To Flash or not to Flash
For the recently launched PRX Builder, I decided to do all of my UI work in Adobe Flash/Flex Builder. This was a gamble on my part, but it was a risk that I was willing to take to reach the next level of internet UI development.
Some people have been genuinely impressed by my work. I’ve also taken a few hits. Flash isn’t perfect, and using the latest version of Flash, requiring my users to upgrade, isn’t fun.
Still, I think that I’m taking a step in the right direction, moving toward the future. I’ve always liked the edge. It keeps me sharp.
There was a time when I chose ASP development over JSP. The webmaster said I was crazy. I struggled in the early days of ASP, but it turns out that I picked the right horse after all, and JSP is now all but dead.
Quite frankly, I’m sick of HTML forms and their watered-down, least-common-denominator user capabilities. Compared to a local application, HTML forms suck, and it doesn’t really matter how much you try to dress things up with AJAX. You’re still working twice as hard to accomplish half as much.
I’ve used the online applications of Google and others who have really pushed the envelope with fanciful AJAX work, and I admire what they’ve done, but it still all comes up short. I can’t imagine using Google Reader over any one of the Windows-based feed readers that I’ve used. Online mail readers are nice for convenience sake, but I can’t wait to get back to Outlook.
Once you get Flash running, if you can get over the installation hump, it is a dream compared to other types of internet development. I think we will see more and more successful Flash apps as Version 9 makes its way onto everyone’s machines. I believe I’ve taken the right road, but we’ll see.
Technorati Tags: Adobe+Flex, Flash, Software+Development, AJAX, internet, programming
