Advice needed for beginner to Flash website building

Help!
I have zero knowledge about using Flash. I am being asked by my boss to build a flash web site for our music and video game stores. I built our old site in Dreamweaver.
Does anyone have advice on where i should start? A suggested book that will walk me through beginning to end. I've worked through a few tutiorials but I feel lost as far at the time line and actions.
Any expert advice is appreciated. I need to get started in the next month. I'd like to build it myself instead of outsourcing to someone else.
Know where I should start?

Lindsay,
Last month I built my first Flash website after following this tutorial on Lynda.com:
http://www.lynda.com/home/DisplayCourseN.aspx?lpk2=735
Needless to say the concept behind the tutorial was mind-opening, at least for me: I have a HTML/CSS background and I always used Flash almost only for banners, headers and simple animations.
Hope this helps...
JC

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Strings panel tutorial for english spanish flash website

Greetings everyone,
where can i find a good strings panel for multiple language
flash website set up?
thanks in advance!!

i am looking for a tutorial. failed to mention this in my
initial post.

Advice on how to keep Flash website small & fast

Hi, I'm developing my first Flash website (I know, I know, there are plenty of reasons to use other development products, but for now it will be Flash), and I envision a site with several pages and needing to load some large graphics. I'm doing the main design work in Illustrator and importing it into Flash. I'm not too concerned with animation except perhaps moving some buttons around. My plan so far is to use a lot of UI loaders to keep the main .swf small and to really try to keep the coding pretty simple as I'm a newbie anyway. I'm looking for general advice on how to prevent the main site from loading quickly - for example, I don't have a good sense of the best format to use for graphics, or which makes the site slower: using several UI loaders or just keeping the content in the main site? Is a lot of code or large graphics more draining on the load time? Any thoughts on what you think I can do or not do to keep it lean would be super appreciated, or any other resources you might be able to point me to.
Thanks in advance!

Nah... really really stupid questions only get asked in non-Flash forums. The size of the swf is not tied tot the size of the fla. The fla has alot more baggage that inflates its size greatly compared to the swf it creates. The swf will end up bearing the weight of whatever content you put in it.
If you want to see what's adding weight to your swf, go into your Flash Publish Settings and select the option to Generate Size Report. When you publish the file it will display a detailed report of each element and the weight it contributes to the swf.
As far as dynamically loading swf's, it is often a necessity, unless the swf is strictly an animation. If you import an swf into an fla file, all of the actionscript that might have been in it is stripped out.
Code will have negligible weight in a file. Images (large/heavy ones) can put lead shoes on a file, along with video and sound files.

Advice needed for Spoken Word Recording

I just finished a voice recording of my book. I used my iPod nano with a Belkin TuneTalk in the quietest room in house and got a very good quality recording (it is stored as a voice memo in iTunes). I've put each short story (50 of them) as it's own file. I've started editing in GarageBand 3 and it is quite easy to delete the mistakes and coughs and sneezes The advice I need is about using other functions that might improve the quality for the listener. Should I be paying attention to mixing levels or master volume levels? EQ? any other functions? Anyone else ever created an audio book? In the end, I'll need to turn it into an MP3 file for download on my website. I was planning to have a professional do that, but am wondering if I can do that myself. Thanks in advance for your advise.

for ex in EQ, do I just need to pay around with it
pretty much. you need to "do what's right for the recording". it would be like talking to a painter on the phone and saying "Be sure to use lots of Blue in every painting". no, you use what's appropriate for each work.
How, exactly, do I pay attention to compression to even out the levels?
again, like EQ, play around with. try some fo the presets, and then try changing things.
I am simply going by the master track volume
typically in mixing you'd work on the track that is to be the the most "out front", setting its volume as high as possible without clipping, then mixing in the other tracks to their proper level. finally you set the master track as loud as you can without it clipping.

Preview image for videos on flash website. Help!

Hi, I'm not sure if I'm at that right place so sorry if I'm wasting your time by asking this question but I'm having problems with my flash website.
I want the video on my website to show a preview image before the video is played instead of it displaying a blank black frame. I went on component inspector - preview - and selected the frame of the animation that I wanted to be shown. But when I came to uploading my swf and html file the preview image for the video is still black. On component inspector - preview - it says 'To generate a runtime preview image, use the export button and load the image back by writing your own actionscript'. So I exported the image but I haven't got a clue how to write my own actionscript. I've spent hours trying to find help on this but I haven't been successful.
Do you know how I can sort this out? Thank you

Have a look at this tutorial: http://web.archive.org/web/20081012122149/http://www.monkeyflash.com/flash/poster_frame_fo r_flash_video/
If you still have questions, ask again.

Unicode/glyph/font advice needed for porting WinForms app to Macintosh using AIR

I've written an application in WinForms/.NET that I'd like to port to the Macintosh platform. I have never developed for the Mac but it seems as though AIR might be a good choice. I'm totally new to AIR. Some advice and info would be much appreciated!
Can an app be developed in AIR on a PC running Windows and then later be deployed transparently on a Macintosh? Or do I need to be developing on a Mac?
The app is a search interface for use against text-bases comprised of texts composed in ancient European languages. I pre-index the text-base and store it in SQLite as a fully-normalized (1NF) set of relations: TITLES, WORDS, WORDOCCURRENCES. So the app is really nothing more than a (query-only) database application with some specialized glyph-rendering requirements.
In the WinForms app, I used a custom third-party edit control with extensive support for the RTF specification, in combination with some third-party fonts that contain the necessary glyphs for rendering the Unicode characters corresponding to RUNES and to some abbreviations found in medieval manuscripts. BTW, these special non-ASCII characters are represented in the database not as unicode codepoints but as entities that can be represented in standard ASCII (e.g. "þ" ); when rendered to screen, the correct glyph has to be substituted when the Unicode codepoint for the entity supplied -- in this example the codepoint would be [U+00DE] and a thorn glyph ( Þ) should be rendered.
Since it might not be possible to find a single omnibus Unicode font that contains a glyph for every codepoint I need to render (what are the most glyph-rich freeware Unicode fonts for Macintosh, btw?) the text widget must let the programmer "wrap" a Unicode character or series of Unicode characters in whatever font may be required at that point in the text. Is there a rich-text widget for AIR that can do this? A widget that can render HTML and supports CSS stylesheets would be ideal (inline-CSS-only would be OK too). If the widget had CSS stylesheet support, the string of Unicode codepoints could be wrapped with a ..... and the font-name for the .rune class could be specified in the CSS stylesheet.
Thanks very much if you've taken the time to read through this tedious stuff !

Flash Professional started as an animation tool and was expanded with a programming language that became ActionScript (now ActionScript 3.0). Content creators began using Flash to develop applications rather than just animation, so a lot of developer-centric and application-centric functionality was added to Flash, including pre-built user interface components (written in ActionScript). All that functionality and those components are still available in Flash Pro today. However, many developers who came from a traditional programming background had trouble getting into Flash Pro because it is really an animation design tool -- so it uses a timeline, layers, visual drawing canvas, and it required some figuring out to learn how to structure an application in that type of tool.
In response to this, Macromedia (now Adobe of course) created Flex. Flex uses ActionScript just like Flash Pro. Flex also includes numerous user interface controls, written in ActionScript. Flex also adds advanced, flexible layout control and many utilities for common programming tasks like loading data from or sending data to a server, formatting values, validating user input, and more. With Flex, you can define your user interface using an XML markup language (MXML); the compiler then turns the MXML into ActionScript code before turning it into your compiled application. As far as tooling, an eclipse-based IDE called Flex Builder was created that gives you a code editor, a workable but not designer-oriented design view, and other developer tools like debugging and profiling. (Note that Flex Builder has been renamed to Flash Builder for the next release, which is currently in public beta.)
So to generalize, Flash Pro favors a more visual design and animation type of working style, whereas Flex favors a more text-based, code-centric working style. (But that's just a generalization -- many people, especially people who "grew up" with Flash before Flex, still prefer Flash Pro even though they're heavy coders.)
Also, if you want to write everything in code with no pre-drawn visuals (i.e. Flash Pro) and without using MXML or Flex components, you can create your application entirely in ActionScript code. Flex Builder supports ActionScript-only projects for that purpose.
Here are a few links for getting started with Flex, which I would personally recommend if you haven't used either one and you're building something that's more "application" focused rather than media or animation focused:
Flex "Quick Starts" -- short articles focused on specific tasks in Flex
Flex "Getting Started Experience" -- designed as a set of training courses, intended to take 12+ hours to complete (but you can skip around of course)
"Flex in a week" video training -- a free 5-day video tutorial series on Flex
Flex Developer Center "Learning Paths"
As a side note, the link you included actually goes to the JavaScript version of the documentation, which is what you would want if you are going to use HTML/Ajax to build your app. However, if you're wanting to use Flex you would want to use the Flex version of the documentation:
http://livedocs.adobe.com/flex/3/langref/mx/controls/HTML.html
http://livedocs.adobe.com/flex/3/langref/flash/html/HTMLLoader.html
And if you're wanting to use Flash, you can use the Flash Pro version of the documentation:
http://help.adobe.com/en_US/AS3LCR/Flash_10.0/flash/html/HTMLLoader.html
Yes, it's somewhat confusing and overwhelming. We're definitely working on improving things in that regard.

Help, advice needed for learning Action Script

I don't have any experience with programing and even scripting and I can't find tutorials for total beginners. I started to read this one
http://help.adobe.com/en_US/ActionScript/3.0_ProgrammingAS3/WS5b3ccc516d4fbf351e63e3d118a9 b8cbfe-7ff7.html
but I have difficulties understanding the explanations.
If you have any advice and pointers to tutorials for total dummy beginners I will greatly appreciate it.

I’m 27 years old and one month ago I started study ActionScript 3.0. After red a lot of forums with recommendations about what need to do for study as3 I clear next things:
Try to visit forums about as3 and discus with people about your problems and also try to help other solve their problems (you can help a lot of people to solve their problems, you can find a lot answers to your questions, you can share your experience with others)
Try to read books about as3 (in books you can find all theory and some examples for this theory, so this info will be very helpful for you, because it’s a fundamental knowledge what you must to know)
Try to visit sites with tutorials (on the net you can find a lot sites with tutorials and there you step by step will study a lot of things)
Share your knowledge with others (create your blog or something else where you will show to people your examples of work, where you will write about as3 and will share your experiences and knowledge, this can give you chance to consolidate your knowledge and give opportunity other people study as3)
Try to separate big not understandable problem to smaller(after you find answer to all small problems you can find answer to big problem)
And the main what you must remember then YOU MUST CODING EVERY DAY! (I think without it you never been a as3 coder.)
I can recommend next sites witch can help you to study ActionScript 3.0:
Books:
<a href="http://help.adobe.com/en_US/ActionScript/3.0_ProgrammingAS3/">http://help.adobe.com/en_US/ActionScript/3.0_ProgrammingAS3/</a> 
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Essential-ActionScript-3-0-Colin-Moock/dp/0596526946">Essential ActionScript 3.0</a> 
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Learning-ActionScript-3-0-Beginners-Guide/dp/059652787X/ref=sr_1_2?i e=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261737552&sr=1-2">Learning ActionScript 3.0: A Beginner's Guide</a> 
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/ActionScript-Adobe-Flash-Professional-Classroom/dp/0321579216/ref=sr _1_6?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261737552&sr=1-6">ActionScript 3.0 for Adobe Flash CS4 Professional Classroom in a Book</a> 
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/ActionScript-3-0-Game-Programming-University/dp/0789737027/ref=sr_1_ 7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261737552&sr=1-7">ActionScript 3.0 Game Programming University</a> 
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/ActionScript-3-0-Cookbook-Application-Developers/dp/0596526954/ref=s r_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261737552&sr=1-8">ActionScript 3.0 Cookbook: Solutions for Flash Platform and Flex Application Developers</a>
Forums:
<a href="http://forums.adobe.com/community/flash/flash_actionscript3">http://forums.adobe.com/community/flash/flash_actionscript3</a> 
<a href="http://www.actionscript.org/forums/forumdisplay.php3?f=75">http://www.actionscript.org/forums/forumdisplay.php3?f=75</a> 
<a href="http://www.flasher.ru/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=83">http://www.flasher.ru/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=83</a>
Blogs:
<a href="http://theflashblog.com/">http://theflashblog.com/</a> 
<a href="http://www.mikechambers.com/blog/">http://www.mikechambers.com/blog/</a> 
<a href="http://as3journal.blogspot.com/">http://as3journal.blogspot.com/</a> 
<a href="http://flash-templates-today.com/blog/">http://flash-templates-today.com/blog/</a> 
<a href="http://xitri.com/">http://xitri.com/</a> 
<a href="http://www.hamstersteam.com/">http://www.hamstersteam.com/</a> 
<a href="http://flash-animation.ru/">http://flash-animation.ru/</a> 
<a href="http://www.keyframer.com/">http://www.keyframer.com/</a>
Tutorials:
<a href="http://cookbooks.adobe.com/actionscript">http://cookbooks.adobe.com/actionscript</a> 
<a href="http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/30-free-flash-photo-galleries-and-tutorials/">http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/30-free-flash-photo-galleries-and-tutorials/</a> 
<a href="http://www.ilike2flash.com/">http://www.ilike2flash.com/</a> 
<a href="http://xuroqflash.com/">http://xuroqflash.com/</a> 
<a href="http://www.emanueleferonato.com/category/actionscript-3/">http://www.emanueleferonato.com/category/actionscript-3/</a> 
<a href="http://www.graphicmania.net/category/adobe-flash/">http://www.graphicmania.net/category/adobe-flash/</a> 
<a href="http://www.flashperfection.com/">http://www.flashperfection.com/</a> 
<a href="http://active.tutsplus.com/category/tutorials/">http://active.tutsplus.com/category/tutorials/</a>

Urgent: Advice needed for buying my first RAID

Hi,
I am looking to place an order today as I have a pile of editing to get through - so I would love to hear your recommendations!
First of all I am a networking and RAID newbie so don't go all acronym and geek-speek-tastic on me or I won't have a clue what you are talking about. Seriously I don't know my NAS from my elbow!
My requirements are:
1. Suitable for working with HDV
2. 2TB of storage
3. Must work with PowerMac G5 2GHz Dual (later model)
4. Must support RAID 5
5. RAID must be controlled by hardware (on RAID box or via PCIe card)
The following have been suggested - has anyone used them?:
Opt1: http://www.enhance-tech.com/products/desktop/t4_cr.html
(Would probably need to put an eSATA card in my Mac but RAID control is on the box.
Only goes to 80MB/sec - is this good enough for working with ProRes 422? I am looking to convert my HDV to ProRes 422 before output to mpeg2 as I believe this can give better results.)
Opt2: http://www.g-technology.com/Products/G-SPEED-eS.cfm
(Would need to put a RAID controller in my Mac so not so good for connecting to other Macs.)
But I found this and was wondering if it was also suitable (as its cheaper!):
Opt3: http://www.thecus.com/products_over.php?cid=11&pid=28&PHPSESSID=091b7808cfa54754 383932fc512ea056
(Would connect by 1Gb/sec ethernet to my Mac. RAID controller on the box. Someone said stay away from ethernet but I don't understand why?).
Any advice gratefully received. I need to make a decision real quick!
Keep it mellow, B.

It appears that you need to step back and rethink your business. Heck, we don’t even know that you have a business. What you’re up to might just be personal editing. So I apologize if what I’m about to say overestimates you or underestimates you.
FORMAT
You say, “suitable for working with HDV”, but you don’t say whether you MUST work with HDV. As others in this thread have pointed out, HDV is a “poor man’s Hi-Def”. It compresses images so diabolically in Long GOP that image quality suffers, and, as Shane points out, “the long GOP format is very complex and takes a LOT of time to do things.”
The other extreme is recording and editing in 1080i/p at 4K. Very few people in this world demand extreme quality. So, the best format overall is DVCPro HD. Today, DVCPro HD cameras cost only about a third more than the next nearest HDV. What’s more important, to me, is that DVCPro allows you to move away from having to use tape at all. It’s the year 2008 (almost). Tape is over. If it’s too late to sell your camera and switch, then so be it.
STORAGE
You say, “2TB of storage”. For HD work, that’s a bare minimum. My recommendation is to get a 4-tray or 5-tray box with room to grow, even though the extra trays will remain empty your first 6-12 months.
Buy an empty enclosure that you can populate with your own drives. That way, you can use 1TB bare drives. (Don’t buy anything smaller.) You can put together a stack of 5 1TB drives in an eSATA RAID box for less than $2,000.
RAID
You say, “PowerMac G5 2GHz Dual...via PCIe card”. You mean PCIx card. PCIe is for Intel Macs.
You write, “I want RAID (esp. RAID 5... If a drive fails I want to simply be able to swap a new drive in, restore, and be under way again.” But several of your comments indicate that you really don’t need in-line failsafe. For that reason, let me recommend mirroring or something even simpler: a backup drive.
JBOD (Just a Bunch Of Disks) treats each drive in your stack as a separate volume. So, what you see on your desktop is Drive_01, Drive_02. If you subtract the cost for the RAID controller (in the box or in your PCI slot), you can afford to buy TWO plain JBOD boxes, and maintain one as redundant. That satisfies your, “If a drive fails I want to simply be able to swap a new drive in, restore, and be under way again.” In fact, you can skip the “restore” part.
Ken Summerall wrote: “If you are shooting HDV then you have the tapes, those are your backups. If a drive goes down you recapture.”
You responded, “that is not the same as having redundancy of data - and simply being able to swap in a new drive and do a restore.”
You make it sound as though you expect this to happen once a week. It won’t. Backup is good enough. That kind of “time saved” once every year or two isn’t worth it.
SATA vs. FIREWIRE
Again, it’s the year 2008 (almost). Why would you want FireWire? Apple is being so stubborn, pretending that eSATA does not exist, because it has so much invested in its FW technology. But even Apple will be forced to come around in its next models.
While we’re talking about it, the claimed 80MB/sec for the Enhance T4 CR probably refers to the FireWire and USB interfaces, not to the SATA.
ENCLOSURE SHARING
You write, “I also wanted to use the same RAID box with a Macbook Pro. So how would two Macs share the same RAID box?
What kind of sharing do you mean? If you mean that you and your partner can access the same video simultaneously in adjoining rooms, then you need FibreChannel. But, as Shane points out, “...a Fibrechannel setup, then an XServe Server...is NOT cheap.”
As Ken writes, “You can get a eSata card for your G5 and an ExpressCard for your MBP and share the box. With this you could get a Kona or Blackmagic card and capture your footage as DVCProHD and also have a way to monitor your HDV footage.”
Amen.
VENDORS
G-SPEED is reliable, with good support. Caldigit has a platinum reputation. Of course, there are MaxxDigital, Sonnet and Dulce Systems.
Enhance is the new kid on the block, and they are significantly less expensive with, in my experience so far, excellent build quality and quick (human) response. They manufacture in Taiwan, but they’re headquartered in -- and ship out of -- Lower California. So they don’t talk to you in Taiwanese as the cheap enclosure sites do.
So there.
Message was edited by: Al Hatch

Advice needed for a new Adobe Premiere user

hello!
I'm super new to Adobe Premiere. I'm taking a Cinematography class this semester and I'm trying to build my first system for video editing. I'm looking at film-making as a future career, so I need to get a system that can very easily be upgradeable.
Thanks so much!

I am not sure what your confidence level is with regards to building your own system. I was planning on doing the same thing recently. Actually I'm almost positive that I could have done it. However, I was following the posts of one of the posters here. He was building a system quite similar to what I wanted. I'm sure he is much more competent with computer systems than I but I read a lot, did a lot of research, and am somewhat mechanically inclined. He ended up with an issue at the end of his build. Not sure how he finally got it resolved but that is not the point. My point is that if that were to have happened to me then who would I call for help? That is not to say I couldn't have drawn on the experts on this forum that never cease to amaze me with their supreme knowledge. I'm sure they have helped hundreds in the same way. I got cold feet and decided to look for someone to build my system. I chose ADK. They come highly recommended by the folks on this forum. Best decision I made. My system is built with the new 3930 intel processor with 32 GB of Ram. You should at least check them out. go to their website or contact Scott at [email protected] Peace of mind was worth it to me. With my system, I am happier than a clam at high tide.
Good luck,
Gary

I am new - in need of direction re Flash website not working

Hello,
Client says site will not come up for him.
Recently an associate of mine and I built this site www.grievewinery.com. It seems to be working fine for everyone EXCEPT the owner himself. I am at a total loss. I have checked it on 4 MACS and 7 PC's of all different browsers and variations. I have asked them to try all variations on the URL, such as leaving off the http, the www - any and all ways possible. Nothing. For the life of me I cannot surmise why the owner himself would not be able to view the site unless he had a typo or needed a FLASH update, of which he would be prompted as such, correct?
Please advise. The client is becoming quite upset.
Thank you so much

He should delete his browser cache because an earlier version of the website might be stored in there. Other than that, make sure he's using a recent browser, a recent version of flash, etc. It might be that his connection is slow/the server is slow but it loaded quickly for me.

Advice needed for functional test

My company is releasing a new website with all the bells and whistles. I am looking for advice on specifically what we should test. I know that we want to make sure that the site functionally works, but different people on the team have opinions on what should be tested beyond that. Some people want to check that the pages are exactly the same from run to run, others just want to check text. I would like to see what test teams outside my company are actually doing. Any ideas would be appreciated.

Hello FiveNines,
You don't give a lot of information about your application, so it is hard to give you specific advice...I was at a very interesting IIST seminar last week in Boston and I walked away with 2 major take aways:
1) Negative testing is as important as positive testing. As development typically focuses on positive testing, it's critical for QA to have good test plans in place for this. Most of the QA teams on the room had a 20% negative testing to 80% positive or functional testing, but the goal should be to target more a 50%-50% ratio, if no higher negative testing than positive.
2) When you think about building your Negative testing Test Cases think about 2 areas:
* Invalid data input (like if you expect an integer value, try typing letters., etc, or enter an invalid user account to make sure the application behaves properly, etc)
*More importantly, think about failing pre-conditions. For example, if your application connects to a DB on the back, build test cases to see how your application will handle processing a new user when the DB is down...This really open up my eyes, as when we build our test cases we usually don't think about this type of scenario, and we have been focusing a lot on functionality testing...
I hope it helps

Advice needed for pl/sql

Hey guys,
I am look out for book/ articles for learning pl/sql . I am new to pl/sql adn i want book/ articles that help me learn pl/sql from scratch. I have see many books oriented towards DBA. I dont want such type of books. Please let me know the books/ articles that beginner needs, preferably artcles// books with lot of developer examples. ALso let me know any books/artciles to learn forms, reports.
Please advice me on this.
The response will be highly appreciated.
Thanks
u can mail me at : [email protected]

It depends what you mean when you call yourself 'new'. There are two main concepts to learn for pl/sql: the sql language, and procedural logic. If you have previously been a programmer in any 3GL, you will be familiar with the procedural part, which is pretty much the same principal in any programming language. If you have no experience with sql, you really need to become proficient with that, otherwise there is a danger of writing everything procedurally when you should be doing it with sql.
I find the Steven Feuerstein book very good, combined with Oracle manuals.

Why can't I access the download link for the newest Flash Player build?

So I want to update my Adobe Flash Player...
If I head over to Adobe.com and go to Download > Adobe Flash Player, I am sent to http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/?promoid=JZEFT
Then, if I click "Install Now" (also my anti-virus does accept software installations) I am simply directed back to Adobe.com
It's an infinite loop and no matter where I look for alternate downloads I am sent back to the same place with the "Install Now" button, again directing me to Adobe.com
I currently run (newest) Mac OSX 10.8.5, (newest) Firefox 25.0.1, and Adobe Flash Player 11.9.900.117.

Re: Antivirus on a Mac...
This comment applies to malicious software ("malware") that's installed unwittingly by the victim of a network attack. It does not apply to software, such as keystroke loggers, that may be installed deliberately by an attacker who has hands-on access to the victim's computer. That threat is in a different category, and there's no easy way to defend against it. If you have reason to suspect that you're the target of such an attack, you need expert help.
All versions of OS X since 10.6.7 have been able to detect known Mac malware in downloaded files. The recognition database is automatically updated once a day; however, you shouldn't rely on it, because the attackers are always at least a day ahead of the defenders. In most cases, there’s no benefit from any other automated protection against malware.
Starting with OS X 10.7.5, there is another layer of built-in malware protection, designated "Gatekeeper" by Apple. By default, applications that are downloaded from the network will only run if they're digitally signed by a developer with a certificate issued by Apple. Applications certified in this way haven't actually been tested by Apple (unless they come from the Mac App Store), but you can be sure that they haven't been modified by anyone other than the developer, and his identity is known, so he could be held responsible if he knowingly released malware. For most practical purposes, applications recognized by Gatekeeper as signed can be considered safe. Note, however, that there are some caveats concerning Gatekeeper:
It doesn't apply to software that comes packaged as an installer. Treat all third-party installers with caution.
It can be disabled or overridden by the user.
It can be bypassed by some third-party networking software, such as BitTorrent clients and Java applets (see below.)
It only applies to applications downloaded from the network. Software installed from a CD or other media is not checked.
For more information about Gatekeeper, see this Apple Support article.
Notwithstanding the above, the most effective defense against malware attacks is your own intelligence. All known malware on the Internet that affects a fully-updated installation of OS X 10.6 or later takes the form of so-called "trojan horses," which can only have an effect if the victim is duped into running them. If you're smarter than the malware attacker thinks you are, you won't be duped. That means, primarily, that you never install software from an untrustworthy source. How do you know a source is untrustworthy?
Any website that prompts you to install a “codec,” “plug-in,” or “certificate” that comes from that same site, or an unknown one, is untrustworthy.
A web operator who tells you that you have a “virus,” or that anything else is wrong with your computer, or that you have won a prize in a contest you never entered, is trying to commit a crime with you as the victim. [Some reputable websites did legitimately warn users who were infected with the "DNSChanger" malware. That exception to this rule no longer applies.]
“Cracked” copies of commercial software downloaded from a bittorrent are likely to be infected.
Software with a corporate brand, such as Adobe Flash Player, must be downloaded directly from the developer’s website. No intermediary is acceptable.
Java on the network (not to be confused with JavaScript, to which it's not related) is always a potential weak spot in the security of any operating system. If a Java web plugin is not installed, don't install it unless you really need it. If it is installed, you should disable it (not JavaScript) in your web browsers. Few websites have Java content nowadays, so you won’t be missing much. This setting is mandatory in OS X 10.5.8 or earlier, because Java in those obsolete versions has known security flaws that make it unsafe to use on the Internet. The flaws will never be fixed. Regardless of version, experience has shown that Java can never be fully trusted, even if no vulnerabilities are publicly known at the moment.
Follow these guidelines, and you’ll be as safe from malware as you can reasonably be.
Never install any commercial "anti-virus" products for the Mac, as they all do more harm than good. If you need to be able to detect Windows malware in your files, use the free software ClamXav — nothing else.
Remove ANY Antivirus software you have because YOU DON'T NEED IT WITH OS X.
See: How to perform a "clean install" of Flash Player in Mac OS X

Advice Needed for Coding FCP Plugin's

This will be my first attempt at coding anything for FCP and I am hoping to get some advice on how to proceed and where I can get technical information.
Project 1: Create a plugin to add a selection to the Canvas/Viewer Overlay windows - just under "Show TimeCode Overlays", or there abouts. The option will allow the visual display of the embedded DV Date/Time stamp on the tape, in the same fashion as Time-code is overlaid. As far as I have been able to find, this plugin does not exist yet, so I thought I would give it a shot.
Project 2: Create a plugin to enhance "DV Start/Stop Detect" to label markers with the embedded DV Date/Time code. i.e. Instead of "Segment 1" the marker would be labeled "20070131 19:15:45", assuming of course, a valid date/time existed, otherwise default back to "Segment xx".
But, I guess my first question would be, would these be "legal" projects to pursue. i.e. Is there an API to modify the functionality of FCP in this manner?
I know the DT is available as CatDV has no problem reading it, so I figure FCP should be able to as well.
I figure I will need:
1. Info on how the DT is encoded (hex) in the stream
2. FCP API info
3. Editing app to put the code together.
4. Forums that deal with Mac and FCP coding discussions.
5. Any other advice ANY ONE would like to give.
I have a BSc in Comp Sci and coded on the Main Frame for 15 years, so I have "basic" coding skills, but I have not coded on the Mac yet. I have registered for the FREE Developer Account, but haven't had a chance to explored the service yet.
Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
ASIDE: I have been editing in FCP since v1 and I shoot events with multiple cameras, sometimes hiring additional cameramen (with their own gear). Because, the events I shoot are usually live "one-of" events like weddings, sports... etc, there is a lot of ON/OFF recording. As such, I find the best way to sync up tapes is to match up Date/Time codes. I accomplish this by playing back the captured video through Firewire back to a Panasonic PV-GS400 which displays the DT on the pop-out display. I then MANUALLY update the previously created "DV Start/Stop Detect" segments with the appropriate DT.
This is a very time consuming process, and if I can get FCP to display the DT directly, it would knock hours off my work flow.
I hope this all makes sense.
FYI I will also be posting this in the 2-pop forums, so if I get any advice there, I will update my post here.
TIA
Gary

Hi Gary
Regarding both your proposed projects afaik there is no API to directly allow you to do this.
However a few options spring to mind: analyzing midi control /mackie control data as provided to a control surface (check out Digital Heaven's BigTime for an idea of how this could work); similarly you could create a virtual DV output device that would appear in the external video outputs list whereby the output video stream would be passed through your code to extract and display the info; perhaps simplest although the least dynamic would be simply to write an FxPlug filter that could be dropped on the clip ... the user could then populate the filter with static display data by manually scavenging the clip for the info with a "button" in your filter (see the options dialog example in the FxPlug SDK)
Good luck
Andy

Advice needed for a mess of ipods

the goal: get all music stored in one place, preferably my new ipod.
1) i have a third generation ipod which has the bulk of the music i have listened to for the last five years.
that music is in iTunes on a pc laptop that has died. (there's a chance that i can get those files off the dead computer and onto an external drive; still waiting to find out. but all those files are on the ipod anyway.)
2) I have a new laptop that has new music in iTunes. (Those files are also on an ipod nano.) the new iTunes files on this laptop do not overlap with the first set of files.
3) i have a new ipod that i want to get everything onto: the old (1st set) files on the old ipod, the new files on my new laptop (& nano), and ... i'd like to convert all of my old cds and get them on the new ipod as well.
Problems:
* how do i join the two sets of files (without losing any) if the old ipod won't work with my new laptop b/c the computer doesn't recognize it.
--What's the actual process for getting the files off the old ipod?
--would it be best to store everything on an external drive (point iTunes to it while it's attached to the laptop?)*
-store everything on the new ipod only?*
** what's the best way to get cds (their data) onto a laptop that doesn't have a cd drive?
The first issue about combining the sets of music onto a new ipod i really have no idea how to do. so any step by step kind of advice would be appreciated. especially because of the old ipod/new laptop incompatibility.
the second issue about the cds: i have a feeling i just have to pay some service to convert them for me. any cheaper ideas?
Thank you!

Right there are many ways to get your Music off your ipod and on to a computer the best thing to do is to take the files off your ipod and put them on a external disk (like you said) but you need to take it to a computer that recognizes your ipod and then once you have coppied the music across, add it to an external disk.
The best ways to do this is...
1.(the cost option)
download this program at http://www.findleydesigns.com/ (ipod Access for Windows), the free version copy's five songs at a time to your computer. But the registered version (£14 (not sure in $)) copys all of your music, playlists, videos etc across directly to itunes.
2. (The Free way) (this is for XP, but i should be the same with vista) (im not really familiar with Vista) but the principles are the same.
You need to be able to view hidden files on your computer , you need to go to the control panel and find folder options. (i believe that you could change the settings on in the windows explorer by clicking view at the top menu bar. you need to click it so that you can see the hidden files. (i think this explains simply what i said Tools -> Folder Options -> View, and then check (enable) the option “Show hidden files and folders.”)
Next find your ipod now if you have enabled hidden files you need to click on your ipod and find a folder called ipod control. the folder itself will look different maybe a bit transparent because it is hidden. Next you will go in and if you explore further you will see loads of files (transparent like ipod control) with things like F34 F01 (or F1) etc.
They are the files with your music on it and if you click on them, they will show music files but they wont have names. they are encrypted with file names like AKLY (basically four letters or 3 letters put together in capitals) so to get the names and other suff back simply drag the music files into itunes or import them individually (the folders) into itunes by clicking file, import into itunes and by folder.
Then once you have done this the names should be correct in Itunes.
*Alternitavely you can drag all the files in 'ipod control' into an external Hard Drive* if you go into itunes prefrences you can let itunes put all your music on your computer into organized files of album names.
Hope that Helped
Alex
And sorry the easiest ways to convert the CD's is to import them yourself into itunes Although it may take some time.
If you dont have an external hard drive then burning all your music onto CDs always helps although with a few Gigabytes of music it could take quite a lot of CDs. You might need some blank DVDs to burn on to
Message was edited by: Alexander Richardson

Advice needed for beginner to Flash website building

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