Apple's graphics team to get boost....

[gandalf55]

plugin architecture has something to do with this as well. how the plugin works with the browser. hence Omniweb plays a little faster.

Microsoft could be to blame here, for their IE browser for Mac doesn't have the plugin architecture to blaze flash content. go figure - they want you to use a PC

also, the Altivec units on a Mac I heard are not optimal.

Many factors in this, but truth be told, macs != pcs in the speed dept for flash playback.

*STILL better than powerpoint though. powerpoint is mankind's bane.

 

[bousozoku]

Re: Flash on Mac Slow as HELL

Originally posted by julzmon
I'm a flash designer and many other guys that I know have bailed ship. Flash on Mac is at a critical state I think. It is incredibly and embarrassedly slow. Try to view a high end Flash site on your Mac and then view it on a PC and be amazed on how smooth it all runs. The creation tool same thing. Flash MX is buggy and runs slow on OS X. Yes I do have to get a faster computer but I'm waiting for the second revision of the next generation of G4.
I think its both Apple's and Macromedia's fault. They need to do something ASAP!
Also notice how much faster Flash runs on Omniweb. I would use that browser all the time if they had support for the very basic elements of websites (like CSS support rollovers and iFrames)

I have not bailed ship yet but it has been tempting to just get some cheep PC so I can do my job at a normal pace and see what the animation looks like to the 90% of the people normally.

Frustrated,
Julz

I think you've just hit upon something talking about OmniWeb. Since there's no Carbon in OmniWeb and it's all over the place in Flash, that's probably the culprit. You should expect to see great things out of Flash and Jaguar together.

 

[Fukui]

Compilers Compilers Compilers...

The problem with flash is two fold, and doesn't just affect speed problems in flash.

1) Compilers for PPC, specifically GCC is not as tight as the ones for X86.

2) Performance optimization techniques in coding are probably more geared toward X86, as most PC users use that chip...

Apple needs to get behind GCC and push IBM or MOTO to do better compiler work on GCC etc...

 

[Foocha]

er... Altivec is great for handling vectors - that's what it's there for! I doubt that Flash has been written to fully exploit its potential on the Mac. There's just not enough in it for Macromedia to do a good job of a Flash plugin for Mac. The PC version is much, much faster. No doubt. But that's an issue with Macromedia rather than Mac hardware, I suspect.

 

[Choppaface]

Originally posted by iGAV


I stand completely by my statement...... a coded animation will run better than a timeline based version........... can you point out what wasn't true in my statement???

why don't you just show us then? make a full screen gradient flyby using the timeline, then code your own, code the tween, and keep a note of their total play times and fps for each, and post the movies.

my experience has been that machines have even more trouble doing actionscript than animation, especially with more demanding scripts. I could usually get very similar quality animation on my G3 and G4, yet the G3 was very noticeably slower running some scripts that did heavy sorting and lots of sting comparisons....

 

[w2lucas]

Working for Apple/Steve Jobs is fun because you get to see the new stuff before the general public and, to a certain extent, rumor sites. Working for Apple/Steve Jobs is stressful because you're working for Apple/Steve Jobs.

Flash MX is slow on a Mac because MM has been working with their partner, Intel, to optmized the MX line for Pentium 4 processors. I am quiet dissapointed with the decision as it effectively cripple a demographic that was instrumental in the rise of Macromedia. If anyone here works for MM . . . let this travel back to 600 Townsend and that new building on De Haro.

 

[iGav]

Originally posted by Choppaface

why don't you just show us then? make a full screen gradient flyby using the timeline, then code your own, code the tween, and keep a note of their total play times and fps for each, and post the movies.

my experience has been that machines have even more trouble doing actionscript than animation, especially with more demanding scripts. I could usually get very similar quality animation on my G3 and G4, yet the G3 was very noticeably slower running some scripts that did heavy sorting and lots of sting comparisons....

Well it depends on the efficiency of your code..... if it's inefficient then obviously performance will be affected...... not to suggest that your Actionscripting is bad or anything you understand.......

In my experience of programming in both Lingo and Actionscript, a well coded project whether it be for web or disc based deployment will be (much, much) leaner on file size than an equivialent timeline base animation, and I'm talking about a project alittle larger than just doing a simple tweened animation and a gradient change, the file size will become more pronounced the greater the complexity of the project.......

And no.... I'm not going to prove myself

 

[benjaminpg]

I saw the new iMac and iPod pamphlets today. They're much different than the old ones. the most notable difference is that they are a much different format. First of all they are constructed as a booklet, versus the old ones which were constructed like a brochure. I think there are four pages, front and back. In addition they use the new font apple is starting to use; i forgot it's name. They are also slightly larger than the old ones. All in all they seem nicer. I wonder if this new position has already been filled. They do not, however use aqua, as somebody suggested they might, which is a good thing.

 

[iGav]

Originally posted by benjaminpg
I saw the new iMac and iPod pamphlets today. They're much different than the old ones. the most notable difference is that they are a much different format. First of all they are constructed as a booklet, versus the old ones which were constructed like a brochure. I think there are four pages, front and back. In addition they use the new font apple is starting to use; i forgot it's name. They are also slightly larger than the old ones. All in all they seem nicer. I wonder if this new position has already been filled. They do not, however use aqua, as somebody suggested they might, which is a good thing.

Sounds cool....... Apple seem to be on a very mild design overhaul at the moment, especially the website, what with reducing the amounts of Aqua and seemingly going with a super minimal ice'd look that I really like........

I have no idea if the position has been filled at Apple, although I would have thought that it probably has been....... maybe we might notice a big change in Steve's keynotes from now on......

Apple have always had a very strong design identity, arguably more so than any other company Sony included....... so I can't wait to see how Apple's graphic design evolves over the coming year.........

Hopefully the profile of their graphics department will get similar respect in the design community as their industrial product design department currently commands.......

 

[gandalf55]

again, speed? blame Microsoft's IE. Blame Apple's buggy pseudo-Altivec. Apple procs dont have the ability to process the same kind of data @ the same speeds that PCs do. trust me, i wish this wasn't the case. this isn't a new issue and MM has done A LOT to support mac users. they can't however make Microsoft better ensure optimal plugin support on a mac. they also can't dictate to Moto and IBM how to make their procs. they worked their ass off to get the speeds we have now.

i'm loyal as anyone. but this isn't macromedia's fault. it has to do with a few outside factors. maybe the g5 or the 64b g4 will have some improvements. but again, IE itself doesnt have the best plugin support for macs.

 

[mmmdreg]

Originally posted by Beej
I've always thought the quality of Apple's brocures, packaging etc was top-notch...

Apple were sending OSX brochures (booklet thingo) around here (Sydney) once and we got two in two weeks...and the second time, the outside cover was completely upside down which sort of stuffed the whole thing but anyway...at least the design was unique

 

[gandalf55]

i was in a supermarket - and they were giving away AOL CDs with 1025 hours free, etc. Get this, the packaging is all photographic leopard spots - and the CD itself 1/2 printed with leopard spots. it looks SO MUCH LIKE the jaguar branding Apple had come up with. Same idea. I mean, AOL didn't even have verbage anywhere explaining why the leopard spot treatment... of course, they could have just printed this on the back, in the fine print:

"We saw Apple do this and we thought it was cool, so we did it too."

BTW - saw the eMac @ the apple store (northshore mall) in boston... pretty ugly but i guess its fine for kids & seeing those in public libraries would be better than a row of peecees.