[flexcoders] When is Flex better suited than AJAX (was AJAX versus Flex)
Im actually giving a presentation on this topic in a couple of weeks at the SOA WebServices Edge Conference in New York. My talk is titled When AJAX Isnt Enough: Cases for Rich Clients with the Flash Platform My contention in this talk is that there are some cases when you simply cant get the kind of application out of AJAX, either in terms of functionality in cost., and I think this is a good way to pitch Flex development to CTOs and the like who otherwise might think that if they cant do it with AJAX they cant do it. In some ways Flex is getting a lot of attention because of AJAX. How many people were truly pursuing rich UI for the web before the term AJAX was coined? Does anyone have any applications theyve seen or developed that just couldnt be done in AJAX or would be prohibitively expensive or of poor performance? Id love to hear more opinions / examples on the subject so I can assimilate them into my presentation J Jack, in your original post, you say Let me first say I believe 100% that the Flex platform is a better mousetrap. What is it about it that makes it better? Development style? Time to market? Delivery target? Functionality? Performance? Jim From: flexcoders@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of pk_wasp Sent: Friday, May 26, 2006 5:28 AM To: flexcoders@yahoogroups.com Subject: [flexcoders] Re: AJAX versus Flex I don't think its particularly hard to convince internal management to consider Flex as a viable RIA/Enterprise solution. The main problem/resistance we are finding is from our clients/customers opposing I.T architects who either get upset if we suggest Flex as a solution, or say they never heard of Flex and want an Ajax solution instead. I think its partly Flash's animation legacy + ignorance/lack of awareness of Flex and the Flash Platform. So I wonder if maybe the Flash Platform needs a reboot/rebranding e.g. a new runtime without legacy code (but obviously Flash Player 9 will still be around for legacy stuff) and a new name :). I mean Microsoft are essentially doing this through WPF/E. Also I think for the Flash Platform to be a true platform, it really needs a platform XML dialect for UIs - which is what XAML is for WPF and WPF/E. Would be great to able to export content created in Flash Authoring in some form of XML UI dialect and use it in the Flex Framework, Apollo, Flashlite etc. Just my 2c, have really enjoyed learning Flex 2, guys (Java and .NET developers) at work were impressed, but definitely agree that Ajax is getting alot of hype and it seems to be working e.g. our customers are talking about Ajax but not about Flex or Flash. I hope when Flex 2 goes live, there's a big marketing campaign + lots of real world stories of Flex being used in RIAs, Web 2.0 Apps and Internal Enterprise Applications so that our customers can see its a viable option. --- In flexcoders@yahoogroups.com, jwc_wensan [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: To all: Got this email today, http://ajax.sys-con.com/ and it got me to thinking. I may get blasted for this, but here goes . . . just my .0199 cents. Let me first say I believe 100% that the Flex platform is a better mousetrap. I am currently developing applications with Flex. I prefer Flex. However, you can not open a software magazine, newsletter, journal, article, etc. that doesn't reference something about AJAX. It's everywhere. Adobe's Flex gets an honorable mention. I have been in the software business for over 27 years. I have seen many companies come and go that had a better mousetrap. I also realize that most end users do not care if a desktop app is developed with Visual C++ or Visual Basic. So why would they care what a RIA app is developed with. Probably not. In the end it is the application not the engine. There seems to be a parallel between PCs with Windows and Apple/Macs. Many believe that the Mac is better, but Apple/Mac has less the 5% of the market. Can Adobe accept 5% market share? You also can not under estimate the impact when Microsoft releases Atlas. And no Robert I don't want to hear about how you hate MS or the evil empire. Fact is, tens of thousands of developers will and I say will use their product. What this also does is make it more difficult for developers to convince management that the Flex product is better. Especially when all they hear is AJAX this and AJAX that. AJAX is getting all the hype. Right or wrong these are the facts. They have essentially taken over the RIA landscape and claimed it as their own. My point . . . . Adobe you need to step up to the plate. If you think you can wait, then by the time you start you will be too far behind. You will be left behind always playing catch-up. If you want to reach that 1 million developer goal, it needs to start now. To be better and say you are better is not enough. If the industry has already declared
RE: [flexcoders] When is Flex better suited than AJAX (was AJAX versus Flex)
Jim: If you have had the time to read the whole thread you will get a lot of reasons from more technical and seasoned Flex developers than myself. If you have not had time, I suggest to you go back and read them. With that being said, for me, every ??? you stated below the answer is YES regarding Flex. One thing for me, I really look at is from a user's perspective or as many in the industry have said the "user experience". And besides with Flex you can create a much cleaner and more "desktop" like application. That's one of the things I am interested in. In my post I was never questioning the technical merits of Flex but rather the industry's/media's overall perception which eventually will affect the decision maker. Good luck on your presentation. Jack From: flexcoders@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Jim PhelanSent: Friday, May 26, 2006 5:15 PMTo: flexcoders@yahoogroups.comSubject: [flexcoders] When is Flex better suited than AJAX (was AJAX versus Flex) Im actually giving a presentation on this topic in a couple of weeks at the SOA WebServices Edge Conference in New York. My talk is titled When AJAX Isnt Enough: Cases for Rich Clients with the Flash Platform My contention in this talk is that there are some cases when you simply cant get the kind of application out of AJAX, either in terms of functionality in cost., and I think this is a good way to pitch Flex development to CTOs and the like who otherwise might think that if they cant do it with AJAX they cant do it. In some ways Flex is getting a lot of attention because of AJAX. How many people were truly pursuing rich UI for the web before the term AJAX was coined? Does anyone have any applications theyve seen or developed that just couldnt be done in AJAX or would be prohibitively expensive or of poor performance? Id love to hear more opinions / examples on the subject so I can assimilate them into my presentation J Jack, in your original post, you say Let me first say I believe 100% that the Flex platform is a better mousetrap. What is it about it that makes it better? Development style? Time to market? Delivery target? Functionality? Performance? Jim From: flexcoders@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of pk_waspSent: Friday, May 26, 2006 5:28 AMTo: flexcoders@yahoogroups.comSubject: [flexcoders] Re: AJAX versus Flex I don't think its particularly hard to convince internal management to consider Flex as a viable RIA/Enterprise solution.The main problem/resistance we are finding is from our clients/customers opposing I.T architects who either get upset if we suggest Flex as a solution, or say they never heard of Flex and want an "Ajax" solution instead.I think its partly Flash's "animation" legacy + ignorance/lack of awareness of Flex and the Flash Platform.So I wonder if maybe the "Flash Platform" needs a reboot/rebranding e.g. a new runtime without legacy code (but obviously Flash Player 9 will still be around for legacy stuff) and a new name :). I mean Microsoft are essentially doing this through WPF/E.Also I think for the Flash Platform to be a true platform, it really needs a platform XML dialect for UIs - which is what XAML is for WPF and WPF/E. Would be great to able to export content created in Flash Authoring in some form of XML UI dialect and use it in the Flex Framework, Apollo, Flashlite etc.Just my 2c, have really enjoyed learning Flex 2, guys (Java and .NET developers) at work were impressed, but definitely agree that Ajax is getting alot of hype and it seems to be working e.g. our customers are talking about Ajax but not about Flex or Flash.I hope when Flex 2 goes live, there's a big marketing campaign + lots of real world stories of Flex being used in RIAs, Web 2.0 Apps and Internal Enterprise Applications so that our customers can see its a viable option.--- In flexcoders@yahoogroups.com, "jwc_wensan" [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: To all: Got this email today, http://ajax.sys-con.com/ and it got me to thinking. I may get blasted for this, but here goes . . . just my .0199 cents. Let me first say I believe 100% that the Flex platform is a better "mousetrap". I am currently developing applications with Flex. I prefer Flex. However, you can not open a software magazine, newsletter, journal, article, etc. that doesn't reference something about AJAX. It's everywhere. Adobe's Flex gets an "honorable mention". I have been in the software business for over 27 years. I have seen many companies come and go that had a better "mousetrap". I also realize that most end users do not care if a desktop app is developed with Visual C++ or Visual Basic. So why would they care what a RIA app is developed with. Probably not. In the end it is the application not the engine. There seems to be a parallel between
