Hi, Andreas's info is dated...there is a lot of new news this week that changes much of what he said.
Flex is a product line from Macromedia for building applications that run in the Flash Player. It includes a framework, an integrated development environment, and a server. (The server is not required, but adds value for data rich applications.) At a high level here is the way I think about it: The Flash Professional authoring tool is a rich visual environment for multimedia authoring. The development metaphor is based around a timeline, and it is highly approachable by folks with a design, video, or multimedia background. Its design center is around the creation of very rich interactive content. The Flex product line includes an IDE (Integrated Development Environment) for building application front ends. The development metaphor is tag and code oriented, and it is highly approachable by folks with a computer science, object oriented programming, Java/JSP/CF/ASP.NET, or enterprise application development background who may be working with designers as well. Its design center is around the creation of rich internet applications with dynamic data coming from a back end data source. The two overlap a bit--both output SWFs and Flash Professional can indeed be used to create Rich Internet Applications. The difference is the design center and focus of the two product lines. The two can also work together---many people creating applications with Flex also use Flash to create assets that they bring into the Flex application. It is important to note that the Flex product line is in the beginning of a major transition right now (see the alpha builds at labs.macromedia.com). Paul wrote: "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." I think that is almost definitely the right choice based on the limited info you provide: * You are creating a large "website". Generally, if someone is creating a "site" I'd steer them to Flash. If you had written that you were creating a large "application" my first inclination would be to suggest using Flex. (Yes, I know, it is a blurry line between a "site" and an "application" but I am trying to be helpful based on limited info and the most basic differentiation between the products.) Regards, David Macromedia > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf > Of Andreas Rønning > Sent: Wednesday, October 19, 2005 6:25 AM > 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
