{
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    "type" : "single",
    "title" : "Installing additional software to properly view your site should not be necessary |Digital.gov",
    "description": "Installing additional software to properly view your site should not be necessary",
    "home_page_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/","feed_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/guides/mobile-principles/plugins/index.json","item" : [
    {"title" :"Installing additional software to properly view your site should not be necessary","summary" : "Week four of our series covers the issue of relying on additional software to properly view your site.","date" : "2018-12-04T09:30:00-05:00","date_modified" : "2025-01-27T19:42:55-05:00","primary_image" : { "uid" : "guide-mobile-principles", "alt" :
  "Vector illustration of a mobile phone", "width" :
  "1200", "height" :
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  "Irina_Strelnikova/iStock via Getty Images", "caption" :
  "", "format" :
  "png" },"branch" : "bc-archive-content-3",
      "filename" :"principles-plugins.md",
      
      "filepath" :"guides/mobile-principles/principles-plugins.md",
      "filepathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/blob/bc-archive-content-3/content/guides/mobile-principles/principles-plugins.md",
      "editpathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/edit/bc-archive-content-3/content/guides/mobile-principles/principles-plugins.md","slug" : "plugins","url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/guides/mobile-principles/plugins/","aliases" : {"0" : "/resources/mobile/principles/plugins"},"content" :"\u003cp\u003eWelcome to Principle 4! This week, we will focus on the issue of relying on additional software to properly view your site. This issue is a major cause of mobile unfriendliness.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSites that require the use of plugins are a major cause of mobile unfriendliness. Relying on plugins such as Adobe Flash, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Java Virtual Machine, or Microsoft Silverlight may negatively impact the usability of your mobile site. Many mobile browsers do not support these plugins, making your site look “broken.” This issue can be detected using Google\u0026rsquo;s \u003ca href=\"https://search.google.com/test/mobile-friendly\"\u003eMobile Friendly Test\u003c/a\u003e tool, \u003ca href=\"https://www.digitaldashboard.gov/\"\u003eDigitalDashboard.gov\u003c/a\u003e, or the \u003ca href=\"https://itif.org/publications/2017/03/08/benchmarking-us-government-websites\"\u003eInformation Technology \u0026amp; Innovation Foundation (ITIF) Benchmarking Report\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBelow, we cover why you should avoid using plugins on your mobile site.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIssue: Plugins may not work well, or work at all, on many different browsers.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePlugins are pieces of software that enable a browser to process certain types of web content it otherwise couldn’t. Plugins require installation and updating prior to use. Some of the most common plugins include:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAdobe Acrobat Reader (.pdf files)\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eJava Virtual Machine (Java applets)\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMicrosoft Silverlight (rich media, interactive web pages)\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAdobe Flash Player (YouTube videos, .swf files)\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eApple Quicktime (3D virtual reality schematics)\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMost browsers have restrictions or don’t allow plugins at all for mobile page views. However, if you require some functionality that requires using a plugin, consider creating a \u003ca href=\"https://careerfoundry.com/en/blog/web-development/what-is-the-difference-between-a-mobile-app-and-a-web-app/\"\u003enative application\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSolution: Avoid using plugins!\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis one is simple — avoid using plugins at all costs and potentially alienating some of your user base.You may initially be able to make a release that uses a plugin, but it may soon fail as browsers continuously evolve and disallow plugin use.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReferences\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAvoid Plugins | \u003ca href=\"https://varvy.com/mobile/avoid-plugins.html\"\u003ehttps://varvy.com/mobile/avoid-plugins.html\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePage Speed Avoid Plugins | \u003ca href=\"https://gtmetrix.com/avoid-plugins.html\"\u003ehttps://gtmetrix.com/avoid-plugins.html\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWhy You Should Avoid Plugins on Mobile Pages | \u003ca href=\"https://thecontentworks.uk/avoid-mobile-plugins\"\u003ehttps://thecontentworks.uk/avoid-mobile-plugins\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n"}
  ]
}