communication features without the server?

i don't understand something here.. are there no alternatives/hacks for sending any kind of webcam/mic data to a server? i cant imagine it would be very hard to figure out the protocol and atleast allow something like sending one frame of video data to a server written in java/c/perl..

sorry if this sounds like a flame (i dont mean it as such), but does macromedia have their fist up everyone's @$$? it really seems like there is a very large and intelligent community here that jumps off any cliff the company leads them to.. nobody seems to have that DIY spirit like there is in most internet coding communities.. what gives? again, no offense meant.