By: Josh Tynjala

Josh Tynjala — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 14:20:41 +0000

PiXELWiT, you may find your transition easier if you turn off strict mode. The compiler will allow you to do many more things that are considered bad practice, like “this.parent.parent.some.nested.clip” but you’ll feel more at home since AS1/2 allowed this sort of thing. Sounds like a perfect bridge to me.

By: PiXELWiT

PiXELWiT — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 12:39:26 +0000

I first learned ActionScript because it was like a “human” language. In English I would say, “Tom’s age is 30.” In ActionScript I would say “Tom.age = 30;” The transition from English to AS is simple.

As AS grew more powerful it also grew more complex and more difficult to manage. Adobe/Macromedia, seeking a solution, looked to “tried and true” programming methods (OOP, etc.). This is a fine and much-welcomed solution for people with a fairly extensive programming background. However, “any normal computer user with no development or design experience” is going to be “a little frustrated with the extra work these language changes make you do.”

The success and power of ActionScript wasn’t initially due to its speed or performance, it was due to the creative people who were granted access to the programming world through it’s simplicity. Adobe is probably wise to make AS3 more like a “real” programming language but in doing so they seem to be abandoning what initially made ActionScript great; its ability to provide regular people a bridge across the Programming gap.

Where’s that confounded bridge?

Comments on: Flash CS3: The Missing Manual is designer-centric

By: Josh Tynjala

By: PiXELWiT