Flash MX 2004 Released - TRIAL DOWNLOAD NOW AVAILABLE

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08-25-2003, 12:43 AM
jstarkey

Flash MX 2004 released

For those of you that never leave the CL. I just posted an announcement; Flash MX 2004 and the rest of the studio family (excluding Freehand) was announced about 45 minutes ago. Should be shipping in a few weeks.

Dreamweaver MX 2004 review: http://www.phpbuilder.com/columns/naramore20030825.php3

Fireworks MX 2004 review: http://www.flashkit.com/tutorials/Re...-955/index.php

Should have more soon. Pope is supposed to be reviewing MX, but I'm a little worried... haven't heard from him and I know he's been having back problems lately.
08-25-2003, 12:45 AM
yasunobu13

:eek:
08-25-2003, 01:05 AM
sonwah

looks pretty interesting IMO
video capabilities enhanced (with the new player)
"professional" and normal versions, interesting way to go.
actionscript 2, yet to discover what that actually means (are we going to have to declare variables/types and stuff like that?)
aliased text function. cool.
08-25-2003, 04:26 AM
cosmiceye

WTF?!?!?!
http://www.macromedia.com/software/f...nalScripts.gif

wheres gsolo, how come Im posting before him on this thread?
08-25-2003, 04:31 AM
roger_onslow

thats JavaScript 2 syntax.
08-25-2003, 05:40 AM
cosmiceye

Quote:

Originally posted by roger_onslow
thats JavaScript 2 syntax.

I dont like the look of all those "$". So id it a wood idea to go and learn about javascript 2 (as I havent found any as2 tutes/API)?
08-25-2003, 05:41 AM
gSOLO_01

:zzz: :D

anyone been to the macromedia site... looks nifty
08-25-2003, 07:45 AM
nayades

what's the difference between the normal and the pro version??
08-25-2003, 07:53 AM
gSOLO_01

Quote:

Originally posted by nayades
what's the difference between the normal and the pro version??

http://macromedia.com/software/flash...es/comparison/
08-25-2003, 08:29 AM
e-phonic

Quote:

I dont like the look of all those "$". So id it a wood idea to go and learn about javascript 2 (as I havent found any as2 tutes/API)?

You'd better learn Java instead of JS (i don't know how JS2 looks). It looks VERY similar as Java.
I now hope that the speed of AS2 is faster too.
I think it's GREAT wat i see. This means that AS is no longer a scripting language, but it finally reached the status of a programming language.

The '$' is used for indicating a variable.
Some people used it in AS1 already, although it wasn't needed.

More info on AS2 can be found here:
http://www.flashmagazine.com/html/842.htm

Best regards,
PJ
08-25-2003, 08:38 AM
e-phonic

I just checked some JS2 code. Indeed, it's about the same.
Looks promising to me!
08-25-2003, 08:54 AM
gSOLO_01

They're based on the same upcoming standard. AS2 will be more strict in how you code with it &c.
08-25-2003, 08:55 AM
roger_onslow

basically, the classes in AS2/JS2 encapsulate the things you use to do with __proto__ etc. It doesn't add anything to the copiled code. Its more of a convenience for those who would previouslt had written constructors and prototypes.
08-25-2003, 09:02 AM
e-phonic

Quote:

...Its more of a convenience for those who would who would previouslt had written constructors and prototypes..

I did that a lot.
I have coded Java as well as AS, and liked the way you work in Java more... so u guess i'm gonna like it :D

Quote:

It doesn't add anything to the copiled code

So basically, the speed of the compiled SWF will not be faster with the new syntax?

PJ
08-25-2003, 09:51 AM
SubwayDesigns

I need this badly... how soon is christmas?
08-25-2003, 10:12 AM
CNO

So, Macromedia is numbering their releases with dates now? Between this and their rediculous product activation scheme, it seems like they're just a hop, skip and jump from being acquired by Microsoft. ;)

Where are the features for Animators? Timeline effects? Somehow I feel that these things will bloat the file size and slow down playback even more than a poorly-executed shape tween. And I don't have a lot of faith in the new import features - Flash has been notoriously finicky in importing Illustrator images before, and what's the real value in importing PDF? Aren't sections of text, etc. broken up to make a PDF file in the first place?

Will anyone actually buy the new Studio? There's barely any upgrades to Dreamweaver and Fireworks, the same old version of Freehand - and it costs more to upgrade now than it did last year for a nominally-improved bug fixed version of Flash? So I'm paying extra so that they can install spyware tracking software on my computer? According to the FAQ the program will run faster - it damn well better if I'm going to need to be running a seperate product activation service for each of the programs in the Studio suite in the background. And double or nothing that Dreamweaver still has the same bugs (ie. - system lockup when FTPing multiple fles) that it has since version 3.

I'm far from convinced. There appear to be some minor upgrades (mostly geared toward application development) - couldn't they at least throw in a copy of Contribute or Central (or one of the myriad of other products that all apparently do the same or similar things with token goofy name)?
08-25-2003, 10:25 AM
PAlexC

I'm not sure if I'm too nuts about all this wizard and component management stuff.

I never really felt comfortable building components I didn't build myself.

I just finished a universal content navigation system for e-Learning built in MX, and we're about to start pumping out content that talks to this nav system.

As if I had any time to read up on this in the first place...:mad:
08-25-2003, 10:27 AM
roger_onslow

AS2 wil make no difference to the speed.

The new flash player will execute script faster regardless (whether AS1 or AS2) and the script compiler in the new Flash may well be faster (again, whether AS2 or AS2).

Its mostly notational convenience of having something that looks more like classes instead of prototypes. But it isn't Java syntax nor Java semantics ... its Javascript 2 / ECMA 4. So if you're used to Java, you may find some differences that you'll have to unlearn (just like the differences in scoping in Javascript vs Java)

From what I understand, the classes in AS2 won't give you any additional functionality over prototypes .. but will make them easier to read/write.

Hopefully AS2 will neatly hide the various contortions and bugs/inconsistencies in the prototyping in Flash 5 and Flash 6.
08-25-2003, 10:31 AM
erova

i wholeheartedly agree with CNO and PAlexC that macromedia seems to be pumping out applications and updates for .0003 percent of the developer community and then markets it like we'll all be dinosaurs if we're not first adopters.

i mean, come on:

One-of-a-kind.
Each MX 2004 t-shirt will be given your unique order number. The sooner you order, the lower the number.

how retarded is this? if this product is for superior developers (oh wait, professionals) this hardly seems a way to reward early deployment.

i think this and all of macromedia's strategy continues to remind me why i want to get more into business development and get out from behind my monitor.
08-25-2003, 10:36 AM
gSOLO_01

erova, you going to WAMMO on the third?

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