If you find a good Flash programmer they will be both right side and
left side brained.

If you find the average graphic artist you end up holding their hand
with the coding.

If you find a programmer that does flash you have to deal with ugly
graphics.

If you can find a good graphic artist that understands programming and
databases you could be rich!


-----Original Message-----
From: Dave Watts [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] 
Sent: Thursday, August 01, 2002 7:57 PM
To: CF-Talk
Subject: RE: Does Macromedia have some current strong Flash agenda?


> it seems creative and analytical/math/programmatic mindsets
> are a bit at odds and seldom in the same package...

I think you're making a mistake in your division, there, though. I'm not
especially good with math, myself, but the better Flash programmers tend
to be - moving things about the screen typically takes more math than
writing business logic does.

> As far as process Dave, how much different is it working
> with a Flash UI person than another team person who maybe 
> was doing the UI in HTML? same general requirements and 
> process?

I think it's just as easy, myself. In fact, it's been my experience that
while an interface designer might write the HTML that you use as a
starting point, as a CF developer you usually end up rewriting most of
it (while getting the same sort of effect. On the other hand, when
you're working with a Flash front-end, you're out of the interface loop
entirely (which is a good place to be, I think).

I think it's also important to differentiate interface design from Flash
programming, too - you don't have to be good at both, really, and I
think that these tasks are better done by two people who specialize in
those tasks, rather than one person. This goes back to the
creative/analytical division you outlined above - this division does
exist, but the Flash programmer needn't be on the creative side of the
divide. In the ideal world, I think the "information architect" or
business process analyst figures out what the interface (and the
back-end implementation) needs to do, the database designer figures out
the optimal data design, the interface designer figures out the optimal
interface for the task, the Flash programmer implements the GUI, the CF
developer implements the business logic, the DBA implements the database
and stored procedures. Naturally, in the real world, there's likely to
be some overlap, but as things become more complex and more serious, the
need for specialization increases. This is true in any industry; why
should ours be any different? There will always be a need for
generalists, but that need should decrease over time.

Dave Watts, CTO, Fig Leaf Software
http://www.figleaf.com/
voice: (202) 797-5496
fax: (202) 797-5444

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