The Warp - Flex

Tools: Flex Builder or FDT...

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:05:00 -0700

Which is better? I use FDT all the time now with the Flex 3 SDK to compile AS files. The main benefit that I see to Flex Builder is that you can create AIR and Flex projects in addition to your ActionScript projects... So what is your opinion... Flex Builder of FDT3? I would do both, but currently can't afford both... :)

Judge allows class action against Target Web site

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 15:02:00 -0700

This is bad news for all e-commerce sites and will have people scrambling to find a solution. This will also directly impact Flash sites as well. As the Web 2.0 revolution continues, could this verdict bring the revolution to a crawl?

A federal judge in California certified a class action lawsuit against Target Corp brought by plaintiffs claiming the discount retailer's Web site is inaccessible to the blind, according to court documents. Judge Marilyn Patel of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California also rejected Target's motion for summary judgment in the case, according to the ruling filed October 2. According to the ruling, plaintiffs -- including the National Federation of the Blind -- claim Target.com violates federal and state laws prohibiting discrimination against the disabled. "This is a tremendous step forward for blind people throughout the country who for too long have been denied equal access to the Internet economy," Marc Maurer, president of the National Federation for the Blind, said in a statement. "All e-commerce businesses should take note of this decision and immediately take steps to open their doors to the blind," Maurer said. "Target is committed to serving all of our guests and we believe that our Web site is fully accessible and complies with all applicable laws," Bloomberg quoted Target spokeswoman Carolyn Brookter as saying in an e-mailed statement.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071003/ts_nm/target_blind_dc_4;_ylt=AhEZ_F2c0l4eo9RLnTOZBMIE1vAI

Got Flash?

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 13:56:00 -0700

Want to do work for a cutting edge Digital Agency in New York City? Want to join a growing team of over 60 flash developers? Want to work on brands like Nike, Nokia, Subaru, Avaya and Loreal (just to name a few)? My friend Kryssy at R/GA in NYC is looking for Flash Developers of all levels for full-time onsite work.

[More]

Adobe MAX Chicago is SOLD OUT!!

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 07:39:00 -0700

Wow. This is a first I think. A friend of mine went to sign up to go yesterday and found out that MAX is Sold Out. I knew it was a record, but wow... http://blog.adobemax2007.com/2007/09/adobe-max-2007-north-america-is-sold.html

Going to MAX....

Fri, 07 Sep 2007 07:49:00 -0700

Who is going to MAX? I am going to MAX this year in Chicago. This makes the 3rd time for me, 2 times to MAX and once to DevCon. Any sessions that you are looking forward to in particular? Here is my schedule:

Monday, October 1

Hands On: Building your First Rich Internet Application With Flex 3
Introduction to OOP with ActionScript 3.0
Design Patterns in ActionScript 3.0
Building Stunning Flex Applications with Flex Builder and Creative Suite 3

Tuesday, October 2

Building Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR) Applications Using Flash CS3
Hands On: Introduction to ActionScript 3.0
------ open slot ------ going to skip into some undecided session.... tbd
Flex Roadmap

Wednesday, October 3

Inspire Session: Big Spaceship, Digital Creative Agency
If You Build It Will They Come? Designing Your Web Application for Smooth Web Analytics
Adobe Platform Roadmap
Font Perspective: The New New Typography

Flash Developers needed in New York City

Mon, 13 Aug 2007 07:38:00 -0700

My friend Kryssy at R/GA in NYC is looking for Flash Developers of all levels for full-time onsite work.

Description as follows.

Scripting of Flash Interfaces and Applications in AS 2.0
Maintenance of ongoing projects

Programming Knowledge Requirements:

Full understanding of Object Orientated development and design with regards to AS2.0.
A proactive, quality orientated approach to development.
A love of clean and if possible reusable code.
Experience in working in medium to large sized teams in a structured and disciplined manner, e.g. test-driven development, version-control and deployment knowledge is very helpful.
Good working knowledge of OO Actionscript.

Soft skill we like:

Plays well with others i.e. able to interface with designers and usability designers.
Isn't afraid to raise there hand when something goes wrong and they need some help.
Curious about new technologies and eager to keep abreast of the ones they already know.

Why should consider applying:

Large supportive department of developers and a full QA team.
A CTO that will always talk to you and help you get to where you want to go.
Be amongst developers who are really into what they do and push the boundaries of development.

If interested email Krystyna.Bloch@rga.com with you resume and some code samples. Be sure to say that Jeff sent you.

Flash Developer Jobs in New York City...

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 11:01:00 -0700

My friend Kryssy at R/GA in NYC is looking for Flash Developers of all levels for full-time onsite work.

Description as follows.

Scripting of Flash Interfaces and Applications in AS 2.0
Maintenance of ongoing projects

Programming Knowledge Requirements:

Full understanding of Object Orientated development and design with regards to AS2.0.
A proactive, quality orientated approach to development.
A love of clean and if possible reusable code.
Experience in working in medium to large sized teams in a structured and disciplined manner, e.g. test-driven development, version-control and deployment knowledge is very helpful.
Good working knowledge of OO Actionscript.

Soft skill we like:

Plays well with others i.e. able to interface with designers and usability designers.
Isn't afraid to raise there hand when something goes wrong and they need some help.
Curious about new technologies and eager to keep abreast of the ones they already know.

Why should consider applying:

Large supportive department of developers and a full QA team.
A CTO that will always talk to you and help you get to where you want to go.
Be amongst developers who are really into what they do and push the boundaries of development.

If interested email Krystyna.Bloch@rga.com with you resume and some code samples. Be sure to say that Jeff sent you. Pay no attention to the post dates for this entry. These positions are almost always available.

The hiring process...

Mon, 25 Jun 2007 16:05:00 -0700

I have now conducted and have sat in on literally dozens of flash developer interviews. Either we find that the person doesn't cut it or we find that they are great. Sometimes we find flash designers mascarading as flash developers. I think that this is because in a lot of agencies a designer is also the developer. How do we find out if the person is a real flash developer you might ask? We give a test. The testing isn't difficult if you know your stuff, but you do have to know your stuff to get a job. I have had a various reactions to the testing since we have been giving a test. Some good and some very bad. I can't go into details about what happened here. But we have found that talking to a person, reviewing their code samples and testing to be a very effective judge of the level of a developer. Do you as part of your organization test potential flash developers? If you don't how do you judge how a person codes, by code samples? I think if you don't have testing, it leaves a big gap for the kind of developer that is going to copy and paste his way into your organization. If you are interested in talking to someone about a flash position and are willing to relocate to New York City, then you should talk to my friend over at R/GA. I know that they are looking for some with OOP Flash Programming Experience, Experience with AS2, Classes, XML, Flash Video, etc. Check out the post that I made for her last week here: http://thewarp.org/blog/index.cfm/2007/6/22/Flash-Developer-Jobs-in-New-York-City Be sure to reference this blog or tell her Jeff sent you so that she will know that this is working.

New eBay app built on Apollo/Air goes into Beta

Thu, 14 Jun 2007 07:43:00 -0700

Announcing "San Dimas", a new desktop application from eBay. It provides a new search interface, a fun way to bid, access to your personal eBay history, and much more. We are sharing this project in the very early stages because we want your input. Sign up for the Beta, and help us build this brand new way to use eBay. http://www.projectsandimas.com/

Web 2.0 madness grips China

Fri, 08 Jun 2007 14:40:00 -0700

A rising middle class, cheap start-up costs, increasing penetration of PCs and Internet-enabled cell phones, and an ability to tap the local market better than multinationals like Google or Amazon.com, among other factors, is fueling a rush into Web sites, online games and companies with novel advertising pitches. [More]

Do Rich Internet Applications Matter to You?

Wed, 23 May 2007 14:29:00 -0700

At the beginning of this month, Microsoft made noise at MIX '07 about their Silverlight platform designed to bring .NET to the browser at the same time it knocks Adobe's Flash out of it. Both Silverlight and Flash aim at the rich internet application space -- a perceived gap in what users want and what they are getting from their overly light web apps. The idea is that we need more rich interactivity from our browser apps than they give us. But is this just developer fantasy, or does it represent a real end user need? source: http://webworkerdaily.com/2007/05/23/open-thread-do-rich-internet-applications-matter-to-you/

A Deeper Look at Flex Becoming Open Source

Thu, 03 May 2007 09:44:00 -0700

by Judith Dinowitz

Today two members of the Flex team (Matt Chotin and Ely Greenfield) spoke to the Adobe User Group managers and Community Experts about the decision to make the Flex SDK open source. Matt and Ely made it clear that this decision was not because of Microsoft Silverlight, but that Adobe has been heading in this direction for a long time. They pointed to steps that Adobe has taken prior to this announcement to make their products more open, such as the introduction of Adobe Labs and public alpha testing, making the Flex SDK free, including the source with the SDK, Adobe's work with Mozilla on Tamarin, an open source project, and the use of Webkit in Apollo. With Flex 2 taking off and the building interest in Apollo, this seemed like the best time to make Flex open source.

[More]

Salesforce adds Flex to on-demand toolkit

Tue, 17 Apr 2007 10:01:00 -0700

Salesforce.com said on Monday that it will support Adobe's Flex software for building Web applications. The company introduced Adobe Flex Toolkit for Apex, a set of tools that combines Flex with Salesforce.com's Apex, a Java-like programming structure for building on-demand applications that run on Salesforce.com's hosted infrastructure. The combination of the tools will let developers support Adobe Flash-based animations and graphics within their hosted applications. Salesforce is also w0rking on a toolkit to support Adobe's Apollo software, which can run Web applications both online and offline. [More]

Report says that 90% of businesses plan to have RIA's.

Thu, 11 Jan 2007 11:29:00 -0700

One Stop Click News has a story on RIA's and a survey done by Scene 7. I guess this only goes to show that the use of RIA's will continue to expand. "Around 90 per cent of retailers, catalogers and commerce sites surveyed by Scene7, the rich application provider, planned to enhance their customer's experiences by implementing rich internet applications. Around 78 per cent of respondents wanted consumers to be able to zoom in on product pictures, 76 per cent required visual configurators and 75 per cent of companies planned colour swatching and colouring." http://www.onestopclick.com/news/Rich-internet-applications-planned-by-90-per-cent-of-businesses_18029593.html

Simple Flex RSS reader...

Fri, 05 Jan 2007 10:34:00 -0700

I wrote this quite some time back and just never posted it. It is a simple RSS reader built in Flex2. I didn't have that many problems building it, I just haven't had much time past this to continue to explore Flex. Where I work I can't really use Flex2 yet, mainly because it requires FP9 and we are barely starting to use FP8 here. Don't pick on me too much if it breaks, it was my first attempt... :) http://thewarp.org/flex/blogreader.html