Hi Tanya, I introduced Java in my Telco company in 1997. And I introduced Flex in 2004. These facts just for talking about my experience.
I don't understand what you mean by complex network visualizations. I remember projects with such name. After a deeper study, they just need basics draws. Flex is not alone. It means that you can use Flash for building smart components that you can transform in Flex components and use them with Mxml or AS3. Maybe Elixir can provide you with such components, maybe you can do them yourself. Don't remember that Elixir is basically a new rewriting of J-views, which was a rewriting of Ilog (C++) Views, which was a rewriting of (but it is long history!). Ilog has the right strategy while porting their code in the most important languages. But you have also to see if it fits with your own strategy. JavaFX starts really last year and seems too young in order to provide the same level of power than Flex/Flash. 2 years ago, I saw code developped with beta version and I was afraid. Ask Ilog if they want to make a special version of Jviews based on JavaFX. The answer could be meaningful. For accessing back-end java code, you have different solutions. From exposing web services or XML REST services to integrate your code with Blaze-DS or Livecycle Data Services. (Blaze is the free version LDS. ) LDS provides you with better performances on large queries and with real-time synchronization of tens (maybe hundreds and per CPU) of terminals. If you want to see immediately on every connected terminal, a change made on one screen, you need to use LDS and AMF3. And maybe it is the only solution. I don't know if Elixir provides this capability. Whatever your choice, you will spend a long time for mastering the technology. The main challenges are to understand the available classes and to master the event management. You are right to ask for helping your choice. In my opinion, Flash/Flex should be the most sustainable and the most open. My advice is that you find and design the most complex part or interaction of your application. Then make a model with Flash/Flex. If you feel it fine, you have the good choice. And you are starting a long time for learning to master. have a nice day Hervé TCash21 a écrit : > > Hi all, > I'm currently trying to push Adobe Flex at my company for complex > network visualizations. The application will also need to run > computationally intensive simulations (accessing backend java code) as > well as some other distributed tasks. I know Java can store > everything in memory and access it but is Flex just as able? Would it > require Flex Data Services and what are the advantages? I'm easily > sold on the UI-experience and aesthetic appeal of the front-end, I'm > just unsure how it would handle massive computational efforts on the > backend and display it all to the client quickly. > > We're trying to figure out the best way to go, will it be JavaFX? Flex > Data Services? Flex and Java integrated? Elixir? > > Thank you all for any input, > -Tanya > >
