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[Plug-Ins] [Plug-In Pack]

Sizzler
[Imagemap]

Purpose: Displays streamed, inline animation
Company: Totally Hip Software
Platform: Win95, NT, 3.1; Mac, Power Mac
Plug-in cost: Free
Developer tool: Web Painter (free)
Download from:http://www.totallyhip.com/sizzler/6b_sizz.html

Sizzler didn't get much of a fanfare when it arrived on the Web in early 1996. Sandwiched between the release of Macromedia's animation-capable Shockwave plug-in and the introduction of Netscape 2.0 , which supported animated GIFs, Sizzler seemed like just another way to make pictures move. And for the most part, it still is.

With the exception of its streaming abilities (like interlaced GIFs, Sizzler animations appear right away, and slowly come into focus, so there's no waiting for downloads), there's little to distinguish Sizzler. Initially, it won a few designers' heart s with its easy-to-use creation tool, Web Painter, whose intuitive interface - similar to Photoshop and other graphics software - made it a good choice for anyone who hadn't mastered Director. (Not to mention that Web Painter is free, and Director, ahem, is not.) But Sizzler lost what little edge it had with the advent of animated GIFs. Though GIF animations don't stream as smoothly as Sizzler apps (they support fewer frames per second, and have a tendency to "hiccup"), they're just as simple to create an d don't require a plug-in for viewing.

Nevertheless, you'll still find Sizzler firmly rooted at some sites, and the plug-in is easy enough to install if you want to be prepared for accidental sightings. A word of warning though: Sizzler animations have a bad habit of crashing browsers. And whether the problem lies with the plug-in itself or poor implementation by developers is anyone's guess.



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