I'm a C# developer looking to branch out. I want to try either flex or flash. Any recommendations on which to go with and why?
+6
A:
Silverlight! :D
Seriously, if you already know C# and you want to leverage that for rich internet applications, that's your best bet.
That said, if you're wanting a programmer-friendly non-C# way of doing things, I'd recommend Flex over Flash. Flash is..... shudder.
This link might help you in your decision.
Randolpho
2009-02-17 02:21:53
That link is quite old, but it does a decent job.
BenMaddox
2009-02-17 03:19:33
A:
I thing a good analogy to your question would be saying "I'm thinking about trying something new, should I learn how to bake or ballroom dance?"
Flash is primarily a client building thing. It has lots of hooks and bells and whistles, but at the end of the day 98% of what you build is sitting on a client and displaying stuff, not running on a server.
flex is, on some level, an alternative to things like JSP.
Commercially there's a lot of need for Flash, while Flex is just catching on. So, that might influence your decision making to some extent.
Dr.Dredel
2009-02-17 02:32:24
wrong. flex is a framework/library that runs on the Flash plugin. it's a client technology for RIAs. there are some _optional_ server libraries to help you handling data to the client, but it's nothing like JSP.
Javier
2009-02-17 04:04:43
This is flat-out incorrect. Flex has no server-side element at all. With either Flash or Flex, at the end of the day what you build is sitting on a client and displaying stuff.
erikprice
2009-02-17 12:33:02
ok ok... JSP is not the right analog, but what would you compare it to? That's why I said "on some level". Granted it needs a data feed, but it's profoundly different from Flash.
Dr.Dredel
2009-02-18 23:25:54
Flex is not "profoundly" different from Flash. Flex is a superset of Flash, adding some namespaces and controls. You can even develop a Flash application with Flex Builder.
Dave Swersky
2009-04-13 04:35:50
+2
A:
I gotta argree with Dr. Dredel. It's really hard (not impossible) to access databases and other server side stuff in flash. I took a flash class in high school, worst 18 weeks of my computer life.
Lucas McCoy
2009-02-17 02:35:04
+7
A:
Flex is a framework for Rich Internet Application development. It extends Flash with controls and namespaces for UI, data, etc.
If you want to venture a little out of your comfort zone, experiment with Flex. If you've ever worked with WPF it will feel familiar. If you want to get really wild and crazy, add Flash. You can combine Flash assets with Flex projects to create some visually zingy applications. It's worth experimenting with both to get a feel for what they can do together, which is quite a bit. Flex Builder is a good tool for both Flex and ActionScript projects.
I encourage you to try Silverlight as well, since you already have the C#. Both platforms have lots to offer.
Dave Swersky
2009-02-17 02:37:45
I'd add that while starting with Flex is a good way to go, it's also tough to avoid eventually having to dig into Flash, because of the visual limitations of Flex alone. So it's helpful to know at least some Flash (Sprites, MovieClips, Filters, etc.) before getting into Flex for that reason.
Christian Nunciato
2009-02-17 17:21:08
Absolutely agree. If you want to work with the Adobe platform, you should get comfortable with both Flex AND Flash.
Dave Swersky
2009-02-23 20:30:01
+1
A:
You guys are forgetting that Flash is installed on 98% of all computers, while not even Bill Gates himself knows how many computers Silverlight is installed on. You should keep your audience in mind when deciding on what platform to experiment on. Also, remember that linux does not support Silverlight.
I don't know about you, but whenever I see a site asking me install Silverlight I'm instantly gone. One rich-internet browser extension is good enough for me! Honestly, why does Microsoft always try to reinvent the wheel?
Wow, it almost sounded like I'm a Mac-freak there... scary.
Jonathan Dumaine
2009-02-17 05:43:26