Adobe will continue to sell the candles, give the matches away for free
The Adobe Flex open source announcement comes as little surprise to me. That’s not to say I’m not excited about it, because I am. Or that I don’t think it’s great news, because I do. It seems a very logical and competitive move.
Web 2.0 was fueled by so many developers working with (and getting extremely creative with) technologies that are open and freely available. Take Wordpress, for example. One of the world’s most popular BLOG technologies is really nothing more than a content management system. The concept of CMS is nothing new, and if you were in possession of a small fortune back in the late 90’s, you may have been developing a CMS with Vignette or ColdFusion. The average web developer just wasn’t down with that, and so a blog platform built on the free and open technologies of today, PHP and Html/JavaScript/AJAX, spread like wild fire.
Open source to most people means more than just inexpensive. It seems to come with it a larger, more active development community capable and WILLING to support each other through code examples and tutorials. It means that a developer can choose from a wider and cheaper offering of development tools. Most importantly it means that companies can invest in the technology knowing that the community-driven source should never stray too far off, avoiding the maturation of a technology that’s too fast and could leave a hugely invested project in the dust.
Adobe’s decision to open source Flex, to me, is explained with this analogy: “Adobe will continue to sell the candles, give the matches away for free”. The candle is the player. The Flash player, the engine for both Flex and Flash (the output being one in the same) is not being opened up. I support this and there are many reasons why I want Adobe to keep this locked down (that’s a whole other post). And while Adobe isn’t actually selling the candle (the player), they will continue to own that exclusively as their ’special sauce’.
The matches in this case, that which is available for free, includes the Flex SDK and the ActionScript 3.0 compiler, as well as the source code for ‘most’ of the components for Flash, Flex and Apollo. This is a considerable amount of openness, and aligning with my metaphor of a candle-lighting match, should light a fire well beyond the existing development community.
This is Adobe’s ultimate goal. While Flex adoption has grown incredibly this year, the potential was seen as so much more. Going open source is a strategy that while probably not immediately profitable will likely payoff in a major way just a little bit down the road. There are a lot of projects out there that should have been chosen for Flex, but the close source aspect was a big turn off. I think several companies, and some very big and very well known, will now start to consider Flex as a much more appealing solution. The more projects in Flex, the more use and need for tools like FlexBuilder and Flash IDE. The more projects in Flex, the greater need for a company to tap the already sparse Flex developer base, thus reaching further into the costly and lucrative Flex consulting market, including Adobe’s own consulting arm.
The move will payoff for Adobe. It will pay off for the Flex developers. And as for any competition building against Flex and the Flash Player… Are you sure you want to get into a candle measuring contest?
Gadgematch 3: Buy a new PC vs. Build Your Own System
Preface: I’m going to alter the Gadgematch approach ever so slightly this week to cover the recent decision I had; Buy a new desktop PC or build my own system. With respect to the masses that probably wouldn’t think about or dare to build their own system, I hope to cover my decision with a bit of a tutorial-like twist and detail the supplies and steps you will need to build your own system.
VS. 
Gadgematch#3: Buy a pre-built system from Dell/HP/Gateway or build my own PC.
When the power supply died on my discontinued Dell Dimension 4700C, I had no real options but to see if Fry’s or MicroCenter could sell me a replacement. I learned a hard lesson that because it was a Dell, it was custom and the form factor could not support any readily available accessories. I had a choice to either buy a new system, and potentially run into the same issue in 2 years, or build my own. I took a heavy look at my options, which I often do.
The Dell 4700C was a slim line form factor, chosen because its small size gave us much more desk space. Surprisingly, there aren’t many more options today for the slim PC than there were 2 years ago. HP makes a nice, somewhat affordable model and Dell’s new version of what I had is much improved. But I was worried I’d run into the same problem when something went wrong with that system. So, I explored the more standard mid-size tower options. As pictured above, I looked at the following models:
- Dell XPS 410 - For around $1200, this very respectful performing model is also very pricey. I am a big Dell fan, but it will take me a few desktop system purchases to get over the power supply issue I just had. That being said, I could easily recommend this system as I could other Dell products like the laptop I just bought.
- HP Pavilion d4790y - I’m not a big fan of HP systems. To me, they are badly re-packaged Compaq systems and I have never found them to be very good on performance. My previous work laptop was an HP and it couldn’t hold a candle to my Dell laptop. Their desktops seem just as bit clunky, but recently, they seem to be offering some pretty good features. Still, at $1100, I don’t think they’re discounted enough below the clearly superior Dell.
- Gateway E-4610D - I honestly didn’t know Gateway was still around, but was pleasantly surprised to see this value-oriented company still offering systems. They receive no points for design, but for $1000, seemed almost right on with features and primed for a budget.
After nearly committing to spending $1000 on a new PC, I went back to MicroCenter one last time to try and get a new power supply. While looking through the components section of the store (aptly named “BYOPC”), I couldn’t help but begin checking out prices of computer parts. Matching spec for spec as close as I could to the systems above, I was actually able to piece together a system for under $600. Here’s the grocery list:
- Board: Gigabyte Micro ATX 945GZM-S2 motherboard – $69.99
- Case: CoolerMaster RC-331-KKR1 w/350 Watt power – $49.99
- CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo Processor E4300 – $149.99
- Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar 200GB SATA-300 – $54.99
- Memory: Buffalo 1GB DDR2 - $74.99
- Optical: Pioneer 18X Lightscribe DVD-ROM – $49.99
- OS: Windows Vista Home – $99.99
- Media Reader: 3.5 Internal 8-in-1 card reader – $19.99
So, if you’ve never built a system, you’re probably wondering how to put it together. Here are the simple steps I follow. Those with experience should be able to complete this in about 30-45 minutes. It can get very easy!
* These steps are not meant to be followed exactly and if you’ve never built a system before, you should find someone you know that has first. I won’t be able to support you, but please let me know if you choose to build your own system and succeed as a result of this post.
- Get your tools ready. A Phillips screwdriver, a static-guard wrist band (if you have one and you tend to get shocked a lot), a sturdy table and some spray-air (for dust removal).
- Unpack the case and remove both sides for access. DO NOT PLUG IT IN YET.
- Unpack the motherboard and inspect it for any issues. Lay out the static-free (silver) bag and place the motherboard on top.
- Unpack the CPU and the included CPU fan. On the motherboard, open up the latch where the chip will go. Use the spray air carefully to remove dust from the chip area as well as off the prongs of the chip itself. Carefully hold the chip and place it on the motherboard. Latch it up very carefully.
- Remove the paper from the bottom of the CPU fan. (If you have thermal paste -recommended-, clean off the thermal tape and replace it with the paste. This will improve conductivity.)
- Spray the top of the chip and the bottom of the CPU fan. Carefully place the CPU fan on the chip and latch that into place.
- Connect the CPU fan power cable to the motherboard.
- Flip the case on its side and carefully mount the motherboard inside the case. Unravel the power supply cords and plug the motherboard cable (square) into the motherboard.
- Unpack the Optical Drive (DVD). Slide that into the top IDE slot. Attach a power cable. Attach the IDE cable from the drive to the motherboard.
- Unpack the hard drive. Slide it into a lower 3.5 slot in the case. Attach a power cable. Attach the SATA cable form the drive to the motherboard.
- Unpack the media (card reader) drive. Slide in into an upper 3.5 slot in the case. Attach a power cable. Attach the internal USB cable to the motherboard. (You may need to consult the motherboard manual to find out where to attach this, as it is not obvious.)
- Attach the case cables (power up, CPU activity, etc.) to the motherboard. Once again, consult the board manual as this can get complicated.
- Connect your monitor, keyboard and mouse to the back of the computer.
- Close the sides of the case. Plug it in and TURN THE SYSTEM ON.
- Place the OS CD/DVD (Windows Vista) into the drive. You may need to restart the system.
- Follow the instructions for installing the OS.
Believe it or not, these are the only steps I followed this time around. Building your own system has gotten dramatically easier in such a short time. It had been nearly 4 years since I built my own system.
Conclusion: Building a system can me intimidating and inconvenient, but also tremendous fun. It’s basically like ordering a delivery pizza vs. buying your own ingredients (like at Trader Joe’s, or TJ’s as my colleague Allen would say) and cooking it yourself. The result can be gratifying for budget and ego. You have control over how much or little technology you add. Every time you use the PC, you have a certain pride in knowing you built the computer and know it like no one else.
Stores like MicroCenter and Fry’s make it so easy to ‘grocery shop’ for system components, and after putting the pieces together, the Bios and OS software are so smart these days, there’s really very little you need to do once it’s all together.
Keith Peters, The Da Vinci of ActionScript Code
Keith Peters has done it again! The follow up to his ”Foundation ActionScript Animation: Making Things Move“ has been re-written to cover ActionScript 3.0. It is nothing less than brilliant. No other book on Flash so boldly straddles the line between advanced design and compelling development.
I’ve known Keith now for over 2 years and I am proud to call him a good friend and former co-worker. He played a big part in the shaping of my own Flash career and his teachings of best practices, optimization and documentation propelled me (and many others) to the success I have enjoyed in the industry.
As I lectured students and faculty at Boston University a few weeks ago, I spent an entire slide talking about Keith and his role in the Flash community. To Keith, giving back to the Flash development community is a very important thing. It has helped him put together an impressive catalog of Flash books and an equally impressive roster of conference appearances. Those lucky enough to be in Toronto this weekend can see Keith speak at FITC. He’ll be no doubt dazzling the audience Tuesday morning as he covers “Apollo Outside of the Box“. I saw Keith present first hand at the last two FITC’s (Toronto and Hollywood last October) and it’s easy to see why he continues to be a marquee event at these conferences.
Keith’s latest book, “Foundation ActionScript 3.0 Animation: Making Things Move” appeals to Flash Designer/Developers and Flex Developers alike. This is not an easy thing to do. The book is rich with Keith’s trademark style of mixing mathematical wizardry with eye-popping animation techniques. But within the complex, yet easy-to-code examples in the book, the reader will acquire a cross discipline of skills that will sure make them a much better developer.
In case you missed it, Keith’s writing can also be found in the ActionScript 3.0 Cookbook, released last year. Upon reading the book, I was actually able to spot some of the chapters I new Keith had a hand in. I have the honor and privilege of saying that Keith’s next book is also mine. Having reviewed his initial chapters for OUR Professional Apollo book, I can tell you that his contribution will be nothing short of signature Keith.
In his forward to the new “Making Things Move” book, Aral Balkin labels Keith as an artist AND a programmer. In today’s world, a programmer is very much a scientist. Combine that with his proven and imaginative artistry and to us in the Flash community, Keith is our Da Vinci.
Keith graciously signed his new book for me.
Pacifier Magic
It’s an amazing device, this pacifier…
Announcing my next move; Yahoo! to Ribbit
Life is a game of chess. You have to make your moves carefully, consciously and without emotion. When you decide to leave a company and team you really care about, the emotion factor just can’t be ignored.
After 17 very successful months at Yahoo!, I have decided to leave for an exciting startup company in Mountain View called Ribbit. Before I tell you about Ribbit, I want to reflect a bit on the significance Yahoo! has played in my career. It’s been a true partnership here, and I honeslty believe we’ve drawn the very best from each other and gotten just about the same.
Making the decision to move out to the west coast, leaving family, friends and the Boston Red Sox behind, still ranks as the hardest decision I’ve ever made. But the exciting and rewarding opportunity to work on Yahoo! Maps and its APIs, working on the world’s most visible and used Flex application, seemed enough of a distraction. (Well, that and being able to golf in January.)
And then last November I was given the opportunity to join Yahoo!’s elite (and one-of-a-kind) Flash Platform Team. Never a dull moment with this team, having the chance to instill best practices throughout the company and most recently, advise on future usage of certain Adobe technologies at the executive level.
Whoever says having a baby doesn’t affect your line of thinking, well, you’ve probably never had a baby. You begin thinking about settling down, which in the Bay area is as easy and common for a young-ish newcomer as it is finding Green Monster seats on the sidewalk. (That is to say, it ain’t that easy.) So, upon bringing Chase home, I decided it was time to either solidify a future with Yahoo! or find a promising and exciting opportunity that would justify my west coast existence (in addition to golfing in January).
I am happy to announce that effective April 30, I will take on the role of Director User Experience, Flash Platform at Ribbit. For so many reasons, many of which I can’t post just yet, I am super-charged and excited for this opportunity. There is one reason I can proudly share and that is my perennial business partner, one of the greatest UI talents I’ve ever worked with, will be working alongside me.
Rob Abbott, of eBay/Apollo/San Dimas re-design fame, as well as a former co-employee of mine way back at Fidelity, as well as the man who got me my blockbuster contract work with eBay, as well as the guy mostly responsible for paving my way to Yahoo!, has joined Ribbit as Principal User Experience. Together we intend to do nothing short of AMAZING THINGS and I can’t wait to share those with you as they happen and as I’m permitted.
In Rob’s own words: “…three companies (Fidelity, Yahoo and eBay) had the chance to snag us both over the years. Finally our valuable combination was realized by a great company. Ribbit”
As the Ribbit site says: “Stay tuned, Ribbit is coming”. And I’d like to add, I’m coming, and Rob’s coming with me!
Flex finally appeals to engineers, but at Flash’s expense?
It’s official; Flex has made the .swf a legitimate and respected solution to application developers. Coders from all walks of life, be it Java, C++ and even Ajax/JavaScript, are now acknowledging Flex as the stellar platform that it is. Yesterday’s announcement on Salesforce adding Flex support for their Apex Platform is solid evidence that Flex is now recognized by developers outside the Adobe-herded development community as an efficient, robust and true solution.
3 years ago I was working at Fidelity (in Boston), trying very hard to get Flash adopted by the development teams. Flash was already being used favorably by the design groups, but ActionScript 2.0 was still too new to gain respect for Flash amongst the engineering crowd. That’s around the time when Macromedia starting calling (out of their Newton, MA office), announcing that they had a new Flash-based solution that would appeal to developers.
As they came in to demo Flex, it appeared to me and others that it was being marketed as a Flash alternative, not so much a complimenting framework to the Flash Platform. It became obvious that this was Macromedia’s tact, to position Flex as something new, somewhat adverse to the timeline/stage/symbol world of Flash. Until then, the interface that designers came to know and love was never sneered at, but appreciated as a full-on-controlling design environment for Rich interfaces. [As I've said many times, with my Film/Television background, I clung to Flash mostly because the IDE reminded me of staging a movie.]
Many of us got defensive, claiming Flex took longer to develop with and wasn’t as ‘flexible’ if your intentions were a custom interface. It turns out, we didn’t need to create much of an argument. Flex’s pricetag alone was enough to deter the early adopters. With the exception of apps like Yahoo! Maps, practically no one deployed any front-facing Flex apps.
Flex 2 has ushered in a world of difference for Adobe’s ‘complimenting framework to Flash’. Initially, though, it was slow going for its adoption. Ryan Stewart reported, upon the release of Flex 2, that seemingly nobody noticed. But things sure have changed. With Ted Patrick driving the adoption of Flex to amazing heights, there seems to be countless apps out there and many more rolling out. What’s more is I am hearing that many companies, frustrated with the lack of Flex talent, are converting ‘willing’ C++ and Java developers to work with Flex. This further leverages, in my mind, what the single best move Adobe did with Flex 2 was: releasing FlexBuilder 2 on Eclipse!
Once again, though, I feel that the ‘greatness’ of Flex has come at a price to Flash. I am anxiously awaiting Adobe’s new flows and integration concepts, which hopefully continue to position and sustain Flash as a valuable tool in application design and development. While Flex has deservingly been crowned as the king sh*t application for Apollo development, we still need Flash very badly for turning out sleek and custom UI assets.
And you may argue all you want, but I still think that super-talented artists that can do AMAZING THINGS in Flash will always be even harder to find than any Flex developer could be. So, please don’t throw Flash under the Flex bus. Viva la Flex, but long live Flash as well! Don’t let Flash authoring become a lost art, otherwise, all our Flex applicaitons may wind up looking the same.
Back to the Future THE Ride is now in the past
After serving ‘Back to the Future’ fans at the Orlando theme park for nearly 16 years, Universal Studios has closed the amazing ride. Back to the Future is my favorite movie of all time, so naturally, the ride based on the movie was my favorite attraction at the theme park. I liked the ride so much growing up, that even when my family vacationed at DisneyWorld, we always took a day to head over to Universal Studios to get on this ride.
The closing is sad for me, and what’s worse, there are rumors now that the Hollywood Studios ride will also close this summer. This means that my son will never enjoy the ride as I did. It means that Universal Studios is no longer a fixed destination for me when I get to Orlando. What could they possibly replace Back to the Future with? What in the glorious, over-sequeled new library of Universal movies will they draw from. I wonder if a Fast & Furious, The Mummy or Meet The Parents ride will last 16 years. I can see it now: You’re Jinxie the cat, chasing Greg Focker through the house. Big Jack Burns jumps out and you get flushed into the toilet. Wheeeeee.
According to Wikipedia, the ride closed abruptly and without much fanfare: “The Orlando ride closed at 8pm on March 30, 2007, to make room for a new attraction opening in Summer 2008. At closing, the wait time sign displayed a 75 minute line. Guests waiting in line heard a crew member on a microphone proclaim at 8:02 pm, “The Institute of Future Technology is now closed.” After the final guests said goodnight to the attraction, employees gathered on the second level for reflection, photographs and two final rides. Within minutes after guests left the area, work crews arrived to erect fences and began barricading the area. The original sign for the ride remains and the gift shop is still open, but will be replaced by a gift shop for the replacement ride.”
If you got to ride the attraction, consider yourself lucky. For those of you who didn’t, who knows, maybe the ride will return. The future hasn’t been written yet.
Flash’s eager young minds
There’s a shortage of Flash/Flex talent right now. Everyone knows it. And those of you that really ‘know it’ are capitalizing on it. Let’s face it though, there is PLENTY of work to go around, and we need more people. As someone who is responsible for hiring, I see the shortage of talent as a huge problem in getting projects up and running. The more projects, the more adoption and the more adoption, the better we all look.
Lecturing at BU, I met the eager young Flash minds of tomorrow. Nearly everyone in attendance, faculty included, was on the edge of their seats as I presented some of the most effective uses of Flash today. Their questions were super intuitive, asking (begging) for information on how to get into the industry.
When the most anyone can put on there resume is 10 years of experience, I explained, just by putting in 6 months of time puts you in mighty contention for at least a junior role. My suggestion was to go get a book on Flash, learn it to the max, work out every example and lesson and publish what you’ve done in some portfolio. Take it to the next step and put your own design to it, make the example do something unique to your liking. This shows you know it and that you can do it.
As a strong believer in internships (the two I participated in personally while attending BU were huge in shaping me), I suggested they position themselves in high profile companies, where possible, ASAP. Networking in ‘our’ Flash community is key, where it’s not so much who you know that helps, but who knows you. Internships give you real world experience, but also allow you to associate yourself with proven professionals. Those same pros will guide you and later vouch for your abilities to your prospective employers.
It’s a developers market and I sure hope it stays that way. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t embrace the next generation of talent, especially when they are so eager to learn Flash and code. The conference circuit is saturated. Let’s break away sometimes from the current models, be it corporate or the new developer to developer low-budget ‘camp’ approach.
Start holding conferences on college campuses, engage the educational community, beef up educational version distribution and make sure college tracks (both CS and Communications) are integrating thorough Flash courses.
Let me know your ideas and let’s see how we can embrace the eager young minds I presented Flash to today!
Lecturing at Boston University today, on Flash
I graduated Boston University’s College of Communications in 1999 with a B.S. degree in Film and Television. Per the invitation of the college’s alumni association, I will be lecturing 30-50 students, Monday, April 9, 2007 on my success with Flash. The title of my lecture/presentation will be called “Flash, the Ultimate Communications Tool”.
In the 20 slide presentation, I will lead a journey through my personal exploration of Flash. Starting with my purchase of an educational version of Flash 2 in 1998, all the way to my working on development of Yahoo! Maps, I will cover the way each new version of Flash played into my growth as a developer.
The real fun part of the lecture, for me, will be to showcase Flash in various key communications uses. Including YouTube > Video, Jumpcut > Video Editing, MSNBC > Journalism and Yahoo! Maps > Essential User Apps, I will detail some of the more prominent and diverse samples of Flash content and applications.
More fun will ensue after the presentation, when I am able to catch up with some of my friends and colleagues in the Boston area. I hope to do this again throughout the year as various conferences and other speaking opportunities in Boston emerge for me.
I’m hoping to provide the video of the lecture online at some point, so stay tuned. And if you are a BU COM student planning to attend, I look forward to seeing you there!
On Flash Platform, In technology is it ok to have RELIGION?
I recently was referred to at work as someone with ‘religion’.
In technology terms, I’ve discovered that having religion means that one possesses an unwavering (and uninhibited) favoritism of a particular technology. In most cases, it is frowned upon. Why? Having ‘religion’ is perceived that such a commitment to one technology may cloud your ability to make technology choices on what’s best for the company. Makes sense. And I can see how that view has been formed and why it is, for the most part, important to practice.
I don’t hide the fact that I’m a Flash guy (referring to Flash authoring, Flex, mobile and Apollo)(see the Apollo and ‘Fx’ stickers on my laptop)(see me wearing the occasional Apollo, ApolloCamp or vintage Macromedia t-shirts). In fact, here I’m considered one of THE Flash guys, which makes me quite happy.
So, I began to examine my new labeling of ’having religion’.
1. Do I have certain un-shifting beliefs in the abilities of something that other people don’t see? Yes.?
I believe things can be done with Flash Platform that cannot be done as easily, efficiently and with as good performance with other technologies. And some people cannot see it because they choose not to recognize its power. Seriously. There are people who aim to acheive similar things, but avoid it becuase they just don’t get it.
2. Do I follow a single person or group of powerful people that influence me in the decisions I make? Yes.
There are folks in this industry that have demonstrated superior abilities in what they can do with the technology. So much so, that to ignore their work, experiences and teachings would likely create a void in your own abilities. I’m talking about the key Flash Platform bloggers and developers that tell us the story of how they accomplish what most others have not dared to, or have not been able to do. I’m not going to mention names, but each of us has those sets of people we look at to help us make decisions and to help us out along the way. (Hint: They are usually the people listed on the sidebar of someone’s blog —>).
3. Is there a collection of texts that I look to for answers, rules and guidance? Yes.
You know where I’m going with this one. Thankfully, there aren’t many recent publications on Flash Platform technology from the ‘bible’ (as in The JavaScript Bible) book series. However, if you have anything with the words Moock, Lott, Peters, Schall or Chambers on the cover, then you can answer yes to this question too.
4. Do you feel compelled to teach others about what you believe, especially those who think otherwise. Yes.
And here’s where the concept of ‘having religion’ in technology really begins to undeniably appear. We call them evangelists, those people who are out there, constantly preaching the virtues of the technology. Flash Platform (Adobe in general) seems to have more of them than anyone. The strength of these evangelists is why this technology has a near cult following. There, I said it.
Conclusion: Yes, yes, yes and yes, when it comes to technology, I have religion. I believe Flash can do things faster and better. I’ve built my career on Flash Platform. I stand by what I build and stand for the performance of it. I’m not oblivious to other technologies (see the 5 chapters in my book on Ajax), and possess a great deal of respect and discipline on most web application technologies.
Most importantly though, I believe my company has a competitive advantage when building things out in Flash vs. other technologies. It gives us the best chance at offering our users the most engaging, entertaining and user-friendly interfaces. My ‘religion’ in Flash Platform makes me a better developer and thus, makes me more valuable to my company. How can this be a bad thing?
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