Filed under: Internet Tools
ClickToFlash makes the web a nicer place to visit
"Ever wanted to rid the web of the scourge that is Adobe Flash, but still retain the ability to view Flash whenever you want?" When it comes to sales pitches, that one is pretty difficult to beat.
Ever since Flash was unleashed on the web, it has been used for obnoxious and annoying ads. About the only web technology which has been more frequently abused is the animated GIF. For as long as I can remember I have disabled Flash, or plugins entirely, to avoid the annoyance. Firefox users have had extensions which manage flash, but Safari/Webkit users have been left out in the cold.
Several months ago someone created a now-defunct project on Google code simply called "clicktoflash". The premise was simple: replace all instances of Flash with a subtle grey box, and if you want to load it, click it (hence the name). The project was abandoned and deleted nearly as quickly as it appeared, but fortunately it had already been "forked" by Jonathan 'Wolf' Rentzsch who now maintains clicktoflash at github (which reminds me, TUAW is now on Github too).
Newer versions include the ability to "white list" a domain (meaning that Flash will always load for pages from certain sites) or load every Flash object on a page, rather than having to click all of them separately. It will also alert you of new versions and lead you through the installation process in a matter of clicks.
If you visit YouTube you will also find that if you control-click on movies, you are given a chance to load either the Flash OR H.264 versions of movies, or open the movie in QuickTime Player, or download the H.264 version. That alone makes it a great addition to any Mac. Be sure to checkout the settings under the Safari > ClickToFlash menu for additional controls.
I first learned about ClickToFlash from John Gruber who noted ClickToFlash is "a legitimate browser plugin that goes in ~/Library/Internet Plug-Ins/, not a dirty input manager hack. I can't remember the last time a piece of software made me this happy." I have to agree. ClickToFlash is a perfect example of "addition by subtraction" proving that you can make something better by taking something else away.
ClickToFlash is a free download and supports Tiger, Leopard, and Snow Leopard. It requires Safari 3 or higher.
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
mal said 11:12AM on 10-14-2009
I'm a huge ClichToFlash fan! Give you back the power over your browser that Adobe denies you (alternatively, one could uninstall flash of course...)
Reply
Blackstar said 1:18AM on 10-15-2009
I completely agree. This is one of my favorite plugins as well. This plus glimmer blocker (for stopping other annoying web ads), makes for one great surfing experience.
I got so used to not seeing all the garbage they throw at you because these work so well, when surfing on another computer without them, I had to stop because it bothered me so much.
Great software.
ack154 said 11:12AM on 10-14-2009
*bookmark*
Will definitely have to check this out when I get home.
Reply
Norman said 11:13AM on 10-14-2009
Interesting read, was it pulled by Google or the author himself?
Reply
JKT said 4:50PM on 10-14-2009
@Josh: When the ads stop popping under my browser window and using up all my CPU so the fans on my Mac rev up and the MBP heats up to burn my lap, THEN and ONLY THEN do you have a point. But the ads we're blocking are the type that destroy the browsing experience. Imagine if TV ads drew over top of your TV program, changed the channel, and even caused your TV set to overheat. I have this feeling you'd gain a "shitty attitude" then too.
trayser said 11:18AM on 10-14-2009
I love this plugin...
Ironically, the plugin would also disable the advertisements that are paying for this very article :-)
(I am not fan of the ads. Just pointing out)
Reply
Dave said 1:00PM on 10-14-2009
There are ads on TUAW? Didn't even realize that... Oh wait, I'm running AdBlock Plus.. :)
Josh said 1:11PM on 10-14-2009
It wont bother most people...
The generation of gimme... some entitlement to everything you want when you want it and for absolutely free... can't even be bothered to passively support the sites that you enjoy...
Pretty shitty attitude...
Danny said 11:26AM on 10-14-2009
omg thank you tuaw this is just what i needed!!!
ClickToFlash has to spread out the word.
Reply
dw808303 said 11:32AM on 10-14-2009
trayser: I'm blocking Flash here and I get static gif ads, which is exactly what should happen.
Reply
trayser said 1:27PM on 10-14-2009
I noticed that too.
However, it seems to be random. Sometimes I see the 'clicktoflash' plugin, sometimes I see .gif ads. I don't think there is any smart code in the web-pages that replaces flash ads with .gifs if unavailable. It seems some ads are .gifs and some flash.
heydavila said 11:32AM on 10-14-2009
Safari has not crashed once since I installed this thing. I especially like how it removes the need for Flash's horrible implementation on YouTube® videos
Reply
orgreeno said 11:34AM on 10-14-2009
So, the obvious question is how will we hide the obnoxious ads once they are using HTML5? I hope there will be a way.
Reply
Paul said 12:02PM on 10-14-2009
"So, the obvious question is how will we hide the obnoxious ads once
they are using HTML5? I hope there will be a way."
Probably by using something like AdSubtract.css. I use this to hide
the divs containing ads, but it just hides the divs, doesn't prevent
the ads being loaded, so the sites get the hit counts. Combined with
ClickToFlash, this makes for a very pleasant surfing experience.
gib said 11:42AM on 10-14-2009
Thanks for the info. Good program...
Reply
THJ said 12:02PM on 10-14-2009
This really helps when you have multiple tabs open w/ flash content, a lot less stress on the proc so far. Thanks for the tip.
Reply
THJ said 3:55PM on 10-14-2009
And that 'download in H.264' option in Youtube is money. A client asked for a clip of a youtube video for a presentation today, and instead of going
Safari->Activity-> look for flash video link and download -> Handbrake/VH -> iMovie -> Edit -> Export
It is now:
Safari->download to H.264->iMovie->Edit->Export
And higher quality to boot. Still gonna charge them for the old-workflow time though (livin' on the edge...)
Yakov Hadash said 6:03PM on 10-14-2009
if you just need to pull a section of a clip, quicktime 7 pro is much faster than iMovie…
THJ said 7:27PM on 10-14-2009
Yeah, but I like to do a fade-to-black so they don't end as abruptly. Good tip in general though, thanks.
Average White Boy said 12:14PM on 10-14-2009
I've been using Click2Flash almost a week now and have it installed on all my Safari browsers. I mainly needed it for an old G4 1.42 GHz MacMini that was constantly choking on Flash (100% processor usage), and it helped make browsing a good deal faster. However, C2F it's useful on all my computers. It gets rid of all those wasteful ad banners that advertisers and Flash fiends seem to be so hung up on. C2F would be great for iPhone and Touch users if Flash were to be implemented. Flash available when needed and that's about it. Static .gif ads are less invasive and still can grab some attention. I only unblocked Flash for one site... The Google financial site which uses Flash for the stock charts. That's it. Not even youtube. I only click on demand.
Why the heck all those smartphone vendors are so insistent that Flash is desired by everyone is beyond me. Competitors think that because the iPhone doesn't support it, the iPhone platform is going to destroy itself. Absurd. Please, let's start a movement to get rid of Flash. Older computers would still be useful for browsing if it weren't for that processor and memory hogging Flash crap.
Many thanks to the developer of Click2Flash. It really rocks.
Reply