Moving to Flash, Part 2: Important Differences Between Java and ActionScript 3 | Hacker News Reader

Moving to Flash, Part 2: Important Differences Between Java and ActionScript 3

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11 pointsbeermann10 comments

It's a very nice web page, and a cool idea for an app.

He's right: Java is sputtering. There is an advantage for desktop apps, however. When I pitch the product, I can load it right on the customer's desktop without a clearance from an IT person, assuming Java is installed. I don't know how to distribute a flash app as a desktop app.

How about AIR? Does that need IT approval?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adobe_Integrated_Runtime

I'm embarrassed to admit that I hadn't checked into AIR before this post. It looks like if approval has been given for flash (and it probably has), then it's a snap to deploy using AIR. Adobe charges for this, don't they?

I don't know much about AIR, myself, which was partly why I asked. The impression I get is that the runtime and Flex SDK are free, so you can theoretically put together applications without paying Adobe. Adobe charges money for the Flex Builder IDE, though, which is supposed to make development easier, and it looks like other Adobe products can output AIR applications.

Thanks. They automatically detected me as "Linux" so I couldn't find the non-beta info (although I didn't spend a lot of time on their site looking).

Flex is pretty cool. It allows you to publish applications to the web or to the desktop via AIR without many changes at all. If Java is approved, then I can't see why AIR applications wouldn't be. The security model is a bit more strict than Java.

you have fallen into adobe's trap. that's exactly what they want you to believe.

yes, it's perfectly possible to download the free sdk, and write your first "hello world" app that prints a line of text to the face of the applet. so then you start planning on how you're going to do this. and then say you want to do something simple, like for example, use flash gui controls, then you'll learn the horrible truth. it's impossible to do such a thing without buying adobe flash cs3, which costs 700 bucks.

and even if you spend that 700 bucks, adobe flash cs3 is a gigantic steaming turd. i spent a day or two trying to make my peace with it, and failed.

so i decided to forgo flash gui controls altogether, and used javascript controls instead.

Thank God for HN! (and thank you for your post)

We're using Flex Builder which should allow us to create all of the GUI controls we need. It's $250. Regardless, it's true that the free tools aren't all that useful.

i never investigated flex builder, so i'll take your word for it. javascript controls turned out to be the solution for me, so i didn't look any farther than that.

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