Macromedia Flash Player has emerged as platform. One can use Macromedia Flash IDE or Macromedia Flex to create applications for this platform.
We have been talking about user's experience all the time, has anyone thought about what is developer's experience making applications using Flash IDE or Flex? How does the experience differ?
I will post later about how I feel.
I found this article quite interesting. It talks about how we can share our broadband connection with our neighbours by allowing them to access our WiFi access-point.
It might seem strange idea but imagine this way an entire city can go WiFi. Yes, this is a project called Community Hotspot Project. I believe, it started in New York to make NYC wireless but it has also spread in other parts of USA.
You can download a kit which comes with some applications for hotspot setup, bandwidth control etc. There are some more applications which allow users interact with WiFi owner.
That's how it becomes a small community within the hotspot area, where visitors/users can say 'Thanks' to hotspot owner or talk about anything :). Some people seem to have made good friends, that's what the subject of this post says.
I find this idea cool. In my SF visit, I have been using such open WiFi connection for almost one month, until I setup my own WiFi access point.
I would also do the same thing in India provided I have enough bandwidth. But I am still wondering, which is the best broadband provider(ISP) in Bangalore?
During my search, I came across this link(PDF), which gave me a better idea about different broadband players in Bangalore.
I have requested Reliance for Macromedia Flash Player support in their devices several times in past. The reason I requested, because Reliance has huge number of subscriber and it would increase in future. And they can actually push the device makers to add support for Flash Player like other operators have done in other part of world.
I even wrote them that how can they can have large developers and designers base in mobile content space. I also wrote about business thingy, which they would be more interested into, how they can have more revenue by providing flash based servies/applications as RWorld services or in some other form.
We all know that, its easy to make applications in Flash than J2ME. Macromedia Flash applications are faster, richer in user experience and easier to be made.
I am posting this message here and I am sure Reliance would hear it someday.
If you couldn't make to be at MAX 2004 and curious to know what all happened there. Don't worry, people behind MAX 2004 are so kind that they have put a video of all general sessions.
MAX 2004 Video Link
During discussion with friends, colleagues and community, I have realized that 'Mixins' has been a topic of confusion and many people are not aware of. This might be because 'Mixins' concept is not intuitive in Object Oriented Programming and it also violates the principals of OOP. But sometimes a little violation can make our life simpler, Mixins concept let you do multiple inheritance someway even though multiple inheritance is not supported in the language.
'Mixins' are classes which are not used directly, rather we mix the properties and methods of these classes into other classes using language specific techniques. This allows a class having behaviours from different classe, much like multiple inheritance. ActionScript being a dynamic and prototype based language, this becomes more easier and useful. The very first 'Mixins' class I ever used, was ASBroadcaster, which is still undocumented class(object).
I tried my way to explain it but I guess, I have bookmarked an article which gives the better insight of this topic. This article is easy to understand and is in context of ActionScript , Macromedia V2 component architecture and Flex.
Article Link: http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flex/1/mixin/index.html
After seeing couple of videos on Channel 9 forums, I realized that Windows OS CE is not only used in handheld devices but also at other places like Sewing machine, VOIP phones, robots, media stations, palm devices, automobiles, cars etc
Amazing stuff...
Look at these videos to know more, my words wont be enough....
Video Link for all devices
Video Link for Windows Automative OS(opens Windows Media player)
I mean, I had never thought of such things. People are thinking out of box and coming up with cool innovative ideas and stuffs...
I am inspired by all these guys...I want to do something like that in my field..Thinking out of box...
Hacknot has a nice and small article on making your website accessible. I checked for my blog, its not accessible and I will try to make it accessible whenever I get some time.
Article link: http://www.hacknot.info/hacknot/action/showEntry?eid=69
Flex 1.5 trial version can be downloaded from macromedia.com. This trial version would be fully functional for sixty days and after that it would be converted to IP limited developer version.
Download it now, its loaded with many new features...
Download link: http://www.macromedia.com/software/flex/trial/
Larry Osterman has been working in Microsoft for last twenty years. This is really long period, after seeing his interview on MSDN-Channel 9 forums I am inspired. He says, Microsoft has everything a programmer would ever want to do, be it a game programming, be it device drivers programming, be it a OS programming etc.
I agree, if a company has so many things going in there and I have a freedom to choose things I want to do, I am going to stay there. I find Macromedia is kinda of place, we have freedom to move between roles and kind of work. I have seen people in Macromedia who has worked on different products, on different roles.
I wish, I could also give such an interview after some years and Macromedia becomes as huge as Microsoft is today :).
//added the link
Interview Link: http://channel9.msdn.com/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=27667
Macromedia Flex is gaining popularity in Rich Internet Application's market. In past one month, I have seen some real cool Flex based RIAs.
Among these, I find "BRIDGEWERX Designer" the coolest. I have learnt from my experience that making an application, where user can interact many ways, is challenging and complex. "BRIDGEWERX Designer" is one of such RIA.
I am not only sure but also confident that more and more companies and developers would embrace Flex because of standards based development, rich class/component library and importantly Flash player platform.
Well, we should not forget Flash which is also one of the best tools to make RIAs..But I would prefer Flex for large and enterprise class RIAs.
BTW! Kevin Lynch, Chief Software Architect at Macromedia, demonstrated some of the features of next generation Flash Player during macromedia flash conference in tokyo, japan. Colin Moock captured the entire presentation in his cam-corder. Can't wait to see? watch it here.
Whatever I do, I love Flash :)