I am a student of computer science and am interested in learning development of RIAs. So which among silverlight and flex is more suitable for me and y?
+3
A:
Silverlight is the very accessible. You can develop Silverlight applications using free tooling provided by Microsoft in via its "Express" range of tools. Also if you use C# as part of your work you'll be learning a language which has wider uses. ActionScript on the other will teach quite a few aspects of Javascript yet it also has many features that are perculiar to its slant of Javascript and only really useful in the flex context.
However have you considered HTML5 as a platform for RIA? Whilst being embyronic and almost non-existant tooling it may also be a contender for RIA delivery in the furture.
AnthonyWJones
2010-05-27 08:07:47
What features of ActionScript are peculiar and/or only useful in the Flex context?
www.Flextras.com
2010-05-27 11:43:13
+1 for considering HTML5. -1 for Silverlight over Flex. Silverlight will be a casualty to HTML5 before Flash is.
adamcodes
2010-05-27 13:09:12
@adamcodes: Well it is very much horses for courses. However I can't see flash being used much for inhouse corporate LOB work and corporates tend to really drag their feet when it comes to browser installs. Whereas Silverlight is growing in strength in this area. Silverlight is the basis for development on WP7 it remains to be seen if it can rival iPhone or even Android. In other words Flash and HTML5 will be going head to head in an identical space, whereas Silverlight has one or two other niches it has carved out for itself.
AnthonyWJones
2010-05-27 13:22:14
+2
A:
I would say that flash+flex is much better than html5 (which is too slow for now) and silverlight (which was a big disapointment for me, a big BUM at the launch and that's all)
Check out http://flex.org/ for some nice RIA tools, and maybe that can help you more in taking your decision.
Adrian Pirvulescu
2010-05-27 08:33:50
Also Check out https://freeriatools.adobe.com/ where students can request free copies of Flash Builder; Adobe's IDE for building Flex applications.
www.Flextras.com
2010-05-27 11:44:52
+3
A:
Flex with ActionScript is better than Silverlight. You can find a range of tutorials and application for Flex in the web.
HTML 5 has come, but still you will find a range of browsers not supporting it fully. You may end up frustrated with most of your clients in I.E 6.0
My Bet is
Flex with PHP OR Flex with JAVA
Could really enhance your programming skills and career growth to a peak.
Vinothbabu
2010-05-27 09:27:54
"Flex with ActionScript is better than Silverlight" Better for what? Based on what? Elaboration is key, without it turns your the majority of your answer into an opinion.
Daniel May
2010-05-29 14:22:37
Really? Flex by itself may be "better", but Actionscript clearly isn't. In my experience AS3 is a bad language which clearly shows its age - unpredictable behavior (e.g. for..in loops on objects), inconsistent API crossing over into procedural stuff several times, fail-silently in the run-time environment and very limited library support (e.g. XSD validation). At work I must work with AS3 and I would give my left leg to be able to use Java 6 or C#3/4. Sure, you can do some nifty functional stuff with AS3 (mixins, currying, ...) but that doesn't justify the gaping holes in the language.
Baelnorn
2010-05-29 23:43:09
@Daniel and @Baelnorn: Flex and AS3 is far better than siverlight and html5 by comparing the results in products created with such tech. If you did not learned enough AS3 or flex because you are still into c# mirage then please do not say AS3 is a bad language. Each language has it's pros. and cons. and of you manage to deal with them you will find that the important thing is the result of your work and not so much the design pattern you have used or how easy you add a line of code with just one button click in the IDE.
Adrian Pirvulescu
2010-06-19 09:01:27
+3
A:
Personally, I think you'd be silly to ignore Silverlight. It's going from strength to strength and is growing a lot faster than Flash. As Anthony rightly points out, businesses that would never have considered Flash are turning to Silverlight for replacing both Web and Desktop apps.
Doobi
2010-05-29 14:19:00