Marc Van Norden

The first question is what is JavaFX?

“JavaFX is a family of software products for creating rich Internet applications, web applications that have the features and functionality of traditional desktop applications, including interactive multimedia applications. The JavaFX products can build applications for desktop, mobile, TV and other platforms.

The primary component of JavaFX is JavaFX Script, a declarative language intended to make Swing easier to use for interface programmers or visual designers familiar with scripting languages. In JavaFX Script, the structure of the programming code is supposed to closely match the layout of the GUI.

The other component is JavaFX Mobile, a Java operating system for mobile devices, including PDAs, smartphones and feature phones. It features a Java SE and Java ME implementation running on top of a Linux kernel.

Most scripting languages are oriented at banging out Web pages. This is oriented around interfaces that are highly animated.     —James Gosling, ^[1]

There are parts of the world where a person’s desktop computer is their cell phone, and that’s the kind of end point that we’re going to get to,     —James Gosling, ^[2]

JavaFX is anticipated to compete on the desktop with Adobe Flash Player, Adobe AIR, OpenLaszlo, and Microsoft Silverlight. It may also target Blu-ray Disc’s interactive BD-J platform, although as yet no plans for a Blu-ray release have been announced.”

So says wikipedia

Here is an interview with Sun CEO Jonathan Schwartz, “Three reasons you need JavaFX”. A good read.

Here is a good over of JavaFX from ZDNET press release regarding version 1.0. “Sun Launches JavaFX 1.0″

Technology Development JavaFX, Technology Development, Technology Development

TUAW (The Apple Unofficial Weblog) is reporting that Adobe is cutting back on its booth at MacWorld. The bigger news is they are also cutting 600 jobs, including Mike Downey; The Adobe Flash, Flex, and Air evangelist.

One of the successes of Macromedia (Now Adobe) as a company was it’s connection with the developer community. I think that his exiting can have an “emotional” (I use that word, but I think it is different degrees) effect on the developer community. Their passion for technology and development is influenced by the likes Mike and his blog. At the same time, it is jarring to watch the company that produces most of the tools I use to do my job, go through this process. Just another reminder of how bad the economy currently is.

What do you think?

http://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/03/adobe-trimming-expo-budget-possibly-jobs/

Earlier today Mike Chambers posted on the changes at Adobe. Included is the official revised forcast for the company. It is lowered expectations due to the lower than expected  sales of CS4.

Adobe Adobe, Economy, Mike Downey

There has been a lot of discussion of Barack Obama’s use of technology to drive his campaign. In the end he walked away with Martketer of the Year.

I have pulled together a list of articles and POVs outlining his usage of tracking, ad placement, media, SEM, etc. The articles span from the primaries, all the way up to the day before the election. A lot of good reads that paint the whole story.

http://delicious.com/mvannorden/obama-strategy

Strategy, Technology Development Barrack Obama, delicous, Media Strategy, Technology Development

The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings

As we enter what should be a happy time (the holiday season) there is a downside to this holiday season. With the economy being what it is, you may not be as busy as you would like to be. Now’s as good a time as any to take that nervous energy and start creating something or mashing something.

I am going to try and compile a list of API’s that would be exciting to sink your teeth into (instead of another deviled egg!).

To start, here is a list compiled by Ted. It is a list of ActionScript Cloud APIs. I am going to try and get sometime myself to get into these, they seem like fun!

Actionscript Cloud APIs

APIs, Adobe Flash, Technology Development Actionscript, APIs, Technology Development

I received an email today from Pownce stating they were ending service:

“We are sad to announce that Pownce is shutting down on December 15,
2008. As of today, Pownce will no longer be accepting new users or new
pro accounts.

Our thanks go out to everyone who contributed to the Pownce community,
The Pownce Crew”

Pownce was a free social networking and micro-blogging site. It launched on June 27, 2007, and was opened to the public on January 22, 2008. It was one of the 1st AIR applications out there. I remember trying to get an invite when it was still in BETA…..RIP Pownce, let’s see what sixapart will do with it now.

Adobe, Technology Development Technology Development, Technology Development

While attending Max, I stopped by the PermissionTV booth. If you have not heard of them you should check out their product. It is a software as a service firm that has created video distribution platform. From a developer standpoint they have a Platform Development Kit (PDK) that you can get access to for free. They are also looking to build up their developer community, so any obstacles you may encounter will be addressed swiftly.

Adobe, Technology Development, Uncategorized Adobe Max, permissionTV, Sapient

Started with Flex Product Manager coming out with Ben Forta in a 007 scenario. The idea being Q or headquarters working to beat the status quo of development

Start off showing an AIR app that controls the power supply and air systems of a house. The whole idea being that we need to expand our applications, to beat “Status Quo”.

Discussion of productivity in CS4

InDesign: exports something called XFL, that imports into Flash and keeps everything editable.

Tweening in Flash: They have re-introduced tweening, not so code heavy. The motion path is a lot more manageable, creating curves and multiple points along the way.

Kinematics and bone structure. allows for “joint” controll within the Fash environment. With CS4, you can now import animation sequences without editing. Flash animators working with flash developers.

Photoshop: Using several images to combine them and get the sharpest image by combing the sharpest areas of each image.

Thermo/ Flash Catalyst: A new professional interaction design tool for rapidly creating application interfaces and interactive content without coding. The code that is created in MXML is well formed not like the old days of wysiwig dreamweaver. Mac only preview release available today. Early next year mac/pc will be put up on Adobe Labs.

Alchemy: Converts C/C++ to Flash generated in a swf. Using C and C++ sounds libs, you can import and use multiple sound formats. The demo uses ogvorbis, and uses a C lib, (libvorbis) which is run thru Alchemy to play the ogvorbis files! Image files, sound, and other raw multimedia file formats can be encoded in C and tranformed to flash. A demostration of using C/C++ compiler to open a PDF and render it in Flash.They just opened the orignial Quake and Mario Bros. directly in Flash or AIR 1.5! Making for the ultimate rom player!

Gumbo/Flex 4:

New Coldfusion IDE name Bolt announced: Server awareness, stop/start, code hinting that makes life easier. Sign up to be notified for pre-releases on Labs.

In Flex 4 you import the UI components, but then create the data models and mappings into the flex app. Basically getting access to all the data and services on the backend.

Built into Gumbo is a network monitor that logs all the server operations and seeing where the errors are popping up.

Integrate themes directly from builder. download on labs

Ensemble: allows you to build Flex applications in Visual Studio. You can download the preview release on labs. This is directly in response to Visual Studio Developers and Silverlight app development.

Dreamweaver: Now you can include any AJAX framwork within CS4. Previously it was SPRY specific and didn’t allow other AJAX frameworks to be used. JQUERY is used as the simple example.

Flash and SEO? Indexing Content: 2 part solution with Google (Virtual User) and Adobe (Flash Search Player). Virtual User goes and reads, loads up Flash Search Player, loads up the swf and waits. The Virtual users tells it to play. If the Player runs into AS, it reads back to the user and says theres code. The User then “generate event”. More on this tomorrow.

FMS 3.5: Dynamic Streaming with multiple bitrates. This will prevent the audio gliches etc.

New version of flash media live encoder (onLabs). Multiple bitrate incorporated. You can now incorporate liveStreams, as well as download cache. an online DVR for live events.

Flash Player 10 and AIR 1.5: Allows for camera to camera connections without flash media server!

Adobe User Group Community: 423 Adobe User groups around the globe. A new website called groups.adobe.com. A new way to connect all the user groups around the world.The groups site is one site not fragmented across language.

Adobe, Adobe Catalyst, Adobe Flash, Adobe Thermo, Technology Development 2009, Adobe, Adobe Max

Catalyst, previously thermo just hit preview release. It is the goal to create the ultimate proffessional designer interaction program.

It allows the designer to work not only with the skin, but with the user interaction, leaving the developer to focus on the interaction code.

Today adobe gave out a pre alpha version to attendees. With the caviar that “undo” just started working in this version.

A pad design comp can be brought into catalyst. As you do it renders the psd layers and element into mxml and a flex interface. The tool panels within catalyst are similiar to photoshop layers making it familiar to designers. You can add hit states almost like the imageready web buttons. FXP file format works in catalyst and flex 4.

Even in this early version, it looks like there is a lot of potential. Enough that it is worth while to get developers and designers to start thinking about integrating into their work flow.

Adobe, Adobe Catalyst, Adobe Flash, Adobe Thermo Adobe, Adobe Catalyst, Adobe Flex, Adobe Thermo

Back at Adobe Max 2009. This is the first year Sapient is an exhibitor at Adobe Max. It is definitely interesting to be on the other side of the booth here. For starters, showing up a day early to setup, making sure you have all your materials and cables is not so much fun as rolling in and running around scoring free stuff. Fortunately I am able to hit the keynote. I am curious to see if there is anything big they are going to announce. Adobe generally does a good job of keeping their progress open to the community who will be using it.

This year seems a little smaller than the last time i came. Of course that was at the Venetian.
Heading into the keynote. The stage is a wall of screens, pretty impressive.

Technology Development 2009, Adobe, max

AT&T announced they are offering free wifi at Starbucks and other locations:

“FREE AT&T Wi-Fi access is now available for Apple iPhone at thousands of hotspots nationwide, including Starbucks*.”

Whoo-Hoo! I wonder if this is in response to Sprint XOHM beginning to pick up steam. Or maybe they are scared of Google Android…Either way, I heart competition! The funny thing is the content on the AT&T site directs you back to the same page! “For information visit www.att.com/attwifi.” Which re-directs you back to the same page….

To access free Wifi here are the directions from AT&Ts’ site:

iPhone users, get started with Wi-Fi

• Activate Wi-Fi from the settings icon on your iPhone
• Select “attwifi” from the list of available networks
• Enter your 10-digit mobile number and check the box to agree to the Acceptable Use Policy. Tap ‘continue’
• You will receive a text message from AT&T with a secure link to the AT&T Wi-Fi hotspot. You will not be charged for the text message.
• The SMS link will only be valid for 24 hours at the location it was requested. Another request must be submitted when using another hotspot location.
• Open the text message and tap on the link for 24-hour access to the AT&T Wi-Fi hotspot

Iphone Iphone, wifi