I guess you havent looked at flex 2 or FDT from the heinous company powerflasher. (my feelings about these guys incedibly poor customer service and obnoxious behavior are well documented on this list and flashcoders so I will not repeat here).
But both the Flex2/AS3 environment and FDT do incremental compiling. And the ASDT guys are working on it. Within the next year, IDEs that dont do this in the flash environment will seem outdated. It is true that since MTASC and Editors such as ASDT and FDT are separate from the compiler so for as2 you will always need the compile button when you actually want to build. But for flex2/as3, it seems to work exacty like java. Of course I dont think you would want it to actually build a swf after every keystroke because that would almost certainly involve moving assets into a different file, etc which would be expensive. Java works by running lots of smaller class files rather than one (or a few) big swfs. But in any case, I am not saying that I would be against more speed. I am just saying that speed is far more complex than just how long something takes to compile. For example 1. the fact that mtasc finds one bug at a time is a productivity impediment. 2. the fact that I spend time looking for the fact that I have changed a variable name which will effect five other files and I need to find all of them manually is a productivity impediment. 3. The fact that I can look in one panel after every keystroke in Java and see that my program is contiuously error free is a huge productivity enhancer. I just think people in such discussions dont keep the entire development process in mind when talking about such things. My Java productivity is much higher than my flash productivity in eclipse. This is because the tools are much more refined from debugging, to instant notification of problems. If Java was half as fast at its incremental compiling it really wouldnt matter to me because I would know about the error much more quickly than I do in an environment when I only hear about errors when I compile. I believe the java like experience is the target that flex2 aspires to, and, in my limited experience with it seems to achieve or come close too. Regards Hank On 11/1/05, Ralf Bokelberg <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > JDT uses an incremental compiler. It compiles every class immediately, > so you never have to press the compile button. I'm not sure, if > something like that is possible with flash. > As long as that isn't the case, i'd like to see my compiler as fast as > possible, because i like to test very often. > > Cheers, > Ralf. > > hank williams wrote: > >>@Hank: > >> > >> > >>>I dont mean to diminish the significance of speed, because it is > >>>clearly critical. But for me, the fact that in flex2 everything is > >>>already syntax checked, as it is in the eclipse java environment, is a > >>>huge performance win that might just overshadow mtasc's performance > >>>benefits. I am not absolutely sure I feel this way becuase I havent > >>>done enough project building in flex2, but I do know that when > >>>programming in java, the fact that I can scan my project outline and > >>>*know* that there are no compiler errors or warnings is a huge > >>>performance win. It cannot be understated. > >> > >>I don't know about the other devs on this list, but for me compilation > >>speed is WAY more important than syntax checking... I run into very few > >>typing errors, and when I do I can usually track them down fairly > >>quickly with my log. I do very iterative development, making small, > >>isolated changes, adding a feature here, changing an interface there, > >>and compiling many, many times an hour. A difference of 10 seconds adds > >>up to hours a week in saved time, and since I'm easily distracted (who > >>isn't?) a fast compiler also helps to keep me in flow. > >>_ > > > > > > If you dont make errors, use functions wrong, forget you changed a > > variable name, etc. then what I said certainly doesnt apply to you. > > > > Unfortunately, I make lots of mistakes and something (either a > > compiler, an editor, or a person) needs to point them out to me. > > > > Hank > > > > _______________________________________________ > > osflash mailing list > > [email protected] > > http://osflash.org/mailman/listinfo/osflash_osflash.org > > _______________________________________________ > osflash mailing list > [email protected] > http://osflash.org/mailman/listinfo/osflash_osflash.org > _______________________________________________ osflash mailing list [email protected] http://osflash.org/mailman/listinfo/osflash_osflash.org
