RE: Sho - anything wrong with a "Class Example" app like BeatPort -- RE: [flexcoders] Re: Links to Nice-looking Flex Apps

[Robert Thompson]

Well, I believe I did comment that the particular "look" of BeatPort is one thing, while the integration of a Summary Home Page, Membership Signup, Forums, Areas, is another.      Surely someone as good as Sho can demonstrate a "Bare Bones" if you will, but recommended standard of practice in terms of the base artitechural considerations when developing an app.     So by "class" app. I mean the most typical a Flex developer would deal with when dealing with _not_ the look, but more of the feel; using accordian controls and the various sorts.     I'm still trying to understand Cairngorm (sp?) and MFC (model view architecture)....I got so much going I only have so much time to get up to speed in these...and I guess all in all what I'm saying is....with some vendors, they come with a small series of start apps that server as good ways to analyze good practice for any general class of app.... 
    And with the Great Video Tutorials Sho and others have done, I'm just saying it would evangelgize more apps in a lesser time frame...thus more feedback, more "examplars" to show...the whole Flex2 culture will spread quicker.     Gone are the days IMHO, where you run a script on documentation and just tell the developer to "dig into it" -- No that doesn't promote propogation of a technology, that muddies it up.     -r  Jason Weiss <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:                    I guess “best” should be a relative term and put into context.  The Fortune 1500 companies that we work with would likely be very disappointed if we presented them with a UI like BeatPort for a mission critical enterprise-class application.       Let me stress upfront that my
 point is not to detract from what surely was a lot of work by the developers of BeatPort, work I’m sure they are proud of, but to point out that different class applications expect different levels of sophistication and standards.  For an application focused a niche music market, the BeatPort UI might be categorized as a best-in-class solution, especially if it were compared to the rest of its competitive field.  I’m not familiar with their target market nor am I interested in the value-proposition that their site offers, so before flaming me please take that into account.     However, as a published author, lecturer and software architect on systems in production that have
 literally generated billions of dollars in revenue for my clients, including Crisis Coach that was nominated for a MAX award at this years conference, my experience and client interactions give me the insight to believe that enterprise customers will lean toward the other end of the UI spectrum.  Our customers insist on clean and functional interfaces.  Soothing color schemes, not neon green.  Breadcrumbs and navigational cues- not things that look like buttons that serve no apparent purpose (like the sub-navigation ‘button’ on their main screen).  With this in mind, a multi-national billion dollar+ insurance company or financial institution looking to write a customer facing application would neither consider the BeatPort UI as a standard nor as a target to aim for.  The interface is far too busy for “Joe Customer” who looks to the bank’s online services to get things done, like pay bills.       Enterprises respect simple and intuitive interfaces for a reason- they’ve spent millions over the years on case studies and focus groups that back up their position.  Again, I’m speaking constructively and in-context of the customers we service and not trying to detract from the hard work of the BeatPort developers.  But before we lay a blanket statement out there that BeatPort is the best example of Flex development we should consider where Macromedia is targeting Flex and where the growth in the Flex market will come from—Fortune 1500 customers writing customer facing applications.  In this context, BeatPort is a poor representation in my opinion of what Flex is truly capable of.  As a final example to support my
 premise, consider the Flex application development by Yahoo! Maps.  Very clean lines.  Very distinct functions, soothing color scheme and an interface that is very functional, yet still sexy enough to scream “let’s see you do this with DHTML baby.”  That’s the UI goal I shoot for when I work with my customers, and to me, a Yahoo! Maps or a Crisis Coach UI sets the bar for how Flex UIs should be written.     Just one man’s opinion…      Jason Weiss           __________ Jason Weiss Cynergy Systems, Inc. Macromedia Flex Alliance Partner http://www.cynergysystems.com Email: jasonDOTweissATcynergysystemsDOTcom__nospam Office:
 866-CYNERGY                 From: flexcoders@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Robert ThompsonSent:
 Thursday, November 17, 2005 5:39 PMTo: flexcoders@yahoogroups.comSubject: Sho - anything wrong with a "Class Example" app like BeatPort -- RE: [flexcoders] Re: Links to Nice-looking Flex Apps       Very, very nice application.         I think this is the kind of Standard of Quality we are all shooting for.         The more Video Tutorials Sho and others do that allow us to keep a standards practice formula for shooting for this kind of quality in each our own specific target applications, the better the barrage of FLEX2 apps that will promote the technology.         This is the first complete app. I've seen that I can understand, conceptually, it's back-pinnings.  I saw harley davidson and that's very nice too.  HD and BeatPort -- the best examples thus far.         Anything wrong with a "Class Example" app. like Mickey, sorry, Microsoft has done in the past when trying to promote a new technology (i.e. they came up with the online Winter Sports store I believe and it was a pretty good example of ASP and Commerce server when it first came out a number of years ago; granted Commerce Server was ridiculously overly complex; more than it needed to be).         -r    "Merrill, Jason" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:        Sweet – thanks!           Jason Merrill   |   E-Learning Solutions   | 
 icfconsulting.com                   From: flexcoders@yahoogroups.com [mailto:flexcoders@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of edeustaceSent: Thursday, November 17, 2005 3:27 PMTo: flexcoders@yahoogroups.comSubject: [flexcoders] Re: Links to Nice-looking Flex Apps         --- In flexcoders@yahoogroups.com, "Merrill, Jason" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
 wrote:>> Yeah, thanks - seen both of those (HarleyD, Yahoo) too...  :-)   ...as I> mentioned, I have seen the ones on Macromedia.com - looking for some> other good ones if they are out there.  Thanks,hi,www.beatport.comis shows some great skinning possibilities..eddy    NOTICE: 
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