Hello my friends --

I've once again come to pay my occasional visit to my second home, the place that made me try flash in the first place, I've made my visit to the games lounge. Flash 5.0 was just coming out back in that day, or those times when I started - and amazed of the power of the software - that could do virtually everything, the day I found myself a hobby that would later turn into a profession. Most of you have heard, I assume, or have upgraded to Macromedia's newest fix -- FMX2K4v7.20 -- the other update to the software that can now import video, do fantastic 'blur', if you'd like to call it that, effects, and the software that just introduced its new baby language.

I thought to myself, hence the update MM just made, I might try the software again with a trial -- maybe the swarm of bugs wont eat me up this time.

So far, I have found 7.

Right at the start, when I booted my demo reel from a f6 file and resaved it as an f7, I noticed that when I made a demand for the main toolbar, it checked the box for me -- but the toolbar didnt come up. Thats alright, I thought, I know my shortcuts around here -- oh wait -- I dont because MM changes them with every release. CTRL+S never failed me however ... worked like a charm saving the file ...welll...sometimes it didnt. Sometimes -- it just froze and exit out the software with an illegal operation -- dont save my work of course, I can just do the exact same thing again - I can use the practice.
Sometimes when I would test my movie, the export box would fill up, then disappear somewhere without telling me anything - not really letting me see my progress - I sign to keep working and stop playing around I suppose MM gave me. Thanks Macromedia.

Of course, when you have all those great functions, a new language and cool effects who cares about usability? Who cares about things like a non-linear undo so you can actually work in a movie clip and not the main stage when you have an awesome history panel to tell you everything that happened? You can just go ahead and switch the menu items around too - its not like a built a habit from the previous version to go insert>convert to new symbol and it annoys me to making a new symbol everytime I just want to convert? Of course, then Id have to go through the hierarchy again to get back to my movie clip -- who cares about conserving my time and patience when I could be spending it learning a new language that probably will be just a standard in flash 8.


This - in a way or fashion is a letter Im sending to macromedia - stay tuned for a response...


Yours always,
Fospher