flash

[BeardyDragon]

ok, in the post edit and making thing, there is / [list]/ and the such, so what is [flash]/?

 

[Livey]

Videos i think??
But im not positive x

 

[Goonie]

[Moved from General to Website Comments]

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Where do you see the [flash] tag?? I see . . .
"", "", "", "

", "

", "[list]", "[list=]", "[*]", "[img]", and "[url]", but no "[flash]".

 

[BeardyDragon]

theres a thingy that says "[flash] is OFF" where it says:

BBCode is ON
is ON
[flash] is OFF
[url] is ON
Smilies are ON

 

[beardie]

No flash. That is correct. While many people think it's the most wonderful thing in the world, this is my view:

1. I see VERY little need that people need to embed Flash applications or videos into a bearded dragon forum.

2. Flash is EVIL! Okay... maybe a little strong, but let me point out my view as an information security professional (what I do for a living). Flash (along with Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat, which technically have a LOT of the same programming code used across the different applications) is one of the BIGGEST reasons Malware is spread. Viruses, trojans, etc... Flash is a HUGE cause. Why? Because it enables a website (ANY WEBSITE) to technically run code on your computer. Under normal circumstances, that code is relatively limited and contained.... except... there are CONSTANTLY vulnerabilities in Flash (one new one just this week, possibly 2) that can result in an attacker running whatever they want on your computer! Usually this means your computer (along with the other half of average joe users on the Internet, not really aware of how hostile an environment the Internet actually is when it comes to viruses and worms, and personal and financial stealing programs running on computers you didn't want it to) ends up being part of a botnet. Maybe it's used to commit financial fraud on someone else (using your computer), or maybe just to send 500,000 spam emails a day (this is actually a common number; I've seen it first hand on some company computers), or maybe they're just waiting and gathering data quietly, shipping off your passwords, financial account logins, facebook account logins, etc... or maybe they're just staying quiet... staying on your computer and not doing much other than waiting for instructions.

Okay... I know.... sounds big and scary... but it's the reality of the Internet these days.

So, that's just a long way of explaining why I decided "no Flash".

-Alex

 

[beardie]

Oh... heh. And to answer the actual question...

Flash is video primarily. It's also how many websites make things more interactive on websites sometimes (the highly animated stuff that responds to your mouse interactions). Generally also if a site as audio embedded into a page, they're often using Flash to do it. So, it's an audio/video platform for web pages, basically. Most movie, band, and photography websites these days seem to all be flashed based.

I'm not totally against the use of Flash, but it's a serious security hole (more for Windows, but also for Macs). And allowing other people to embed Flash here, makes it so an attacker could use this site to infect people's computers if they happen to link to an exploiting Flash video/application.

-Alex