Recent comments

  • Web Apps and the Browser Paradigm   3 years 27 weeks ago

    I have to side towards the argument I'm deriving from Chad.

    The flash player as it is, has an installed base that extends ubiquitously across all platforms at the moment. It has increased rapidly in not only penetration rate, but in terms of "what it can do." And hopefully with new developments in the core flash utility (deep linking within swfs comes to mind almost immediately) we will see it (and in turn Flex) become a (if not THE) standard. I cannot really comment on the ASP.NET + HTML/CSS/Javascript side of the argument because frankly I have had very very very minimal experience with ASP.NET.

    However (and this is not MS bashing), like most Microsoft applications they tend to create their own proprietary system that basically goes against all standards set. *cough*IE/Validation*cough* (i'm kidding....i'm kidding....but not really) So while the application model for A+H/C/J may be more familiar to the user, that does not a better model make.

    That's where I'll end because it seems like I'm bashing...and i'm losing my train of thought/ranting.

  • Web Apps and the Browser Paradigm   3 years 27 weeks ago

    @Yaniv: "this is where ASP.NET, RoR, OpenLaszlo etc become relevant, since they produce the same standard output using an application model familiar to the user, with considerably reduced development cost."

    - From my experience the code and client side markup generated by ASP.Net is not always the same from Browser to Browser. Try running a ASP.Net site on Safari sometime.

  • Web Apps and the Browser Paradigm   3 years 27 weeks ago

    It looks like Djtriplej's comment got truncated above, but he has a good point about Flash 9 so I'll try and finish it: Flash player 9 will play SWF from Flash 8 and earlier, but for Flash 9 and Flex SWFs it has an entire second VM. It may share some internal parts with the other, older VM, I don't know that; but it does perform considerably better than the previous, and supports ActionScript 3, which has numerous language features missing from previous ActionScripts -- E4X, Regexp, and an improved object model. This definitely gives Flex a significant head-start over Laszlo, even without involving Flex Builder 2.

    It will require users to upgrade the Flash player installed in their browser if they haven't already, but as many sites and/or browsers have supported doing this almost automatically for some now, the adoption rates for new Flash player versions have tended to be quite fast.

  • Web Apps and the Browser Paradigm   3 years 28 weeks ago

    Brian,

    "He doesn?t mention that in that scenario we?re really just swapping a proprietary front-end for a proprietary back-end. ASP.NET servers need IIS (read: Windows). Flex can run on any server and in any browser provided the end-user has Flash (9)."

    Just to be clear - in the context of my post (client side technology), ASP.NET & IIS don't matter - they're just tools that are used to deliver a standard compliant application to the client. Of course, ASP.NET & IIS are proprietary, but they cannot be compared to Flex - Flex is a client runtime technology while ASP.NET & IIS are server technologies. The real comparison is between HTML+CSS+JS and Flex.

    Now, when you try to compare these, the cost of development becomes a real issue in the case of HTML+CSS+JS - this is where ASP.NET, RoR, OpenLaszlo etc become relevant, since they produce the same standard output using an application model familiar to the user, with considerably reduced development cost.

    In fact, my point about ASP.NET in particular, is that when combined with MS AJAX, the development productivity is very similar to that of Flex.

    Mind you, I think that Flex 2 and the builder are impressive, and I applaud to the engineers who designed and implemented them. My point is that with comparable engineering effort you could achieve most of the objectives of Flex without the downsides I mentioned - non standard, and breaking the RUB behavior expected by users .

  • Web Apps and the Browser Paradigm   3 years 28 weeks ago

    I think the big difference in the Flex/Flash vs an ASP.NET generated XHTML/JS/CSS solution is that with the Flex solution you have a controlled environment on BOTH client and server. If the user has the ubiquitous Flash player, the app works and looks as intended, period. With what is basically an ASP generated AJAX app, you are dependent on the browser's implementation of CSS and Javascript, (as well as system fonts available, etc) to determine the look and feel and functionality of your app. You can never be 100% certain that an AJAX app works everywhere unless you do extensive testing so the time to market for the app built in Flex is going to usually be shorter than the same app in a server side AJAX creation scenario.

    I have been building "AJAX" apps since way back in the 1900's before the neat acronym, and I certainly consider that a reasonable solution for user friendly browser based application development, but Flash (and even more so Flex) put the "rapid" in "rapid application development" and I can sleep better at night knowing that the everyone using the apps I release is having the same consistent experience I intended.

    To clarify on the F8, F9 player comment, the Flash 9 player will play any swfs (Flash 4,5,6,7,8,9 etc) but the player contains two distinct virtual machines (one for Actionscript 1 & 2 based swfs which are

  • Web Apps and the Browser Paradigm   3 years 28 weeks ago

    John,

    Sorry I forgot to mention Flash 8 capability in OpenLaszlo. I also didn't mean to imply OpenLaszlo is a Flex copycat. Believe it or not I was crazy about OpenLaszlo before I was even aware of Flex. To this day it blows my mind to think that Pandora (www.pandora.com) is an OpenLaszlo project.

  • Web Apps and the Browser Paradigm   3 years 28 weeks ago

    Slight correction: the OpenLaszlo 4 release (now in Beta -- OL4 used to be called by its code name "Legals") compiles to SWF7 or SWF8 (in addition to DHTML). Applications compiled to SWF8 run in the SWF9 player.

    The OpenLaszlo team has announced that it will support SWF 9 optimizations in a future release, but has not given a date.

    It might be more accurate to say that Flex is an OpenLaszlo look alike, rather than the other way around, since LZX predates MMXL by two years or so :^)

  • The future of the desktop?   3 years 28 weeks ago

    You know if quantum computing would ever get it's butt in gear and becoming a reality, none of this would be an issue. Processing speed and memory size would be so massive that it wouldn't really be an issue either way. We could have applications run natively on our machines and then also accessible through the "tubes" for when we're not at our desk.

    I personally will welcome our quantum computing overlords

  • Tying MySQL to Flash/Flex via PHP   3 years 28 weeks ago

    Yes i'm agree with Cahlan.

    AMFPHP is VERY easy to configure and to use.... and very FAST.

    Go to http://www.sephiroth.it/ for some good AMF / FLEX tutorials

  • The future of the desktop?   3 years 28 weeks ago

    Completely agree. Who wants to be tied online jsut to edit a doc file or spreadsheet? Seriously... ubiquitous connectibity isn't here yet.

  • The future of the desktop?   3 years 28 weeks ago

    Abigail was not joking when she said your blog is super nerdy! Or, should I say...gorky?

  • Tying MySQL to Flash/Flex via PHP   3 years 28 weeks ago

    Ever tried Flash Remoting? Try researching AMFPHP and Flash Remoting, it may change your current method of working with XML, especially in Flash.

  • Tying MySQL to Flash/Flex via PHP   3 years 28 weeks ago

    You don't have to use XML for everything. One very simple way of communicating between PHP and Flex is to use an mx:HTTPService component and set the "resultFormat" to text. This allows you to fill text fields with ordinary text. By setting a TextArea to htmlText, you can even format the incoming text with HTML.

  • When the Web meets Joe Common   3 years 28 weeks ago

    I know that this is a crappy answer.. but its all of the above. Content management systems are still complex for beginner / non-technical users, businesses are too greedy to pay a professional instead of someone who will slap something together for half the cost, and businesses have a problem paying a professional to use a tool that is made so that ANYONE can use it.

    I am not a great web designer and no where near being an intermediate web developer, but i do know that even i get confused a little bit with some functionality and options in a basic CMS. Present CMSs make things much easier than they used to be, but are still much more complex than a MySpace or a Facebook (which based on popularity and demographic seems to be very easy for everyone to use). I know that MySpace and Facebook don't offer the same package of options as a CMS, but I think the ultimate answer is the continual development/evolution of CMSs till they become easy enough for non-technical users to make use of like MySpace or Facebook. Certainly we cannot wait around for the business world to finally come to the understanding that if you want something technical done you need to hire a technical person because it will never happen.

    PS ~ "CMS systems" = "content management system systems" ; )

  • A house built on Cake batter?   3 years 28 weeks ago

    I don't think it's that risky because as you began to point out, it's not a whole lot different than choosing to go with PHP or ASP. ROR is becoming huge, so there will be more support out there for it on servers. The same could come true with Cake. It may become so popular that it becomes a standard feature or close to it. I think it's all relative.

  • Accessibility and the Mobile Web   3 years 28 weeks ago

    Despite all the problems we have (and will continue to have), we all know there is one thing that would get us one step closer to happiness - the destruction of IE. If Microsoft would simply just destroy IE and erase the memories of all developers who worked on it, we'd be on the road to happiness. :)

  • Accessibility and the Mobile Web   3 years 28 weeks ago

    wow that sucks! so basically mobile browsers are back in the Wild Wild West again... hopefully the mobile version of Safari fixes these issues.. *sigh* why do web browser developers have to be so lazy.

  • On Solutions   3 years 28 weeks ago

    [...] have used a number of other systems, including WordPress and phpWebsite. (I’ve commented on my thoughts on Drupal v. WordPress before.) Content managed solutions seem like the best website solutions hands-down. Designs can be [...]

  • The Future Freaks Me Out   3 years 29 weeks ago

    Don't worry bout the future, you'll be just fine.

    Now... post something new :)

  • You Know You're A Web Geek When...   3 years 30 weeks ago

    And judging by the above comment, I've already been published!

    You gotta love Web 2.0.

  • You Know You're A Web Geek When...   3 years 30 weeks ago

    [...] Read more, click grenade sandwich [...]

  • The Future Freaks Me Out   3 years 30 weeks ago

    Don't worry about the future - I'm sure that things will fall into place for you. (Especially if you buy a house with that free 5 grand of government money that I'm still sore about missing out on.)

  • Joining the Matrix?   3 years 30 weeks ago

    Something else that wasn't mentioned: when humanity switched from an oral history to a written history, we immediately lost (or refused to learn) the capability to remember vast amounts of information. In oral traditions, people would have the entire history of their people memorized - not just a song or two, but hundreds of epic poems, history lessons, anecdotes...everything that made their group of people unique. As soon as we started writing, that information was remembered by pieces of clay, animal skin, and metal - not people. In much the same way, as we switch from books to the Internet, we are losing some of our ability (willingness) to retain information, and instead stretch the part of the brain that thinks critically. Hence the common "I don't know but I can find out!" I don't know if this is a negative change, but it does make me a little sad to think that I don't have the discipline and patience to remember things that are important to my life and my history...at the same time, though, I am kind of grateful that I am capable of much more involved mental gymnastics simply because I *can't* remember things, because that ability gives me equal access to things I knew and things I've never known

  • Joining the Matrix?   3 years 31 weeks ago

    moore's law, right? not murphey's. posting this from my wii.

  • Joining the Matrix?   3 years 31 weeks ago

    Your inherit argument includes books! Boooo :)