[NOTE] Micro$oft has updated the ActiveX controls for IE on XP

[WilloughbyJackson]

If you got the XP update from this Friday (or so), and you use Internet Explorer, you might notice some of the Flash sites you go to don't seem to respond to you at all unless you click.

That is because Microsoft has changed the ActiveX controls for their browser:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/workshop/a...ng_activex.asp

Notes from Macrobode:
http://www.macromedia.com/devnet/act...devletter.html

Just an FYI. Depending on how you use Flash (or any ActiveX plug-ins), this can be a big deal or this can be not so much a big deal...

Either way, it's annoying.*

-pXw
* SWITCH TO FIREFOX!

[murraymint]

This update affected me this morning!
Be under no illusions, this is going to become a feature of IE going forward so best deal with it now. As much as you want users to switch to other browsers on mass, it just isn't going to happen.

If the Macrobe technotes seem a bit complicated, here's a simplified version of the workaround I put together as I spent all morning changing my pages. Still haven't finished!!

http://www.thinkydinky.com/click_to_...s_control.html

Cheers
Chris

[tomsamson]

Now MS got me officially to the point where i´m into using firefox even for checking out flash content featuring sites (up to now ff wasn´t my favorite for that as flash content runs at a bit weaker performance with it).
good posts mates,will add it to the knowledgebase.

[Gorfiuz]

oh so that was they have done, oh I wonder the hole weekend what was wrong.
thanks for clearing that up. the new thing just ruin everything. Maybe i will stick to firefox as well.

[Ray Beez]

I suppose using PHP won't work, because the browser would think the php output looks like regular HTML?

[WilloughbyJackson]

I suppose using PHP won't work, because the browser would think the php output looks like regular HTML?

Well, off topic speaking, this was a problem for the company I work for because it effects EVERYTHING ranging from Flash, to some PDF webtools, to Quicktime, to even Microsoft's own Windows Media Player.

Any objects created by dynamic ASP seemed to work at first, but for some reason it was unselectable by the user, so they couldn't stop or audio streaming audio.

I'm not sure about pHp.

[tomsamson]

yeah,the update can actually lead to ugly usability for many apps (not just "click here to use.." message but really buggy results). Thanks Microsfot,we love you.

[yellowman]

I would recommend using something like flashObject(http://blog.deconcept.com/flashobject/) when embedding your movies.

We´ve been using that at work for a while(since we first heard about this silly lawsuit). Seems to work pretty good and it gets around this 'problem'...

[Ray Beez]

Thanks Microsfot,we love you.

You mean "thanks US Patent Offfice" for employing a system where instead of "first to market" patents are granted to "first to file". Eolas never created a commercial browser or plugins. They just have a patent. They waited and waited until others were profitable and then they sued.

[Ray Beez]

PS: While we may fix/work-around to get our games running, what happens if we run ads from a network and that particular advertiser doesn't have a work-around?

UGH!

[VENGEANCE MX]

Ah, this is one of the many reasons I love using a Mac. ^_^ Silly M$.

[tomsamson]

You mean "thanks US Patent Offfice" for employing a system where instead of "first to market" patents are granted to "first to file". Eolas never created a commercial browser or plugins. They just have a patent. They waited and waited until others were profitable and then they sued.

no matter if US patent laws are off or Eolas is with how they (ab)use their patent,for me that suit is just an excuse for MS to make all plugin driven stuff behave ugly (which is ideal for them once they release ther rival products with next Windows). Or can you tell me why they can easily afford buying lots of other companies or their products,pay for other patent fees or just a daily penalty because of embedding IE into their OS and not afford this one?
That company that releases apps like Outlook (which suddenly doesn´t work propperly anymore once you reach a mail quota of 2GB and the only way to propperly fix that is to upgradeto their next more expensive software) has often enough proven to me how they treat their users,so well..

PS: While we may fix/work-around to get our games running, what happens if we run ads from a network and that particular advertiser doesn't have a work-around?

UGH!

Up to now my experience with the updae was that while having to click flash content to actually fully enable control etc it doesn´t lead to any bugs/flaws with flash in browser. So with how it treats flash its a big annoyance but not more.

[iopred]

Yellowman has the goods, the way around this is to actually write the object through javascript, works fine, just a pain in the ass.

[Ray Beez]

no matter if US patent laws are off or Eolas is with how they (ab)use their patent,for me that suit is just an excuse for MS to make all plugin driven stuff behave ugly (which is ideal for them once they release ther rival products with next Windows). Or can you tell me why they can easily afford buying lots of other companies or their products,pay for other patent fees or just a daily penalty because of embedding IE into their OS and not afford this one?

I used to think the same you do regarding this very matter. I thought "MS would rather inconvenience the entire IE user base than just pay for the license", but when discussing this over on Slashdot someone made a great point that made me see things differently. I just wish I could remember what it was!

Some small points include:
- Paying for a license could invalidate some of their arguments in defense against the suit, which would also seriously undermine any appeal.
- Why give Eolas more cash to support further lawsuits? That would do no one any good in the long run.

I just wish I could remember what it was that made me go "ah yes, this makes sense now".

[Ray Beez]

PS: I think most of us should be petitioning Macromedia to issue an update to Flash 8 with this javascript solution available as a checkbox option in the HTML Publish panel. I'd much rather my HTML publishing take care of the "fix" than me having to edit my HTML files all the time.

[VENGEANCE MX]

'Course, this jepoardises movie portal submissions a bit. Can't change a web page if it's not on your own server.

[Edit] w00t! 1000th post!

[Ray Beez]

**UPDATE**

Macromedia has an extension for dealing with this:
http://www.macromedia.com/cfusion/kn...fm?id=7c29e252

[bloghogger1]

Whoa, man, thanks for that! I was thinking my lil' brother did something to the computer...

[chriserrorplain]

which update do I need to download to 'break' my IE, as mine is still working fine? (well as fine as IE worked, its the first time I've loaded it in ages, I just need to check some projects)

chris

[tonypa]

which update do I need to download to 'break' my IE, as mine is still working fine? (well as fine as IE worked, its the first time I've loaded it in ages, I just need to check some projects)

MS released update to Windows this week. I think its called "Security Update for Windows XP (KB908531)".