# More web site help **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 29, 2009, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-web-site-help/515564 "2009-10-29T04:38:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2009, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-web-site-help/515564/1 "2009-10-29T04:38:01Z")
Two questions for the many experts hereabouts: 1. How do I make one URL an “alias” for another? You type in “[mickeymouse.com](http://mickeymouse.com)” and it takes you to “[disney.com](http://disney.com).” HOW DO THEY DO THAT? (I own both URLs, if that’s an issue. 2. Are there any good FREE Flash programs out there? Where I can teach myself to do simple flash animations whithout having to buy a jillion-dollare Adobe program? (Barring that, any Flash gurus want to do a quick little flash thing for me? . . . ) Thanks all. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2009, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-web-site-help/515564/2 "2009-10-29T06:21:06Z")
The first one is done in the .htaccess file, by the administrator of your host server. All I can help you with in regards to Flash is [this handy website](http://www.hotscripts.com/). ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2009, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-web-site-help/515564/3 "2009-10-29T12:20:17Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > The first one is done in the .htaccess file, by the administrator of your host server. That assumes you’re on a Unix server. On a Microsoft server, you do it in IIS. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2009, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-web-site-help/515564/4 "2009-10-29T12:21:15Z")
> [@Turek](#): > > That assumes you’re on a Unix server. I always like to assume we’re all on a Unix server. ---
**Author:** ![Floppy\_Joe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3bc359/32.png) [@Floppy\_Joe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floppy_Joe)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2009, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-web-site-help/515564/5 "2009-10-29T17:50:17Z")
As far as flash programs, I’m a big fan of [**SwishMAX**](http://www.swishzone.com/). Its not free, but a whole lot cheaper than Adobe. ---
**Author:** ![fubbleskag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fubbleskag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fubbleskag)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2009, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-web-site-help/515564/6 "2009-10-29T20:40:57Z")
you can also achieve #1 with one of the following methods, if editing the .htaccess isn’t an option; however, it’s worth noting that these methods are horrible for SEO. **PHP** ```auto ``` **ASP** ```auto <% Response.redirect("http://www.disney.com") %> ``` **HTML** ```auto ``` ---
**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2009, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-web-site-help/515564/7 "2009-10-29T21:10:45Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > Two questions for the many experts hereabouts: > > 1. How do I make one URL an “alias” for another? You type in “[mickeymouse.com](http://mickeymouse.com)” and it takes you to “[disney.com](http://disney.com).” HOW DO THEY DO THAT? (I own both URLs, if that’s an issue. > > 2. Are there any good FREE Flash programs out there? Where I can teach myself to do simple flash animations whithout having to buy a jillion-dollare Adobe program? (Barring that, any Flash gurus want to do a quick little flash thing for me? . . . ) > > Thanks all. 1. is handled via HTTP redirects. **fubbleskag** posted some examples. You can redirect any url you control, to any other url regardless of whether you control the destination (to the destination server, it would look exactly the same as a link). There’s a large page on wikipedia on the subject: [URL redirection - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/URL_redirection) 2. the free adobe flex SDK\* (which is what I use for flash 99% of the time) is free, but it does not include any GUI interface - it’s pretty much there to support large scale application development using flash. While you **can** build animations in it, but you’d have to do it in code, instead of using an animator/graphics artist friendly “draw and drag on a timeline” environment. - not to be confused with adobe flex builder, which is a paid product. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-web-site-help/515564/8 "2009-10-30T01:26:49Z")
[This thread](http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=171567) in the Ubuntu forums might be useful. But all you really need to do is Google _free flash alternative._