Pros/Cons to Flash & a few questions

I am hoping to tap into the greater power of collective thinking to get a better idea about pros and cons about using Flash within web sites for a meeting I have next week. The following sentence was included in the appointment invitation: “They would like to talk with us all about what we might be able to do to get us all up to speed on the latest and greatest with Flash” – rather vague, but I’m trying to be prepared.
To start things off with, here’s my brief list of pros and cons…
Pros:
“Wow” factor
(I’m sorry – I really can’t think of anymore Pros, which is probably why I am asking here.)
Cons:
Time-intensive to learn (especially to do properly)
Time-intensive to maintain (my impression)
Usability/Accessibility issues
I’d appreciate any additions and/or input the community has on the above list.
Several additional questions that I have:
Realistically, how time-intensive is Flash to change/maintain? We help maintain and manage over 100 websites and most of that falls on my shoulders to support. (Mostly school/district web sites and a few chamber/city sites.) Additionally, I do a bit of video production as well as web development. Needless to say, this makes time a factor.
How easy is it to integrate Flash into Drupal? If so, are there any good online tutorials for it and is it worth the effort?
Why should Flash be used instead of alternate methods (CSS menus, for example, or javascript for rotating images.)
Is Flash aging technology? I certainly wouldn’t call it “new” anymore. Wouldn't it be better to devote time/energy/money into HTML5 & CSS3?
I should probably note that I know a little about Flash and the various things that it can do on web sites, but have never successfully managed to actually learn to use the software (although I have made the attempt at several times). Mentally I have had a hard time grasping the various means of accomplishing an end result (be it navigation buttons, video interfaces, or animation, etc.). The only real plus I can see to using it is the “wow” factor that it can add to web sites. In terms of usability and accessibility across platforms and browsers, there seems to be a whole realm of issues that can crop up and need to be adressed when building a site.
Thank you.

i would say:
Pros:
No. 1 (by far), cross-browser consistancy. nothing that i know of (ajax, html5) comes close to being consistant across the various browsers.
Cons:
Time-intensive to learn (especially to do properly). same as everything else. if oop is new to you, it's difficult to learn.
Time-intensive to maintain (my impression). not true.
Usability/Accessibility issues. not true.
that said, if you're an html5 and/or ajax guru, there's not much reason to learn flash unless animation is critical. i'm finding less and less that flash can do that can't be done with ajax and/or html5. (but there's significant amount of duplicate coding with html5 and ajax and none with flash.)

Similar Messages

Logic 7.1 and Pro Tools...a few questions...

Hi everyone,
I just have a couple of questions regarding Logic and Pro Tools. My employer has commissioned me to upgrade his studio from Logic 5.0 (mac os version) to the latest version, which is now 7.1.1 (but we may stick with 7.1 just till I'm sure it won't mess up his setup). I thought I'd post just to get a bit of clarification.
Here are the details of his main theatre studio:
Pro Tools 6.4.1
2 x Digidesign 888 I/O Interface
OS X Panther 10.3.5
Dual 1.25 GHz G4
1 Gig DDR SDRAM
I've read and seen a lot of posts regarding big problems running Logic and certain configurations of Pro Tools in conjunction, however until now this has not been a concern for me as my studio is purely based off of core audio Logic 7.1 and Reason 3.03. So here are the main questions I have:
1. How much is the upgrade going to be? Is is just the standard upgrade or is he going to get shafted and have to buy the whole program again (NOTE: he does have the dongle and all the necessary paperwork from Logic 5.0 mac version)
2. Are there known problems with the configuration that I've outlined above, I really don't want to suggest he go ahead and a) upgrade b) buy the the program again if he must, if there is going to be a problem, he predominantly works in Pro Tools and Logic will just be available as an added selling point to his studio, and composition ablity.
Any information about this or clarification would be greatly appreciated, thank you in advance,
Graham Campbell
PS - if you need more info to answer don't hesiate to ask.

Hi Justin,
thanks for the advice/info...I got the quote for the upgrade it'll be 435 Canadian after tax (Just curious if we order the upgrade will it upgrade to 7.1? or do we need to get that seperate, I was confused by your wording).
As for the setup my employer hasn't used Logic at all in a professional setting. He had 5.0 Platinum in case any of his clients needed it however that hasn't been the case, he said it was working fine though. As for Pro Tools, his setup the one I mentioned above, has been rock solid all the way up to 10.3.9 (which he has on two of his other editing sweets). So hopefully that will be the case for Logic as well. I've told him that I think he'll need to address the RAM issue as I'm sure he'll be suprise how quick Sculpture etc eat up the RAM.
My main concern was wether running Logic not using the 'built in audio' driver but rather say the Pro Tools interface would be incompatible, hope that makes sense I haven't done any Pro Tools with Logic set ups before so the wording may wrong. Thanks for the reply though, cheers,
Graham

Making my game in Flash - a few questions

Hello all, I am quite new to Flash but I have a few years of experience in the other CS software, such as Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. I downloaded the trial version of Flash and started working through some tutorials last night so I can get my feet wet with it.
Anyway, I have a game that I would like to create, and I never considered making it Flash-based until I started working with Flash yesterday. I made this game in a board game form about 8 years ago, and it revolves around giant monsters ala Godzilla, etc. It is turn-based and two players move pawns space-by-space around the board and attack by rolling a die and then using a corresponding attack on the card. There are also some simple environmental objects, such as buildings around the arena that can be destroyed and used strategically. I would describe the game as a strategy game with elements of a card game and also simple RPGs. There are five levels of cards, and when you score a certain number of points, you level up to the next round of cards. You win the game by reaching a certain number of points. When I made this game, I also included very detailed rules and such with it, so that part is finished at least.
Is this a feasible project to use Flash to do?

Though the nitty gritty details haven't been disclosed, it sounds like it should be do-able in Flash. I could say it would be easily created with Flash, but I don't want to give the impression that you personally can just pick up Flash and get it done without a good amount of learning to tackle in the process.

Mac book pro 13 inch flashing folder and question mark

when i restarted my computer last night a white screen appeared with a flashing folder and a question mark. I'm just trying to determine what the issue is, is the hard drive shot? I've inserted my installation disc to re download the software but it will not recognize anywhere to download the software to...

Check the Disk Utility. If the drive shows up there, repair or erase it. If not, it's either become unplugged or is dead.
(66650)

A FEW QUESTIONS BEFORE MY MBP ARRIVES

Hi,
I finally ordered my Mac yesterday. It's obviously a MacBook Pro and I have a few questions before it arrives.
First of all, I want to install Boot Camp, and to do so, I must have the latest firmware. How do I find out if I have the latest firmware?
Also, how much hardrive should I give Windows? I was thinking 80GB = MAC OSX, 20GB = WINDOWS XP.
Obviously my last question, since I plan on only using Windows for games, how does it play? I have read a few reviews and some benchmarks but all the results are different. I also like to know if it would be worth clocking the GPU back to stock speed since it's obviously underclocked.

This document and embedded links will explain the firmware issues, latest updates, etc. Since each model of the Intel Mac is slightly different, not all firmware updates are the same. Review the document and then check what update version you have on the computer when it arrives. Go to: Apple menu, select “About this Mac/More info… and look at “Boot ROM version.
Anyway, this is what I can offer since I don’t use Boot Camp although I would recommend that your use your new Mac for a while before installing it. By doing so, you can validate your system’s integrity.
Ref: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=303364
Regards,
MBP-15" / 2.16 / W8612... Mac OS X (10.4.6) G4 Tower (OS 9/10), Dell 620 WorkStation (XP Pro), Gateway P4 (XP Home)

A few questions on switching from my powermac G5 to a 17" macbook pro

Hi, picking up at used macbook pro on monday(Apple MacBook Pro MA611LL/A 17" Notebook PC (2.33 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2 GB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD SuperDrive)
I'm going to use it as my main machine with an external keyboard and mouse hooked up, along with an external 23" cinema display in extended desktop mode. Then when I need to work somewhere else I'll just unplug it and go.
A few questions from a new macbook user:
• What's the best way to migrate all my apps, data, photos, etc. Should I use migration assistant? I'm a web designer with dozens of small apps that I may not have the installers for but would like to do a fresh install of the ones I have like CS3. With migration assistant can I just pick some apps to move over, or do they all move over and does it transfer the registration info in case I misplaced certain serial numbers?
• I'll be selling my desktop, I know you can only install CS3 on one machine, how do I get the CS3 "unactivated" on my Desktop so I can install it on the macbook pro? I own the copy of CS3 and have the dvd's and such.
• I have a TON of Dreamweaver sites defined, whats the simpleist way to transfer the site info over so I don't have to track down all of that ftp info for every site?
• I have over a year of Time Machine backups on my current desktop machine, do I transfer those over somehow so my macbook reads them or is it just better to start over with a fresh time machine backup?
• Will I have any issues with my Iphone or appletv with itunes thinking I'm authorizing a new computer but I'm really only going to be having one machine?
• The person I'm buying it from is doing a clean install of the system, when I get it should I go ahead and do a fresh Leopard install just to make sure its done properly, and if so is there are there "best practices" on doing that?
• Any other tips or advice?
Thanks in advance, I know thats a lot of questions?
Jeff

While waiting for responses, I came up with this reload script after a little research. The only major problem is that it makes the entire page blink when it reloads. Any thoughts on improving or completely changing it to get rid of the blink and keeping everything efficient?
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<mx:WindowedApplication xmlns:mx="http://www.adobe.com/2006/mxml" layout="absolute" width="1920" height="1080"
creationComplete="dbTimer()" borderColor="#797979" backgroundGradientAlphas="[1.0, 1.0]" backgroundGradientColors="[#636363, #9A9A9A]" color="#F3F3F3">
<mx:Script>
<![CDATA[
import mx.controls.Text;
import mx.controls.Label;
import mx.collections.ArrayCollection;
import mx.rpc.events.ResultEvent;
[Bindable]
private var omArray:ArrayCollection
private function resultHandler(event:ResultEvent):void
omArray = event.result.response.data.row;
import flash.utils.Timer
import flash.events.TimerEvent
import flash.display.Sprite
private function dbTimer():void
inventoryService.send();
var mTimer:Timer=new Timer(1000,10)
mTimer.addEventListener(TimerEvent.TIMER_COMPLETE,Comple);
mTimer.start();
private function Comple(e:TimerEvent):void
inventoryService.send();
dbTimer();
]]>
</mx:Script>

Thinking Of Buying Logic Pro, A Few Questions.....

Hi guys,
I have recently just bought a 20" Intel imac and am seriously thinking of selling my current setup to buy Logic Pro 7;
Current Setup
Reason 3.0 (Def Sell)
Mbox 2 + Pro Tools 7 LE (Def Sell)
Roland V-Synth XT (May Keep)
MPC 1000 (Def Keeping)
The reason that I have listed my main components is so that you can advice me as to whether its worth me going through the hassle of changing, what I will lose / gain (as I understand that Logic comes with alot of built in instruments etc but may not have certain features of Pro Tools LE, i.e Beat Detective etc, but I am sure its prob better overall).
I haven't really used Pro Tools LE yet so changing DAW isn't a problem from the standpoint of learning something new as I haven't yet learnt LE.
I understand that I will need a new external sound card as well (like the Mbox) so any reccomendations on that would also be great.
I also understand that Logic Pro 7.2 (the intel compatible version isn't out for a month or so) but thats fine as thus far my newly purchased Mbox 2 isn't compatible anyway and I am happy just getting my head round the new operating system for the MPC for the next month anyway
So in a nutshell, to the Logic users out there, whats it like, pros / con's etc? Also what main differences are there between Pro and Express?
Im gonna try googling a few reviews online but I have always trusted peoples opinions on here more so than magazine reviews so thanks for any advice in advance.
Cheers, Nathan
P.S, sorry for the long post and amount of questions but this is going to be a big change for me and just want to make sure I don't dive in head first and then regret it.

I do all sorts of music (R&B, Hip hop, salsa, reggae and all that )
and logic has never been easier
I see most of friends using cubase with reason and its a pain to what they go through
example
open cubase then open reason
save cubase as a project then save reason as well
rewire then start recording both together requires more CPU than having 10-20 EXS24 as plugins in logic
after you are done save cubae then save reason
when ever you need to go back again open cubase the open reason before your song will play and sometimes if you make a mistake then reason will change the tempo when you launch then you gotta remember what the original tempo was
worse thing ever is if you wanna continue at another studio you gotta make sure the person has both reason and cubase then the whole open and open starts again
I was always bored each time i went there
I gave him some bass line and old school samples and it wouldn't match his tempo
but in logic i can change the tempo and it it matches (its not 100% but for hip hop with short samples like 8bars chipmunk samples is perfect
even Kanye West feels Logic and he has been know to be the ultimate champ of sampling
but don't throw or sell any of your analogs or external synth
alotta people will pay alot to get em again ( trust )
all i can say is with MPC and Logic, there is nothing you can do when it comes to hip hop
alotta cats are on Fruityloops I still use it for drums sometimes
stash

Considering a Mac Pro - Few Question

I am disappointed with my Intel iMac due to lack of USB ports (hubs don't work with some of my usb hardware) and the ridiculous audio/optical combo port. So I think I may go Mac Pro when Leopard is released. A few questions need to be answered if you would be so kind. A few caveats first...
A) Mac Pros are expensive for me, so I need to save money where I am able.
B) The Mac Pro will double as a media player for my Home Theater system. I have a connection for DVI and Toslink
OK, now the questions...
1. Does the Mac Pro come with the trays for the extra hard drives? I would like to purchase more drives separately. Can I do this, and what type of drives are used, SATA?
2. RAM from Apple is expensive. Is there a less costly alternative? It must be a dependable brand. Please include part number if available. Thanks!
3. Will reduction from 2.66 to 2.0 ghz make that much difference? I like grinding MP2 videos to H.264. Really, will it be worth the additional $264?
4. I can use both DVI or HDMI to go to my Home Theater system. Currently, starting the Home Theater changes the resolution on my iMac. I would like to avoid this. Should I get another NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT, or will the dual port on the one card be able to be set to a different resolution output? I would like to be able to still work on my Mac while the kids are watching something in the theater.
5. As for audio, will I be able to run headphones, external speakers and optical out all at the same time? I am assuming yes, but just want to make sure.
6. I am also assuming the Mac Pros are quiet. Noise is one of my biggest enemies since I do quite a bit of audio work. I have not heard a single complaint regarding noise from Mac Pros. Are they that quiet?
Thanks in advance everyone!

4. I can use both DVI or HDMI to go to my Home
Theater system. Currently, starting the Home Theater
changes the resolution on my iMac.
You should be able to run different resolutions on the built-in display and external display if Mirroring is turned off in "Displays" System Preference.
I would like to
avoid this. Should I get another NVIDIA GeForce 7300
GT, or will the dual port on the one card be able to
be set to a different resolution output? I would like
to be able to still work on my Mac while the kids are
watching something in the theater.
The two DVI ports can run at different resolutions.
5. As for audio, will I be able to run headphones,
external speakers and optical out all at the same
time? I am assuming yes, but just want to make sure.
The optical out uses the same socket al the audio out, so you can't use both at once. You could add an iMic <http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/imic/> to get an additional audio output. There are also other PCI-Express, FireWire, or USB audio interfaces available.
You can also use an AirPort Express for audio output. It is designed for iTunes, but Airfoil <http://www.rogueamoeba.com/airfoil/mac/> will send any audio to it.
You may need Audio Hijack Pro <http://rogueamoeba.com/audiohijackpro/> for different applications to send audio to different, or multiple, outputs simultaneously.
You may also want to consider the Apple TV <http://www.apple.com/appletv/> for audio and video connections to your home theater.

Few questions about mac pro before buying

Hello all!
I may be buying a mac pro in a month or so and have a few questions about it.
1. ) Any one know when Apple may release the latest mac pro? Don't wanna buy some thing that'll be significantly obsolete in a few days
2. ) Is it possible to use SATA optical drives internally? I have a SATA blu ray drive I'd like to take from my PC, if that's possible.
3. ) Is it possible to get a graphics cards better than the 8800 GT for video games? (For use in OS X)
4. ) Finally, is there a significant performance difference between Apple's seemingly super expensive RAM and 3rd party RAM? (Other than the heat syncs)
Thanks for any replies.

1. We have no idea when Apple will release any product until it's released. This is a user-to-user site so we have no more information about future products than you do.
2. Yes, it's possible. There are two additional SATA ports on the motherboard.
3. The only graphic cards are those provided by Apple when you order the computer as well as the non-Apple supplied ATI HD-3870 Mac/PC card. The 8800 and 3870 have close performance specs. You can find some benchmarks at Bare Feats.
4. There's no difference between the RAM Apple installs and what you can purchase on the open market. As long as the RAM meets the required specifications and has the requisite heat sink it will work just fine.

A few questions about my MacBook Pro?

Hey guys, I have a few questions about Virtual Machines and a few other random questions.
1. Which one is the most "complete" in its features when compared to a plain install of Win. 7?
2. Which VM should I purchase?
I have a 15" late 2012 MacBook Pro with a 2.6 ghz intel i7, 16gb ram and a 256gb SSD. (I was planning on running it off of an external hard drive— if that is possible)
3. I have 206.12 GB of 255.2 GB free— should I just use boot camp instead?
4. If I use Boot Camp, do I have to delete the data that's on my Mac currently to install Win. 7 or can I partition my current drive and keep my data?
5. What is the "other" data that's taking up 25.51 GB of space on my SSD? (I have the same problem on my iPhone, but that's a different problem.)
Thank you very much.

You posted your Boot Camp questions in the MacBook Pro forum. Try asking in the Boot Camp forum where the Boot Camp gurus hang out. https://discussions.apple.com/community/windows_software/boot_camp

Bought Refurbished MacBook Pro. A few question...

Ok, so I got a refurbished MacBook Pro because I've been using a Powerbook G4 for 5 years. I'm glad the look hasn't changed since the new ones are basically identical. I have a 17" now and am replacing it with another 17", but I have a few questions.
I save $600 on the refurbished one. Are refurbished units reliable?
Also, are the newer MacBooks much better than the previous iterations? The specs of the refurbished one are: 2.33GHz, ATI Radeon X1600 256MB, 2GB Ram, 160GB HD 5400RPM, 8x DVD Superdrive. But the newer systems are 2.4GHz and have the new Nvidia card. The new one is $600 more. Are those two components worth the extra $600?
Thanks for any answers!

The vast majority of refurbs are in fact new and, for whatever reason, are no longer able to be sold as new by Apple Stores (or whichever reseller they came from). These include returns, exchanges for other products (like a better MBP) etc etc and some are lucky to get CTOs with unexpected upgrades. As things go these perform like any other new product.
However, there are some units that have been returned for technical/hardware issues which are subsequently repaired and then put into the refurb chain. Some of these do continue to be problematic although I don't bvelieve it's a high percentage.
overall most seem to be very happy with their refurb purchase especially given it comes with Apple's standard one year warranty and are eligible for Apple Care extended warranty.
As for comparing to the current 2.4GHz MBP, it really depends on what you intend on doing with it whether it is worth the extra cash so that's rather difficult to answer.

A few questions about Adobe Flash

questions:
1.Can adobe flash use web services?
2.How does adobe flash handle the back button or bookmarks?
3.Can adobe flash interact with javascript on a page? Like
call a javascript function and pass it XML as a
parameter?
4.How does adobe flash handle asychronous post backs?
5.Can flash interact with cookies or store information on the
users computer which the flash file can interact
with?
6.Can a adobe flash file be created dynamicaly on the server,
so the flash file the user receives will be more
tailored to them? Or is the Flash file just a static compiled
file thats imported into the html? By this I
mean can the information and images and menus the flash file
will display be pulled from a database and
dynamically generated per user?
7.I've read somewhere a while back that google was trying to
make flash files serchabe so that they can be
listed on googles search engine. Is this an easy
implementation or can only professional flash programmers
accomplish this?
8.Whats the learning curve for learning adobe flash, if I
have many years experience in programming web
applications using html, css, vb.net, and javascript? Not
just learning actionscript but also learning how to
use Adobe flash to create full flash websites?
Okay, so thats more than a few questions :) Once I started
writing my first few I just couldn't stop. But please anyone who
can answer these would be of great help to me in deciding if I
should invest any time into adobe flash.
Thanks for your time,
Evan

>>1.Can adobe flash use web services?
Yes
2.How does adobe flash handle the back button or bookmarks?
It doesn't, but you can use SWFAddress to do just that. Works
great.
3.Can adobe flash interact with javascript on a page? Like
call a
javascript
function and pass it XML as a parameter?
Yes.
4.How does adobe flash handle asychronous post backs?
All net calls are asynchronous - you can use
LoadVars.sendAndLoad or
remoting... I like AMFPHP for remoting.
5.Can flash interact with cookies or store information on
the users
computer
which the flash file can interact with?
Yes - you can use a server-side language like PHP to set
cookies directly,
or use Flash's built in cookie like feature: The Shared
Object
6.Can a adobe flash file be created dynamicaly on the
server, so the flash
file the user receives will be more tailored to them? Or is
the Flash file
just a static compiled file thats imported into the html? By
this I mean
can the information and images and menus the flash file will
display be
pulled from a database and dynamically generated per user?
Entire flash sites can be dynamic - it's what I do... I use
PHP / AMFPHP and
MySQL to build dynamic flash content.
7.I've read somewhere a while back that google was trying to
make flash
files serchabe so that they can be listed on googles search
engine. Is
this an easy implementation or can only professional flash
programmers
accomplish this?
Easy is a relative term... the best way right now is to use
SWFObject
(Google for swfobject seo) - essentially you build an html
site inside the
Flash's <div> so the spiders will see the alternate
content.
8.Whats the learning curve for learning adobe flash, if I
have many years
experience in programming web applications using html, css,
vb.net, and
javascript? Not just learning actionscript but also learning
how to use
Adobe flash to create full flash websites?
If you have experience programming the curve will be
smaller... but there
are lots of elements to absorb. And no matter what, you
always have more to
learn.
Dave -
www.offroadfire.com
Head Developer
http://www.blurredistinction.com
Adobe Community Expert
http://www.adobe.com/communities/experts/

Adobe to ditch flash for mobile devices! A few questions

Just read the news. Have a few questions
1. Is AIR still going to be used for cross platform deployment as that is what I am using now ie: will it be used to deploy html5 apps/programmes?
2. What tool/IDE will adobe be using for html5 - flash? flex?
3. All of our multimedia swfs etc... - can they be exported/used in an html5 environment
4. html5 coding - is it similar to actionscript 3 ie: do we have to start all over again - back to school?
5. Games coded with actionscript 3. Can these games be exported to html5 or must they be rewritten?
Flash stays for pc it looks like.
So it is no longer multiplatform - we will have to code for flash on pc and html5 for mobile devices - is that right or will there be some kind of packager that will export our flash to html5
Just a few questions

I don't work for Adobe so my understanding may not be 100% accurate but here we go...
1. Is AIR still going to be used for cross platform deployment as that is what I am using now ie: will it be used to deploy html5 apps/programmes?
Adobe will be concentrating on developing AIR for packaging apps for mobile devices. AIR is ActionScript based and it does not produce HTML5 apps.
2. What tool/IDE will adobe be using for html5 - flash? flex?
HTML5 itself is just a flavour of HTML and therefore Dreamweaver is the Adobe tool for it For Javascript based timeline animation etc, Adobe has Edge http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/edge/
3. All of our multimedia swfs etc... - can they be exported/used in an html5 environment
Adobe has Wallaby http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/wallaby/ for this - I'm not sure how active the development is lately though. In any case it's impossible to replicate all features of Flash in HTML5.
4. html5 coding - is it similar to actionscript 3 ie: do we have to start all over again - back to school?
Again HTML5 itself is just a simple set of HTML tags. JavaScript is very similar to ActionScript, as AS is based on JavaScript (ECMAScript). For example HTML5 Canvas drawing API is very similar to AS3 drawing API. Therefore if you know AS, at least you know the basics of JS syntax.
5. Games coded with actionscript 3. Can these games be exported to html5 or must they be rewritten?
If you want it to run on browsers, yes. If you want to convert into apps then AIR does that.
Kenneth Kawamoto
http://www.materiaprima.co.uk/

New Macbook Pro owner, just a few questions?

I just bought my Macbook pro around a month ago, I just had a few questions since this is my first Apple computer.
1. My screen often gets smuges on it, any suggestions on what to use to clean the screen without damaging?
2. I have a PC that I rarely ever turned off, anyone know whether or not it would be more beneficial to shut down the laptop everynight or keep it running?
3. Do you suggest keeping up with all of the software updates that become available?
4. Can I watch DVDs and Blu-ray movies on this laptop? are they able to be saved?
5. Any other tips / suggestions would be great! Like I've said, this is my first apple computer, after a month I am still trying to get used to it.
Thanks!

1. In MacBook: Care, Use, and Safety Information, Apple says:
Dampen a clean, soft, lint-free cloth or paper with water only and wipe the screen. Do not spray liquid directly on the screen.
That's what I do. Microfiber cloths are so effective at removing fingerprints and grime that they can sometimes do it without water, but a little water helps microfiber cloths a lot. Because of the way microfiber cloths work, chemicals are rarely needed. Apple warns against using "aerosol sprays, solvents, or abrasives" because your screen has coatings that can be scratched or eaten away by the wrong chemicals. iKlear products are safe, but they cost significantly more than cloths and water.
2. I am also one of the many Mac users who rarely shut down or reboot their MacBook Pro. My friends and I routinely go weeks without rebooting, we just close the lid at night and it sleeps. This is great because it allows the Mac to be instant-on: open the lid and all your open apps and documents are where you left them, with zero startup time.
Part of the reason for being able to run for long periods of time is that OS X is based on Unix, which was originally written as an operating system for servers, which require stability during 24/7 operation and long uptimes between reboots.
3. It is best to keep up with all security updates that become available, since they are about security. After that, you can install other available updates whenever you want. If you don't want to be updating all the time just wait until you want to click the Update button, like maybe updating only on the weekends if you want.
4. If your MacBook Pro has an internal optical drive it will play DVDs. No Macs play Blu-ray Discs unless they have an extra cost drive and third-party software. You can rip DVDs using software like Mac DVDRipper Pro; I use that and then I run them through HandBrake (popular on Mac and Windows) to convert for my phone, tablet, and Plex for my TV.
5. In general Macs don't need a lot of maintenance because many maintenance routines that used to be manual have been built into the normal operation of the system.

A few questions before I buy Logic Pro (also anyone use M-Audio Ozone w/it?

Hello. I just bought a mac (my first one). I plan on getting Logic Pro, but have a few questions.
-Do I need an audio interface to use the program?
-Does anyone use the M-Audio Ozone with Logic? If so, do you recommend it? I know USB isn't as fast as Firewire
-If the Ozone isn't a good audio interface, which M-Audio interface do you recommend? (i might be using Protools M-Powered as well so that's why I want M-Audio)
-Is there a plugin similar to McDSP Filterbank for Logic?
I won't have too much hardware so I don't need too many ins/outs.
Thanks

Ok well do you have a piano? If you take courses you probably need a full piano unless you only want to do synths and pop music, the Ozone will not do. Do take this into consideration, 25 keys is very very small. The cheapest best piano IMHO is the Yamaha P60; piano playing needs weighted keys.
The audio interface converts analog sound to digital and transfers it to the computer. The latency comes from the transport (firewire, usb, IDE), from the computer (software, operating system and drivers) and from the analog/digital conversion. The audio interface also does the reverse, it provides many outputs for speakers and headphones. It can also optionaly provide MIDI I/O.
There are MIDI only input/outputs too, which allow you to plug in any MIDI device, such as a Yamaha P60 piano for instance.
The controller is usually a piano like device (some aren't, they provide only buttons) that sends MIDI information to other MIDI devices (like Logic, via the computer's MIDI I/O). Synths can act as MIDI controllers but provide much more (such as the ability to generate sound).
The Ozone is both, it displays itself as a MIDI controller through it's keyboard and 8 control knobs, as well as an audio interface with 2 inputs and 1 output. That's why it's good at what it does, it's cheap and compact and does all basic IO. But if you won't record anything, a normal MIDI controller is enough. But if you have monitors, maybe the output from the Mac isn't good enough. In terms of sonic quality the Ozone is okay.

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