I can't think of anything the FlashPlayer could unload from its footprint that wouldn't just "break the web" for lots of other non-Flex swfs. Adobe has no interest in "breaking the web" and thus it will continue to invest in not doing so.
I'm not sure of your definition of "supported product". If you mean that you can get a support contract from Adobe, we are still deciding on whether to offer extended support. If you mean that Adobe will be developing and selling Flex, it has already stopped. Adobe will be continuing to release FlashBuilder, but all significant Flex work will be done in the Apache project.
So, how long will Flex be around? Probably forever, since once you get in the enterprise infrastructure, it is hard to get out. There are still COBOL programs running in the world. How long will Flex be a choice as a development technology? It could be forever as well, it will depend on how you define what Flex is. If you say that it is ActionScript and the Flash Platform, then when HTML5 delivers on its promise of power and productivity, the need for Flash in the browser will likely diminish, but AIR will still remain an attractive way to develop cross-platform desktop apps. But under the definition that Flex is a development paradigm (declarative markup for UI, some script mixed in that supports OOP), Flex may transform to become a popular paradigm for creating HTML5 apps.
On 1/12/12 9:38 AM, "Ron G" <rgrimes@sinclairoil.com> wrote:
Hi James,
I certainly respect the decision of those who are sticking with Flex, but I would suggest that developers do so with the recognition that they may be developing with a technology that isn't going to be around that long.
I could write at length about this, but, in a nutshell, here's why. On the one hand, you have an open-source project that is geared toward enterprise application development, but it is completely dependent on a proprietary runtime. That runtime is manufactured by a company who has stated its future is "digital media and digital marketing", and that it believes the future of enterprise web application development is HTML5. It then begs the question, "How long will they bloat their Flashplayer to support an open-source Flex community's enterprise web application development goals and wishes?"
To accommodate the Flex community, Adobe gets nothing in return for its expenditure of time and money in designing, developing, testing the features the Flex community requires now and in the future. It also means that, by supporting Flex in their runtime, the Flashplayer has an unnecessarily larger footprint than would otherwise be required.
So, ask yourself if you truly believe Flex will be a supported product by Adobe in 5-10 years from now. I highly doubt it.
On the other hand, I think if a developer uses Flash Pro to develop digital media for their applications, they can probably count on that being around indefinitely. But, not Flex.
Ron
--- In flexcoders@yahoogroups.com <mailto:flexcoders%40yahoogroups.com> , James Ong <yanlilei64@...> wrote:
>
> Using ZK and Java is great. I'm still sticking to Flex for developing
> desktop applications and gaming.
> Of course, many will still using it for animations, there is no such thing
> as "abandon", some developers
> are just over use Flash and end up hurting user experience than necessary.
>
> When it comes to web application, I stick to PHP but will definitely use
> Flex for mobile, desktop and
> components within the web browser.
>
>
> On Thu, Jan 12, 2012 at 10:16 AM, <michael_regert@...> wrote:
>
> > **
> >
> >
> > Staying with Flex. Not looking elsewhere.****
> >
> > ** **
> >
> > *Michael*****
> >
> > ** **
> >
> > *From:* flexcoders@yahoogroups.com <mailto:flexcoders%40yahoogroups.com> [mailto:flexcoders@yahoogroups.com <mailto:flexcoders%40yahoogroups.com> ] *On
> > Behalf Of *Ron G
> > *Sent:* Wednesday, January 11, 2012 8:15 PM
> > *To:* flexcoders@yahoogroups.com <mailto:flexcoders%40yahoogroups.com>
> > *Subject:* [flexcoders] Re: Flex alternatives****
> >
> > ** **
> >
> > ****
> >
> > Yes, we have also abandoned Flex in favor of ZKoss. Since we are already a
> > Java shop, on the server side, it seemed logical to use a Java based
> > framework on the client-side.
> >
> > The thing I really like about ZK or ZKoss is that it has equivalent
> > components to Flex. In fact, it actually has more components than Flex.
> >
> > It implements an approach that I really like of separating the UI into
> > appearance and behavior - much like the Spark components of Flex. Well, not
> > exactly, but sort of. :) Here's what I mean. For each UI object, it has a
> > client side (widget) and server side (component). I won't go into further
> > detail, but it gives you a nice separation of concerns that you can avail
> > yourself of. This feature also greatly insulates the rendered pages from
> > x-browser compatibility issues.
> >
> > Check it out for yourself at their site (zkoss.org).
> >
> > Ron
> >
> > --- In flexcoders@yahoogroups.com <mailto:flexcoders%40yahoogroups.com> , "Sal" <sal.celli@> wrote:
> > >
> > > hi,
> > > as i can sadly see from the message history bottom grid, many
> > programmers are leaving flex.
> > > So this thread is to ask you all, if you have already found a valid
> > alternative to flex for RIA development.
> > >****
> >
> > ****
> >
> >
> >
>
--
Alex Harui
Flex SDK Team
Adobe Systems, Inc.
http://blogs.adobe.com/aharui
