Living without Flash

Some time ago I decided to delete Flash from my computer and try to live without it. Is it really necessary? Actually it is, but as I pointed out, you can still live without it because Google's Chrome browser has it built in. This means that you don't need to install Flash separately. It is one less application cluttering up the disk drive and using valuable resources. Even Internet Explorer 10 in Windows 8 has Flash built in. It only works with a few sites though and it isn't as compatible as Chrome, but it's a step in the right direction.

I don't have Flash installed, but since Flash is in Chrome then I can still access Flash websites. It is possible to go a step further and disable the Flash plug-in in Chrome. Click the menu button to the right of the address box and select Settings. Click Advanced settings to reveal the hidden settings and then click Content settings in the Privacy section. In the Plug-ins section select Click to play. Close the settings tab and restart Chrome.

Chrome should be faster (solving a problem that some people have with Chrome running very slowly on some computers). When there is Flash content on a web page you will see a blank space where it should be and when the mouse moves over it, a message says Click to run Adobe Flash Player. If you really need the item, click it and Flash runs, but if it is just an advert then don't bother.

A plug-ins button appears at the right side of the address box when plug-ins are disabled and clicking it enables you to add the website as an exception. This means that you can run Flash on your favourite websites, but have it disabled on all the others. It is one more step towards getting rid of Flash completely. You find that browsing the web is faster and less prone to lock-ups and crashes with fewer plug-ins.