Current Event Essay1

Scott Marchewka
News.com.com/2100-1012_3-5180486
David Becker

Macromedia released a new server product intended for expand the flash format and applying it to Web applications and interfaces. Flex which is formerly known as Royale is created to run scripts in different languages such as Java and .net to make the application to the web. What Flex will do in this case is break down the scripts into a Macromedia type of dialect called extensible markup language (XML) so that it can be ready by the flash player, flash player being one of the most common clients out there for web pages. Jeff Whatcott the vice president of the product management team at macromedia said “The use of Flex will be to create compelling and attractive interfaces for the web applications, an area that often gets overlooked by Developers.
Flash, once used to spice up ads on web pages is not moving into a whole new generation. Flex extends the Flash campaign with allowing developers to apply the many advantages of the format without having to learn all the macromedia flash development tools, which use a timeline based interface more familiar to Digital artists and graphic designers. Flex works with the leading java application servers today such as IBM, Websphere, BEA’s WebLogic and Apache Tomcat. The price tag for this though will run about $12,000 for the two sever CPU’s it requires to run on.
Macromedia in its own right wants to take advantage of this technology and is currently working on their own Flex-based development tool codenamed “brady”. Which is said to have everything from the simple notpad that comes with Windows to the very high end IBM tools. Macromedia is really looking help familiarize developers that are unaccustomed to the macromedia products with the benefits of using the Flex software to help tweak out their applications.
In my own opinion this is just another need they saw in the development tools to help with web based programs. I see why macromedia would like to create some software of their own but still allow the developers to use the tools that they already know and love. I support any software that helps make a task easier and create new cutting edge web based applications that take half the time, I just don’t see a down side. I am also really looking forward to see what steps macromedia takes in creating their own flex-based program and what additions they have made to it that take it a step further.