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I'm a Flash Developer and, like many other Flash devs, I don't use Adobe's tools (I use FDT, which isn't free, but isn't Adobe either).

I agree that Flash isn't as open as many people would like, but it is way, way more open than the iPhone ecosystem.

I second that. I've not used the Adobe IDE for a few years.

lurch_mojoff, please don't claim your personal experience as standard practice.

Try a search on Google, or read a few blogs about Flash development.

Thirded. I've used FlashDevelop exclusively for a few years and used MTASC before that. There's really no need to pay for Adobe's tools to make Flash content.

Wrong. I've built a larger Flash-based application (no public link, sorry) using nothing but the Flex SDK and Java. You simply don't need Adobe's authoring tools to make a viable application.

The now free Flex SDK not too long ago was the premiere Flash tool.

However the tool comparison is absurd. Having the freedom to choose tools doesn't mean they all have to be free.