Browser plugins

Browser plugins – Which do I need?

With the boundaries of the web being stretched with all manner of applications and different technologies being flung together, the average non technical user can be forgiven for being a bit lost.

It is not uncommon for people buying a new PC or laptop from a high street vendor to have no idea of what software is installed on it.

So which browser plugin do you need? (And which can you do without)

(Note there are browser plugins to do all manner of tasks and shortcuts – especially for the firefox browser – so I have kept this list relevant to people wanting to view video and play games online.

Adobe Flash Player

One of the major reasons why Adobe bought Macromedia in 2005 was to acquire the technology behind flash.

Flash player is free and it allows you to watch videos and animations created using the paid for flash authoring tool. (Or compatible tools)

Flash player will generally prompt you when it needs to update and you should update when prompted. Flash player is installed in over 97% of new computers.

Shockwave player

Shockwave was the format of video and animation outputted by Macromedia Director. However, since the Adobe buyout, question marks persist over the future lifespan of Director. As a result, you probably won’t need shockwave player.

Authorware player

Authorware is a no longer supported elearning application. You should look closely at any sites requiring the authorware player. (Last time I checked, it was quite a large download also).

Quicktime player

Quicktime is a format of video produced by apple. Similar to the flash player, the viewer allows you to watch media created with the paid for authoring tool.

Maybe it is because I use a PC, but I have always found this format to be unreliable and buggy.

Windows Media Player

Good old windows media player. I have no recent experience of this and it is used to watch video rather than animation and games.

So which browser plugin?

The only player you should really need to watch videos is the flash player. That’s the reason why the Sharp End Training courses are made using it.

What about you ?

Which browser plugins have you used and which have you installed and not needed?