
| that should be punished by having their fingers permanently fused to the
| keyboard of a Mac Classic with a 300 baud modem, and then stranded on a
| deserted island where their only link to the outside world is their own
| Flash-based web site... ;)
|
| DennyK
|

rotflmao! - I was laughing out aloud even before we came to the desert
island rejoinder! And i thought I would grow up and be a cool Flash
designer! not after your post !

[pheloxi]