Thank you Andreas for a frank response I feel alot better not knowing anything about Flex now:)
Cheers Paul -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Andreas Rønning Sent: 19 October 2005 14:25 To: Flashcoders mailing list Subject: Re: [Flashcoders] What is Flex? http://www.macromedia.com/software/flex/productinfo/brz_overview/ Better description than my jaded cynical self could provide. Keep your bs filter in the "on" position though. - Andreas Andreas Rønning wrote: > Paul Steven wrote: > >> Been using Flash now for many years to create online games, CDROMs and >> websites. I have always used the Flash program itself to create all my >> content because that was the only option I had available to me (with the >> exception of creating swfs in illustrator and the adobe flash program >> (whatever it was called)) >> >> Anyway I see alot of talk about some program called "Flex" that seems >> to be >> something to do with Flash development. I have obviously had my head >> in the >> sand as it appears to have just appeared out of nowhere and everyone >> seems >> pretty clued up on it. >> >> So I am asking for a simple decription of what Flex is and for what >> sort of >> content I should be using it for and why. I am not that familiar with >> the >> terms RIA or IDE so please keep the explanation in laymans terms. >> >> I am about to begin developing a large website in Flash and was >> planning on >> just making it in Flash 8 in the way I normally create Flash stuff. >> >> If there is a better way to do things using a different application >> then I >> would really like to know. >> >> If there is a different list that would be more appropriate to my >> question >> then please let me know. >> >> Thanks in advance. >> >> Paul >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Flashcoders mailing list >> [email protected] >> http://chattyfig.figleaf.com/mailman/listinfo/flashcoders >> >> > RIA = fancy and completely useless buzzword that pisses me off to no > end, mostly because it IS a buzzword, and developers who work in that > field throw it around with insane abandon even though it means fuck > all. "Rich Internet Application". To the "untrained eye" it could mean > anything from a site with a video player through a flash game to a > dhtml riddled search engine. It's such an open and generic term it > actually angers me. It's the synergy craze all over again. > > In practical terms, Flex is a serverside compiler solution that lets > you use actionscript in tandem with mxml (fancy pants xml) to throw > components around. What it means for the end user is they get fancy > alternatives to web shops and other things that might as well be > handled with ajax or even old fashioned no frills html pages. It's a > framework for stuffing sites full of components and things that go > bing when you hit them, presumably to avoid reloading pages and give > instant feedback, which is an attempt to improve usability, but in a > lot of cases do the exact opposite by forcing users to be accustomed > to YET ANOTHER set of buttons and sliders. > > Company line: "The Flex product line delivers a standards-based > programming methodology and runtime services for developing and > deploying the presentation tier of applications that combine the > richness of the desktop with the reach of the web: Rich Internet > Applications." > > What the hell does that mean, other than an attempt to get you to > throw cash at them for the sake of cool. This reads to me like another > ColdFusion, a syntax so contrived and painful it effectively locks the > CFM developer to specialise in a platform that offers nothing to the > greater good. When i do AS, that same script can be moved to php and > java, even c++ and c# with little alteration. CFM syntax is an > abomination. In some cases conformity is a good thing. Anyway, i digress. > > By "presentation tier" they mean the user interface. In a web > application like google, this is the part where you put in the search > parameters and press "search". In RIA terms, this means the part where > you put in the search parameters should glow when you're typing, and > have audible sound effects for each keypress, in addition to a happy > fanfare and a fade transition when you hit "search". Even "richer", > let's add a dropdown menu for the last 10 searches, one that "unfolds" > like a chinese fan with an accompanying rustle of feathers sound > effect. I kid. But it's not completely untrue. The idea is to supply > users with more intuitive and direct feedback to their choices through > Flash. > > I think it's a completely unnecessary product line that propagates a > design paradigm that's actually detrimental to the internet, in > particular usability issues. You could say the same for Flash, but > Flash isn't necessarily there to "improve" on the existing content as > much as it's there to add to it. > > If you're comfy with the component framework and is willing to invest > a lot of time in stuff you'll find no use for whatsoever in other > languages, go Flex yourself out, i'm told it's great fun. > > - Andreas > _______________________________________________ > Flashcoders mailing list > [email protected] > http://chattyfig.figleaf.com/mailman/listinfo/flashcoders _______________________________________________ Flashcoders mailing list [email protected] http://chattyfig.figleaf.com/mailman/listinfo/flashcoders _______________________________________________ Flashcoders mailing list [email protected] http://chattyfig.figleaf.com/mailman/listinfo/flashcoders
