For ALL flashers to read

[georgecalgary]

ie lets say I have ...
A map.fla using AS1 and it is compiled to bytecode using the MX compiler.
A main.fla using AS3 and it is compiled to bytecode using the Blaze compiler.
Obviously it would be a catastrophic disaster if the Player did not have enough backwards compatability to handle both .swf files.

Think about you making an update from old display card, both old display card and new display card could display normal pictures, movies, while new display card could support more new features such as 3d acceleration and others. To use these new features you have to add some new codes to call them and compile with IDE that recognize these codes. The same rules in Flash players updating.
Although AS2 to AS3 is a big update in some meaning, you should know that there're still a big bunch of code-to-compile functions they wouldn't change, so although there's some changes in the new player (think about the new display card), it would be only a small percent changes.

[steven_h_2000]

freeFromIt - AS 3.0 is going to rock the new world of flash, why not embrace the challenge of learnign the new versions? It sonds to me that you are just worried abotu staying ontop of your game..

I welcome 3.0 and any future upgrade to flash/AS...

[swak]

I've been happy with every upgrade that they've come out with (I started with mx 2004) There was a HUGE speed improvement (for macs it was 1.5x faster) for going to mx2004 to 8 and plus I was able to make a few things easily look better. I hope that there will be this kind of improvement with the next version. Does anyone know when It'll be released?

[tonypa]

Does anyone know when It'll be released?

Not before autumn 2006.

[shipstern]

georgecalgary

I am having a hard time explaining myself I think.

Can I load a AS1 or AS2 .swf file into a later version .swf file using loadMovie() or using runtime sharing? WITHOUT re-compiling or updating the ealier version AS1 AS2 .swf files?

It's pretty obviouse the ealier version files will have less functionality than a later version file ... but will they work AT ALL given the above situation?

Does anyone get what I mean ... what I am asking?

shipstern

[georgecalgary]

Can I load a AS1 or AS2 .swf file into a later version .swf file using loadMovie() or using runtime sharing? WITHOUT re-compiling or updating the ealier version AS1 AS2 .swf files?
It's pretty obviouse the ealier version files will have less functionality than a later version file ... but will they work AT ALL given the above situation?

Ok, I think it should work no worry.

[McUsher]

Yes as it is bytecode
It actually doesn't matter, in which language you write your sourcecode in..
You might even write it in Java or C++. In the ends it depends on
the compiler to make proper bytecode outta it so the FlashPlayer
can use it.

New features need new words (try talking to Cleopatra about
computers; she wouldn't understand a word you say.. )

So stick to AS1/AS2 or learn AS3... just make sure you got a
compiler that speaks your language...

[tonypa]

Ok, I think it should work no worry.

khm, what makes you think it will work? If new Flash player has 2 built-in virtual engines, one for AS3 and other for AS1/2 then I dont see why AS3 engine started by main swf should support old swf's.

It does not even work now. If you have Flash5 swf that uses commands deprecated in Flash8 (lets say "add" command) and you load it into Flash8 swf, it wont work, while it works fine when played separately with Flash8 player.

[georgecalgary]

khm, what makes you think it will work? If new Flash player has 2 built-in virtual engines, one for AS3 and other for AS1/2 then I dont see why AS3 engine started by main swf should support old swf's.

It does not even work now. If you have Flash5 swf that uses commands deprecated in Flash8 (lets say "add" command) and you load it into Flash8 swf, it wont work, while it works fine when played separately with Flash8 player.

Hey Tony, I could suppose Adobe will at least make their player to support SWFs compiled with MX2004/8, but not everything! They have to support majority of SWF format in the market but if find some geeks' bytecode couldn't work, I think they don't have to care.
I don't think new player will build 2 virtual engines separately as they have to keep it small as they announced. Even in 2 VM it wouldn't matter to support basic usage, but possibly you cannot interact much between old binary and new one.

[shipstern]

So its LOOKING LIKE in the end all earlier version Flash content will not be able to be reused with later version Flash content ... backwards compatability within the Flash Player will be limited.

This is what I was afraid of ... that working within an efficient modular paradigm is not really possible with Flash ... except in the most limited fashion.

That the improvements to cross-domain content sharing will be sort of crippled because it will be too risky and unreliable to import/share Flash content between sites/projects.

Is there anyway to test the version of Flash content before it is imported/shared (in the runtime)?? ie. If I was dynamicly loading Flash content.

if(content version is compatible){
  myMainMovie.loadMovie("external.swf");
}else{
  load alternative content
}

For me I have no problems upgrading my knowledge to a new version AS, as I have been programming since early versions of DOS and actualy enjoy the process.
Its more the continual need to rebuild the wheel ... its just not efficient ... reusability is often the only way to remain competitive in web development.

Is there (will there be) a work-around for this ?

shipstern

[cancerinform]

I think it is MM's (or Adobe's ) responsibility to solve that conflict. Since it is still relatively easy to adjust AS from a Flash5 movie to 8, this will not any more possible with AS3. Like shipstern I like the challenge of a new language but for example i made a number of useful class files. That has to be made newly now unless MM already offers all those methods in AS3 format.

If you have a site and want to extend it you have to do it in the same coding language it was created.

So what is going to happen is there is a large group of AS1/2 developers who don't even think about AS3 and to buy the next Flash version and a small group of users to try the next version. So unless MM can convince the community that Flash9 is soooooooo superior over previous versions, not many are going to try it out.

But who knows now with Adobe as they may come up with stuff to convince anybody to purchase Flash9. I don't think it'll work by selling a solution for regular expressions, though or because of the new XML syntax. The fish has to be much bigger.

[swak]

So, they have to be limited to the past to make sure it meets with the future in total backwards compatibility? If making sure it's totally backwards compatible is sacrificing performance then I say go for the performance. Apple did that when they made os x, although they still made it possible to run os 9 things through classic. And look now what's happening with os 9. pretty much nothing. Just make the major change and wait a few years, then everyone except the diehards will accept it.

[Sybersnake]

*haven't read all of this*

there is a switching mechanism in the player which reads the version of the embeded swf, it then uses that version number as the reference for the execution. ie.. code that would work in flash 8 won't run if exported as flash 7 even if your running the flash 8 player.

[PAlexC]

I hear a lot of crybabies in this thread.

If AS2/3 is too complicated for you, chances are you don't need it. As has been said AS1 is still fully supported.

If you're doing "fake" OOP in AS1.0 you should get off your butt and learn 2.0. It was introduced specifically for people doing serious programming in Flash and if you're complaining about it, you're not a very good programmer.

AS3 is first and foremost about Flex, so unless you're working in FlexBuilder, I don't see what you have to complain about. If you are working in FlexBuilder you're smart enough to see the benefits, don't see the jump from 2-3 as a big one, and probably make more money than the complainers here.

I fail to see the issue. MM is adding capabilities, attracting new developers, and improving performance. They are not leaving anyone out in the cold. They also do a solid job through books, the developer center and blogs of providing resources for people to learn.

This is technology folks, don't play the game if you can't accept the fact that its constantly changing.

[Sybersnake]

I believe MTASC already supports Flash 8 and we should start seeing support for 8.5 coming soon. There will also probably be a way for the rest of us to code AS3 in the Flash IDE soon and have it exported as 8.5

[shipstern]

doing serious programming in Flash

Hey Flash is great ... but lets not exagerate. Flash is not the platform for serious programming. The Flash Player only harnesses a fraction of the systems power. AS1, AS2, AS3 don't even come close to a serious programming language like c/c++.

Most programmers I know would choose Java over Flash for projects that require more serious programming.

The new Flash bitmap capabilities are a good example ... they are an improvement ... but they are still extremely limited, particularly when one considers the fact that Flash is such a graphic based programming environment.

shipstern

[PAlexC]

I meant programming for RIA's, those too can get pretty complex pretty quick. I'd never rely on Flash for executables.

[PAlexC]

I believe MTASC already supports Flash 8 and we should start seeing support for 8.5 coming soon. There will also probably be a way for the rest of us to code AS3 in the Flash IDE soon and have it exported as 8.5

MTASC supported 8 before Flash 8 shipped. The fact that it doesn't already now kinda surprises me considering how long FlexBuilder 2 Alpha has been publicly available. Slackers.

[shipstern]

Yeh as far as RIA's are Flash seems to be the most supported and versatile platform.
Is there really a serious contender to Flash as far as market penertration (Flash player) and versatility goes (serious question)?

It would be nice to see a "new kid on the block" we would be enjoying the functionality of a version 6 Actionscript now.

Is there an Open Source Actionscript compiler ?

shipstern

[shipstern]

You guys obviously know a fair amount about MTASC and OSFlash. I looked over the OSFlash material and hope you can give me some quick info (before I move to the correct forum for this).

Does MTASC include a core library or something that offers a minimum level of MX type functionality?

Hope thats not a real stupid question!!

shipstern