ClickToFlash

ClickToFlash plugin or ClickToFlash extension

 

Re: ClickToFlash...and more ★★★★★

For me, ClickToFlash really rejuvenated how Safari worked for me. I wouldn't use Safari without it...whatever version you choose is probably fine.

However, I really don't use Safari anymore. It's just not secure and even with the Extensions available under 10.5 and later, they just don't compare one bit to what's available for Firefox (or Namaroka, a PPC-optimized FF build that I use).

My advice is to dump Safari and go with Firefox. There are some really great and useful (and essential) addons, like NoScript and CS Lite and AdBlock Plus, AdBlock Plus with Element Hiding Helper, UnPlug, Better Privacy, AutoPager and more. You can really streamline your browsing experience and clean up a lot of the trash that's going on behind the scenes on nearly every website you visit.

I think the only downside to Firefox is its CPU footprint, but even Safari has gotten to be a glutton in recent years, so the difference there is negligible.

Anyway, do some research on the inherent security problems with WebKit browsers like Safari and you'll likely dump it too.

 

I didn't see a Chrome reply so I guess I'll be the first.

I'd recommend giving Chrome a shot.

They have a built in plugin-in blocker that behaves exactly like ClicktoFlash, Flashblock.

 

My solution is somewhat extreme, but I like it. I don't like loading plugins, so I enabled the Develop Menu in Safari. Then I completely uninstalled flash altogether. Whenever I come across something that uses flash, I use the developer menu to set Safari to iPad user agent. If it absolutely won't play without flash, I go to the Develop Menu and click "Open webpage with Chrome".

 

How exactly does this work?
So whenever you see flash content it is simply not displayed, and you click on it to display it?
How about YouTube? Do you need to click on each video or does it automatically just play the iPad/iPhone version?

 

I've switched from the ClickToFlash plugin (clicktoflash.com) to the Safari extension (linked above, long URL) - it's much more recently updated and has a few extra features.

I think I read that the original ClickToFlash (plugin) developer was hired by Apple so his plugin isn't updated any more.

FWIW, having used Firefox and Safari extensively, I prefer Safari. No harm in trying alternatives though.

But woofbow has brought up a really important point - he/she alleges that there are inherent security problems in Webkit-based browsers (Safari, Chrome, plus others). If this is actually a genuine issue, it's really important. Please let us know what the dangers are.

 

1. Flash content is not loaded until you click on it. So e.g a site full of flash ads here and there loads faster.

2. About your youtube question, that depends on your settings. You can set it to load flash content on youtube.com automatically or make them load when you click it. Or you can make the H.264 version load when you click.

 

Wow... a guy comes here asking about ClickToFlash, and gets answers about using Firefox and Chrome.

The mind boggles...

 

I recommend using Plugin Customs because this extension provides ClickToFlash functionality to all browser plugins, such as Flash, Silverlight, Java, & etc. Providing control of Java is important for security (i.e. Boonana) if you need Java to use some websites and, therefore, can not disable it in the browser preferences.

The security issues within Safari relate to components that allow the usage of third party elements within Safari, such as Flash, JavaScript, Java, PDF support (via Preview), & etc. Any browser installed into Mac OS X relies on the same components to provide the same functionality so Firefox has many of the same problems as Safari. Webkit, without these components, has very few vulnerabilities but providing these functionalities is unavoidable to fully use the web.

Actually, Firefox's extensions are not sandboxed while Safari extensions are sandboxed to make them more secure. The Firefox extension gallery had two incidents where it contained extensions that were malware. The sandboxing of Safari extensions does limit their functionality to promote security. Safari users that want some features, such as Safari Cookies, have to resort to SIMBL based plugins to modify the behaviour of the browser to the same extent that can be done with Firefox extensions.

Also, the ClickToFlash plugin uses SIMBL which can cause Safari to become unstable after updates.

Obviously, personal preference will determine what each individual decides best meets their needs.

 

Given the popularity of ClickToFlash as well as it's extensive features for Flash videos, I experimented to see if it was possible to use ClickToFlash in combination with Plugin Customs to also get the benefits of Plugin Customs.

It works great. To make the setup work, go into the settings of Plugin Customs and select the setting to automatically allow Flash so that Flash will then be managed by ClickToFlash.

You have to add the Plugin Customs button to the Safari toolbar via "Customize Toolbar" (in "View" menu) to access Plugin Custom's settings.

 

jdavtz:
Safari and Chrome have both been shown to leak your IP address REGARDLESS of your proxy settings when fetching content.

If you wish to surf anonymously, don't use them.

 

Your IP is leaked via plugins such as Flash and this occurs with any browser. Firefox can prevent this with hardened settings in NoScript but as soon as you allow Flash, your IP is leaked.

Is hiding your IP worth using the Internet crippled?

Why are you so worried about your IP?

Your IP is port scanned all the time simply because NMAP allows users to scan range of IPs without specific knowledge of IPs within the range.