Posts Tagged FDT
I am Flash Developer
This isn’t the next article I wanted to write but it was on my list since Flash In The Can Toronto (2010). It comes from all the talks surrounding the refusal from Apple to let Flash on the iPad ( i guess we can just say iOs now). During that period a lot off people (including me) where uncertain about their future. I mean when someone as powerful as Steve Jobs tells you that your job shouldn’t exist, you think about it twice. Out of the turmoil that ensued, some voices touched me more than others. What they were saying is that they, as developers, weren’t tied to a technology and that if Flash was to disappear tomorrow, they would still have a job. That got me to think. A lot. The next thing that affected me was something I heard at FITC concerning designers. How they don’t call themselves ’Photoshop Designers’ or ‘Corel Draw Designer’ (I tried to think of another product than Adobe but just could come up with Corel Draw (who uses that anyway), but you get the idea). I think this follows a bit the same vibe as the comments from the Flash dudes.
All of this feed my reflexions, I mean I have tried a lot of technologies (all things in perspective, I am still at the start of my career, so I humbly say so). I have tried Java, PHP, MySQL, C, Flash, ActionScript 2 and 3, HTML/JavaScript/Css, Ajax, Asp, C#, Python. And you know what? There is nothing I like better than doing ActionScript 3. I mean the tools help a lot; FDT (yes I said it, I now like FDT) or FlashDevelop for code and Flash CS5 for visual assets. I like the workflow, I like making PSDs alive, I really like using TweenLite to make stuff move, I like figuring out how to build my applications so that they minimize load time and CPU usage (I also like maximizing CPU but don’t tell HTML5 fanatics, they know jack shit about pushing limits, yet, but they will know what I mean when they taste it, which will happen for sure). All of that I can’t get from any other technology to the extent that Flash does it right now.
It’s been 2 months that I am at B-Reel right now. I really love it, but the project that I am doing right now mostly doesn’t involve Flash ( I managed to stick a bit of Robotlegs in there) and is mainly Javascript/Html/Css. I really look forward to doing a Flash project. I really don’t want to do html ever again. I don’t have fun doing it (well I am just speaking about the technology, the project itself is amazing). Also, I feel the world of Flash is so deep and there is so much you can do to get better that if you learn all of the other technologies you can never get truly as good on the Flash Platform as one could be. For all of these reasons, that is why I am Flash Developer, that is my title and I am not ashamed or feel diminished by it. It really defines me.
With that being said, it gives me security. I think I am not alone in this situation. I think Flash gives a mean to express themselves to a lot of people and because of that, you can be sure that these people will produce tons of cool shit with it. And other people will want to see that cool shit. That gives a reason for Flash to be. Someday there will be Flash on the iOs. You can be sure of that (I mean Steve Jobs has an expiration date, right?)
My verdict on FDT
Posted by zedia.net in FlashDevelop on December 10th, 2009
I said I would try FDT for a month and I am sad to say that I did not find it superior to FlashDevelop. FDT has some good sides and even stuff that it does better than FlashDevelop, here are some:
- compile errors while editing
- debugger
- ant support
But it has two major problems, first it is built on Eclipse which makes it much more complicated than it should be. Secondly it is very expensive (well I had more problems with it than just that, but these are the game changers). I don’t even understand why it cost so much… It even cost more than Flash Builder. Anyway that seems weird to me, but maybe it’s just me. Anyway in comparison to FlashDevelop which is free, it doesn’t stand a chance.
While venturing in the FDT world we came across templates, snippets and short keys. Those are very useful things when you use them. Templates are also time savers when you are using PureMVC because when you want to create a Mediator, all you have to provide it is the mediator name, and it’s view name and type and it will generate the rest; no more copy paste from other mediator. Also project template are very cool. Snippets are mini templates, for example to generate getters and setters. Short cuts are combination of keys you press to do an action instead of going trough a menu to do the same action. Well, it just happens that FlashDevelop has all those things, but I just wasn’t using them… So out of all this I came out with increased efficiency.
FDT might still be a very good tool, mostly if you are already familiar with Eclipse, but for me FlashDevelop is still the way to go. If FlashDevelop gets a Debugger than I won’t even ask myself the question.
Trying FDT for a month
Ya I will be leaving my beloved Flash Develop to try out FDT for a month. I have been hearing a lot of good things about it and the programing department has been pushing to get everybody on Eclipse. I have tried Flex Builder before (ok, it was version 2) but I was not very impressed. Every thing seemed complicated for nothing. What I really like about Flash Develop is that it is so simple. To get you going it take 10 minutes and it is more user friendly than Eclipse (it takes less step to do something simple like start a project). Also it is easier to get Animators who are more designer in spirit to use it.
But I at least want to give it a try, so that is what I will be using (almost) exclusively for the next month. The month after I will try Flash Builder 4 and compare it. That way I will be able to make a good decision about wich editor to use.
I have started using FDT today and I have already bumped into two problems: first a simple trace doesn’t trace in the console even in debug mode (in the FCHS console and the FDB console whatever these are). Secondly the SWFViewer doesn’t seem to be the Debug player so I don’t see the runtime errors. These might be related problems and should be easy enough to fix, but it should be more obvious than it is right now.
If you know any tutorial about FDT, send them my way, I want to know everything I can about it during that month; I will read everything!
Powerflasher: How labs works
Here is another video presenting an agency. This time it is Powerflasher from Germany which is also the maker of FDT, an eclipse plug-in to code ActionScript. The video is mostly about how they divide their intern teams to have three groups: agency, solutions, labs. Agency is the work done for the client (websites, applications), solutions is for when they build a product that they can sell or own (like the FDT software or they also make a 3D book component for flash) and finally labs is where they experiment. What is done in labs usually ends up either in the agency work or as a product for solutions to work on. They also explain that for some project the traditional workflow doesn’t work. Like for experimental projects, there needs to be more flexibility because some experiments might not work. That’s why they adopt a more Agile methodology. They explain their steps to achieve this. They also mention that with a traditional workflow creativity only happens at the beginning of the project while in real life it can happen anytime.
All in all it’s a pretty interesting watch. I really like these kind of video because it tells us how other agencies are working and sometime people are reluctant to speak about this.
Link: 
My review of FITC Toronto 2009
Well I’m on the train (not anymore) and I have 5 hours to kill so I thought I might use this time to write my recap of FITC Toronto 2009. In a general way, I liked this iteration of the festival more than last year. I think that my choice of presentations had a lot to do with it. Looking back, there are sessions I would have changed in my schedule but since they were filming most of the presentations I can just go and watch those that I heard good feedback from. The downside of this year was that I was alone so I kinda not fulfill the Connect part of the festival mission (Inspire, Educate, Challenge, Connect) but I will work on that next year.
What I learned
Here is interesting stuff I wanted to share:
- I really liked the presentation from PowerFlasher (makers of the FDT tool to write ActionScript). It gave insights on their creative process and how they deal with in-house projects. They said they would put the presentation on youtube so I will point it out when it is there.
- GAIA Framework: I wasn’t convinced before the presentation. Now I would like to try it out on certain type of project. What convinced me: the fact the it handles SWFAddress for you. I like SWFAddress a lot, but sometimes I would like it to be a physical object so that I could throw it out the window.
- Joshua Davis is an awesome presenter. If you get the chance to see him talk, seize it.
- I chose a couple of business presentations and they were probably not the best choices to make but I still got a couple of usefull links out of them:
- IconBuffet : Nice for Icons but also nice to know that they are made by Firewheel Design and given freely; nice way to get known.
- CoComment : Nice way to track your conversations, will definitely try it out.
- 37 signals : Heard so much about them that I should probably at least follow their blog
- BaseCamp : An online application to manage projects, made by 37 signals
- HARO : Help a reporter out : a nice way to get your name out there by helping a reporter and getting quoted
- VizualPV3D : Layout tool for Papervision3D that looks great. Can’t believe it was done by only one dude: Gary Stasiuk.
- Finally Colin Moock‘s presentation held a couple of gems. First he his starting a company called User1 that will offer and develop the union platform which will facilitate the production of multiuser applications be it on the web or the desktop. Also he teamed up with MegaPhone, a company that provides a framework to manipulate any screen using any phone. I foresee lots of new marketing opportunities.
On a personal note
I own a HP mini 1000, one of those new netbooks. It’s a pretty nice netbook: it has a 10 inch screen, but I believe I need more than that. 10 inch is good for writting and browsingthe web, but not that good for coding. I really hope that they will develop folding LCD soon so that the laptop can stay small but the screen can get bigger.
Lastly, being in Toronto made me realize how much I like Montreal. More trees, smaller streets, no tramway; it’s just warmer. The only other city that compares (and that I have been to) is Amsterdam. I think Montreal deserves its own Flash conference.
