http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=60405148&tid=5979

and

http://www.laszlosystems.com/products/modules/mail.php

An app like that is likely easier to do in Flash with components and ActionScript.

-B

do you think you are capable to compete with gmail using flash client?

flash is great thing but has its flaws.

http://weblogs.java.net/blog/johnreynolds/archive/2005/03/one_step_forwar.html

Cheers,
-Brian

Ignorant pillock to bomb to his home page - any one ?

In contrast when you develop in Flash you work to one object model with one version of a scripting language. The object model and scripting language are evolving but when you are developing in Flash you don’t have to work around the kind of constantly changing vendor inconsistencies that you do in AJAX. Hence you are not forced to hack.

Both options are improving. Working with DHTML has gotten easier and so has developing feature rich applications in Flash. But you can do some things easily in one environment that are hard to do in the other. In that sense I think Aral has it right. Document-centric work is one thing. Rich full-featured applications is another.

Recently I had a conversation with someone used to working with Windows Media. He showed me a nice example of integrating the Windows Media player into a DHTML based app. Then I showed him this:
http://www.macromedia.com/macromedia/story/ and then Breeze. Afterwards, there was no debate about which platform was better for building rich applications.

Yours truly,
-Brian

First off, sorry we could’t come down to see you while in Canada — it was a last minute decision to attend FITC

Note that I was’t called Javascript a hack, but AJAX. You would be hard-pressed to argue that i’s not — i’s as much a hack as is the back-button hack for Flash applications.

There are definitely certain type of sites and applications for which an HTML-based solution is the best choice. I do’t think anyone would push Flash for a document-centric site or application because, as you mention, you would be in the unenviable position of recreating browser functionality. If you do find yourself in this situation, stop, take walk, have a drink and then proceed to build the site/application in HTML That said, HTML + Javascript today is being contorted in every-which-way to make it look like a nail because of the limited toolsets (or mindsets) of some technorati when Flash/Flex could provide a lower risk, lower cost, lower hassle solution that is easier to maintain and scale.

I do agree that Xamlon (I believe that was your reference to cross-platform XAML) holds a lot of potential. Whether or not their *solution* is viable, however, depends a lot on the implementation. It is definitely worth keeping an eye on but it is currently not at a stage in which it can be used for real-world development. Flex, on the other hand, is here today and is, without doubt, the most practical, efficient platform for building RIAs that exists in the here-and-now.

There are many unknowns in Xamlo’s future, not the least of which is the very real chance that it will be bought up by Microsoft and killed off.

I hope w’ll get to see each other during FF NY so I can try and bring you back from the Dark Side

How come regex isn’t built into the Flash player? Gotta keep that plugin size down.

Also, having spent many years in both worlds, I’ll gladly take the headache (greatly diminished these days) of cross-platform compatibility over the brain tumors Flash has given me trying to recreate functionality all browsers give developers out of the box.

Lastly, Flash developers shouldn’t worry too much about what the Adobe merger will do to their business. The tidal wave on the horizon is XAML. No CTO is gonna pay for Flex when he sees what can be done in a cross-browser environemnt without using Flash.

Best regards,
Burak