Actually yes, someone did say that Flash would replace Visual Basic. That's what started this whole thing.
>You have to realize, what Macromedia is doing is laying the groundwork for >a whole new way to create applications, you can't expect that type of >technology to be 100% from day 1. Eventually web applications will behave >almost identically to desktop applications and in most cases will even >replace them. I would hate to think that the future of software would be >based on HTML. Flash, server-side processing and RIAs are the future of not >only the web, but software as we know it. We need to be helpful and >supportive of this process instead of being so critical. I've focused on access to local files, as it's a major advantage over desktop applications written in Java or VB have over Flash. Hence I don't see Flash as being a reasonable replacement. For once Dave I completely agree. Well almost, I'm still going to be paranoid and assume MS is out to get everyone. I find I'm usually more right that I am wrong with this theory. Probably would have been laughed at 5 years ago if I said they be competing with Nintendo. Adam Wayne Lehman Web Systems Developer Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Distance Education Division -----Original Message----- From: Dave Watts [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, March 14, 2003 6:56 PM To: CF-Talk Subject: RE: Macromedia.Com (The new site?) > 1. It's not a desktop application if it needs a network > and server, hence the term 'desktop' application. You can > indeed access CFCs from Flash, but exactly how does that > get around needing HTML to make an API call to the browser > to get local disk access? (Thanks for pointing that out > Barney) You ultra futuristic flash application still > needs a browser and HTML. If you're building a desktop application, which doesn't access the network at all, there are many more suitable tools than Flash, I think. But you could do it in Flash, using the projector stuff, and I'm sure there are ways to get local access to the filesystem when doing that. But who really cares about that? No one here seems to be arguing for Flash as a replacement for, say, Visual Basic. The concept of rich clients implies the existence of a network. If it's a network application, it's typically still going to be launched through a browser, since that's how people navigate the internet. I don't see that as a big deal, though. And how many network applications need to read your filesystem anyway? > Don't you think MS will come out with a competitor to Flash. > I mean if it is the future, they'd be foolish not to. No, I don't think MS will come out with anything that would be a direct competitor with Flash. I don't think it's in their interest. Their interest, bluntly stated, is anything that'll sell copies of Windows. What do they care about lightweight, cross-platform technology? As far as they care, they already have their competing product - the .NET Framework, and Windows Forms. If an end-user has the .NET Framework installed, you can essentially build Windows applications and deliver them through the web (much like ActiveX, basically). That's way, way ahead of Flash in functionality. Not a viable solution for the non-Windows users, or even for many people running current versions of Windows - I can just imagine my landlord downloading it onto his Pentium 166 through his 28Kbps modem connection. Dave Watts, CTO, Fig Leaf Software http://www.figleaf.com/ voice: (202) 797-5496 fax: (202) 797-5444 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/index.cfm?forumid=4 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/index.cfm?method=subscribe&forumid=4 FAQ: http://www.thenetprofits.co.uk/coldfusion/faq Structure your ColdFusion code with Fusebox. Get the official book at http://www.fusionauthority.com/bkinfo.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.4
