When this is someday done in HTML5, it’ll be considered the best, most revolutionary thing ever. [Update: I probably should have added a jokey wink emoticon to convey my tone on this one. So, “;-)!” I’ll shortly post a very long list of big, significant things Adobe is doing to support the advancement of HTML5, so no one need stress.]
8 thoughts on “(rt) Typography: Font detection, crazy bikes, & more”
Yeah, if you like sticking to as few technologies as possible, not *requiring* something like Flash to do something for your web site or web app is a good thing. [Well, to play devil’s advocate for a second, there’s a case to be made for sticking to as few calculation/rendering engines as possible, in which case targeting Flash is generally more efficient than spreading one’s efforts across multiple browsers. That’s why for 10+ years the online dev world voted with its feet & went with Flash (a phenomenon that helped obscure the glacial pace of development in browsers’ support for richer graphics and interactivity). –J.]
A technology getting more powerful is nearly always cause for celebration if you use it. [Absolutely. –J.]
I thought the Adobe of late was all about the tools and the ends, not the means. From everything I’ve seen from Adobe lately involving the word “HTML5”, I thought you were going to let your actions be your answer. Venting is one thing, but I don’t see how being prickly adds anything in your favor. [Oh, I was just having a little fun. The phenomenon just keeps repeating itself: You’re dubbed a conquering hero for implementing something in one browser now that you could have done across all browsers in Flash in the late 90s. But of course people were lauded then for doing in Flash what they’d done in Director 5+ years earlier, and Director people were lauded for reimplementing what had been done in various earlier desktop apps, etc. “Eventually,” I say, “everyone re-implements Perlin noise.” It’s fine; it’s just the way it is. I just wish that the current crop of triumphalists had a little better sense of history, and sometimes of pragmatism. –J.]
If you’ve got to play at garden parties
I wish you a lot of luck
But if memories were all I sang
I rather drive a truck
But it’s alright now
I learned my lesson well
You can’t please everyone
You’ve got to
Try and please yourself
(Ricky Nelson–Not the one from Cheap Trick!)
PS — The Hello/Enjoy thing is VERY cool. Stephen Wolfram is always talking about how Mathematica can do this/that/everything else. I’ve never driven a monster truck in Mathematic!
HelloEnjoy – completely pointless, yet somehow quite satisfying.
Also a good example of what Flash is capable of – not sure why people now think Flash=Video.
When this is someday done in HTML5, it’ll be considered the best, most revolutionary thing ever.
Perhaps by then it will have anti-aliasing. It’s not like state of the art image science and coding skills are required to deliver that in 2010. [As far as I know anti-aliasing in Flash 3D is entirely possible now. I imagine the creators of Hello Enjoy just opted to turn it off in order to ensure good physics performance across more machines. See also recent news about Flash and 3D. –J.]
And one could wish that it wouldn’t eat 120% of your CPU while the roaring fans of the poor laptop try desperately to avoid setting the whole thing on fire. [Seriously? What machine are you using? I run this thing for ages with my toddler on my 2-year-old MBP and never hear a fan. Yes, there are times when Flash content burns up a lot of CPU, and the Flash Player team is working to reduce those times. It’s really important to be accurate when describing what’s going on, rather than crying wolf. –J.]
But, having said all that, it really is cool stuff.
Thanks for the link, nice to know it’s possible even if expensive, performance wise.
Not crying wolf at all.
Performance is miserable with a single tab open in Safari 5.0.2, Flash 10.1, OS X 10.5.8, MacBookPro2,2.
CPU usage is at 100% simply holding still and 120-130% when interacting.
Yeah, if you like sticking to as few technologies as possible, not *requiring* something like Flash to do something for your web site or web app is a good thing.
[Well, to play devil’s advocate for a second, there’s a case to be made for sticking to as few calculation/rendering engines as possible, in which case targeting Flash is generally more efficient than spreading one’s efforts across multiple browsers. That’s why for 10+ years the online dev world voted with its feet & went with Flash (a phenomenon that helped obscure the glacial pace of development in browsers’ support for richer graphics and interactivity). –J.]
A technology getting more powerful is nearly always cause for celebration if you use it.
[Absolutely. –J.]
I thought the Adobe of late was all about the tools and the ends, not the means. From everything I’ve seen from Adobe lately involving the word “HTML5”, I thought you were going to let your actions be your answer. Venting is one thing, but I don’t see how being prickly adds anything in your favor.
[Oh, I was just having a little fun. The phenomenon just keeps repeating itself: You’re dubbed a conquering hero for implementing something in one browser now that you could have done across all browsers in Flash in the late 90s. But of course people were lauded then for doing in Flash what they’d done in Director 5+ years earlier, and Director people were lauded for reimplementing what had been done in various earlier desktop apps, etc. “Eventually,” I say, “everyone re-implements Perlin noise.” It’s fine; it’s just the way it is. I just wish that the current crop of triumphalists had a little better sense of history, and sometimes of pragmatism. –J.]
If you’ve got to play at garden parties
I wish you a lot of luck
But if memories were all I sang
I rather drive a truck
But it’s alright now
I learned my lesson well
You can’t please everyone
You’ve got to
Try and please yourself
(Ricky Nelson–Not the one from Cheap Trick!)
PS — The Hello/Enjoy thing is VERY cool. Stephen Wolfram is always talking about how Mathematica can do this/that/everything else. I’ve never driven a monster truck in Mathematic!
HelloEnjoy – completely pointless, yet somehow quite satisfying.
Also a good example of what Flash is capable of – not sure why people now think Flash=Video.
Now THAT is a cool iPhone ap!
When this is someday done in HTML5, it’ll be considered the best, most revolutionary thing ever.
Perhaps by then it will have anti-aliasing. It’s not like state of the art image science and coding skills are required to deliver that in 2010.
[As far as I know anti-aliasing in Flash 3D is entirely possible now. I imagine the creators of Hello Enjoy just opted to turn it off in order to ensure good physics performance across more machines. See also recent news about Flash and 3D. –J.]
And one could wish that it wouldn’t eat 120% of your CPU while the roaring fans of the poor laptop try desperately to avoid setting the whole thing on fire.
[Seriously? What machine are you using? I run this thing for ages with my toddler on my 2-year-old MBP and never hear a fan. Yes, there are times when Flash content burns up a lot of CPU, and the Flash Player team is working to reduce those times. It’s really important to be accurate when describing what’s going on, rather than crying wolf. –J.]
But, having said all that, it really is cool stuff.
Thanks for the link, nice to know it’s possible even if expensive, performance wise.
Not crying wolf at all.
Performance is miserable with a single tab open in Safari 5.0.2, Flash 10.1, OS X 10.5.8, MacBookPro2,2.
CPU usage is at 100% simply holding still and 120-130% when interacting.
Re: Hello Enjoy
I think I enjoyed the flying snapshots on the opening page of Photoshop Express almost as much. Have those been retired?