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However, I can honestly say that the new Flash 8 is finally something I can recommend and use.
It happens when companies think they are smarter than user and want to force them to use their program the way their programmers - who usually don't use the products - think people should work. Building around people is a better way.
With Flash, just like Star Trek, odd numbers are to be feared. Flash 5 was also a step backward, while MX was progressive.
Now, Flash 8 standardizes the program with other graphic motion graphics and design tools once and for all. There's nothing groundbreaking about it, but it just makes the program more useful.
I'm not going into details here, as I've covered all this stuff in past articles. But you can sticky me for a link.
OOP is a far more complete coding method than the previous flash versions, it allows far more flexibility and serious constructs all from within a reusable code base surely?
Frankly I am confused, you come on here and say flash 8 is better than MX2004 but it has not been released yet so, unless your a beta tester you can not have tried it, but if your a beta tester your unlikely not to be using MX2004, which you say you deleted?
You then refuse to justify your statements becase you think I am trying to catch you out?
Not at all, but if questions expose flaws, so be it, thats democracy.
Finally, if Flash was but about ActionScript, it would not be as popular today.
Just because flash is popular it does not mean its power can be exploited without a thorough useage and knowledge of AS2.
Windows is popular (lol) does not mean everyone knows how to exploit it fully
ActionScript is but one of the feature within Flash. It does not define Flash. ActionScript 2 is nothing but cleaned up Javascript. Surely, the folks at Disney and Microsoft who first used Flash, when it was still called Future Splash, were not interested in this technology because of its Javascript capabilities - which at the time did not exist.
That you use Flash for its ActionScript is fine, but Flash is more than ActionScript and even less about which version of a programming language it was cloned off.
What you're doing here is confusing a feature for benefit. And that's why you don't understand why I say Flash 2004 was junk.
You believe that AS2 was a benefit. According to most Flash users, it was not. When I work with a software daily, it's not about the features that care about. I only care about the end results - the benefits.
That's where the folks from Macromedia failed with Flash 2004. They marketed a bunch of features as benefits. That's why many experimented Flash users skipped that release. Believe, me, I'm not the only one who skipped it. The few benefits of the cleaned up AS2 were definitely insufficient to make up for all the other failures in Flash 2004.
1-A couple of tech guys at Macromedia thought they could force people to use their program the way they would. In other words, they fixed a problem that did not exist. They angered many users by imposing their workflow on them.
2-A Macromedia installation would slow most computer systems at the time - but with no apparent benefits to all the "goodies" and restrictions they added.
3-It was safer and faster to work with Flash MX than 2004. 2004 was bug ridden.
4-Macromedia tried to turn Flash 2004 into a Visual Studio Lite. Were hardcore C++ programmers really the core of the market Macromedia served?
5-Macromedia tried to do everything with Flash. They still do with Flash 8, and they still don't know how to market the product properly. They keep touting features over benefits. But at least this time, there are real benefits to the features. And that's why I can recommend Flash 8 to beginners and advanced users. Because it is a better product. And in the two years that Flash 2004 was out, the ActionScript in Flash MX (6) was good enough to handle any job, without ever making me regret having skipped the upgrade. If you enjoy the beauty of lines of code, sure AS2 is great, but if you'd rather enjoy the results and the money they bring, then 2004 was a useless update.
Macromedia was well aware that it had a problem with the whole 2004 releases of their products, and this time, they have taken more time to address those issues.
I'm done debating over an old product. Bring on Flash 8.
Ah now we have it, I take a pride in what I do not money, never has been a driving force for me.
I guess from your rant against Macromedia you have a serious problem with them, but sorry I totally disagree with you, suggest we leave it there really. We are not going to agree.
