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Microsoft will be making changes to IE early next year that will cause problem for anyone with Flash, QT or Java content, I'm doomed :(
Microsoft was found to be in breach of patent in regard to embedding and auto initiating plugins and Eolas was awarded £521m. Unfortunately if they want to continue using these methods of embedding and auto initiating they will have to pay a license fee. As IE is free this obviously isn't an option for Microsoft so changes are being made.
This all leaves many hours of many hours of Changes [dmxzone.com] needed by webmasters. Unless these changes are made it looks like a dialogue box will appear every time certain content is accessed.
Building a site that relies heavily on plugins alienates those users who cannot or will not install such software on their computer. Already, browsing a page that utilises ActiveX with Internet Explorer triggers a wave of warning dialog boxes if the security settings preclude the technology's use. Pestering a user into allowing the plugin is not a good way to win custom.
Many users prefer to browse the web without repeatedly being assaulted by plugins. The content of any page should be immediately available to a low-bandwidth or disabled user. We accept usage of images to enhance the look of a page without comment, but even these can raise a user's blood pressure when used without consideration. Who among us has not encountered advertisements that flash, jiggle and deceive for the sake of attention? Who has propagated such idiocy? Almost all users are interested in content, not glitz, not animation, and certainly not arrestingly tasteless background music.
This is not an appeal for blandness -- the CSS Zen Garden [csszengarden.com] shows us that accessible artwork is possible without plugins -- but it is an appeal for greater restraint. If a user wishes to see an instructive animation, they can and will click on a hyperlink. If they wish to see a video clip, or listen to some music, they will gladly request it -- using their preferred media player, and making their own judgement on the suitability such content for themselves and their environment as they do so.
Think twice, then, before hacking at your elegantly crafted plugin-laden page. Can I read your content without the plugin, or am I unwelcome on your site?
