Written by Bobby van der Sluis, creator of UFO (Unobtrusive Flash Object), and Geoff Stearns, creator of SWFObject (the flash embedding script formerly known as FlashObject) are teaming up on a project they’re calling SWFFix. SWFFix is going to be a new and improved library that will be used to embed SWFs. Development will be public and the source will soon be available in an SVN repository.
I’ve used SWFObject for quite some time now and it’s worked great for me. Although I haven’t used UFO , I’ve worked with developers that are very happy with that solution as well.
So why the merge and new direction?
Because they both rely on JavaScript to embed content, clients must have JavaScript enabled to view the intended content. Although those clients represent a small percentage of clients, they are needlessly being left out. A better solution, according to van der Sluis, is “to use a truly unobtrusive embedding method: a hybrid solution that uses standards compliant markup like that used in the Flash Satay method to embed both Flash content and alternative content while employing an unobtrusive DOM script that serves as an add-on to fix problems and add services to modern browsers.”
For a great explanation of Flash embedding, current techniques and new directions, check out Bobby van der Sluis’s write-up on A List Apart.
-rG
