Slashdot Mirror

No, it isn't. Clearly you haven't heard of haXe or Swish, and those are just two examples; there are many other applications out there that are capable of creating Flash files.

Now, if there are decent (freeware?) applications that can encode the format that would be great. You have to pay for Flash video encoding, and even if you can pay, asking about a Flash video encoder for Linux.. who cares about Linux. If you use MPEG4, some players are picky on the type of MPEG4 codecs you used to encode a video when you play it back. . Microsoft video format is just a pain in the backside.

A video format without the security problems of Flash, bring it on.

Was the last time you checked the EULA when Flash was a Macromedia product, or after Adobe bought Macromedia and released a new version? I'll admit I never read the EULA as my former employer owned the license and it was a company issue.

There are many proprietary commercial Flash clones that produce SWF files. There are also many freeware (closed source but free to use) and open source packages.

Two commercial packages have general-purpose timeline/programming IDEs similar to the genuine article. One is SWiSH Max from SWiSHzone (silly capitalization is theirs, not mine). Another is Namo FreeMotion from .

Many people say that Swish Max is much easier to use than Flash, but I didn't really care for the demo. To buy it is $150 so I might iinvest in it since there are some things it can do that my software can't.

FreeMotion 2008 is practically a clone of an older Flash version -- Macromedia Flash MX 2004. It has a similar interface, supports ActionScript 1 and 2, and outputs to Flash 6 or 7 formats. It doesn't work with FLA files but it does open existing published SWF files for editing. It does almost everything Flash MX 2004 does, but it won't work well with much of the stuff produced in Flash 8 or 9. I own a copy of FreeMotion 2008 (the default version on the Namo website is still 2006, so make sure you get the right version). It was only $59.95 to purchase a fully licensed download, but I opted to extend my download rights from 30 days to 2 years for another $4.95 just in case my backups get lost.

There are programs from Eltima Software and SoThink that turn SWF files into FLA files for use by official Macromedia or Adobe Flash. I've only used the trial versions of these, both of which are somewhat crippled. I'm not sure which I prefer, since the most interesting features are the ones that don't work in the trial versions.

There are many specialized Flash creators with visual interfaces. Some focus on educational software, while some focus on banners, media players, photo galleries, or games. Some are commercial while others are OSS or freeware.

There are also a number of textual Flash tools. Some work with XML. Some use ActionScipt directly. Some are libraries for C/C++, Python, PHP, or Perl. HaXe has a standard library supporting Flash features and will compile codee to SWF.

For a partial list of OSS software that works with Flash files or is used to support development of them, take a look at the projects page of the OS Flash Project.

I personally use FreeMotion when a timeline is really handy or there's a good ActionScript 1 or 2 library that works with it which would make my life really easy. I use HaXe for any Flash work I want to approach from ground-up programming perspective. I've tinkered with MTASC but I haven't used it seriously. I've yet to dabble with Flex.

If I keep getting more requests for updates to more recent Flash stuff designed elsewhere, I might need to break down and buy CS3.3 (well, probably take an old-version discount on CS3 somewhere actually). I don't do very much Flash work right now, though, and the price on the Adobe stuff is steep. The OSS stuff is nice, and the lower-end commercial stuff works for many things.

I could probably get used to the Swish Max IDE for the price difference, though. Anyone know the limitations on ActionScript compatibility and Flash Player 9 output of version 2?

Was the last time you checked the EULA when Flash was a Macromedia product, or after Adobe bought Macromedia and released a new version? I'll admit I never read the EULA as my former employer owned the license and it was a company issue.

There are many proprietary commercial Flash clones that produce SWF files. There are also many freeware (closed source but free to use) and open source packages.

Two commercial packages have general-purpose timeline/programming IDEs similar to the genuine article. One is SWiSH Max from SWiSHzone (silly capitalization is theirs, not mine). Another is Namo FreeMotion from .

Many people say that Swish Max is much easier to use than Flash, but I didn't really care for the demo. To buy it is $150 so I might iinvest in it since there are some things it can do that my software can't.

FreeMotion 2008 is practically a clone of an older Flash version -- Macromedia Flash MX 2004. It has a similar interface, supports ActionScript 1 and 2, and outputs to Flash 6 or 7 formats. It doesn't work with FLA files but it does open existing published SWF files for editing. It does almost everything Flash MX 2004 does, but it won't work well with much of the stuff produced in Flash 8 or 9. I own a copy of FreeMotion 2008 (the default version on the Namo website is still 2006, so make sure you get the right version). It was only $59.95 to purchase a fully licensed download, but I opted to extend my download rights from 30 days to 2 years for another $4.95 just in case my backups get lost.

There are programs from Eltima Software and SoThink that turn SWF files into FLA files for use by official Macromedia or Adobe Flash. I've only used the trial versions of these, both of which are somewhat crippled. I'm not sure which I prefer, since the most interesting features are the ones that don't work in the trial versions.

There are many specialized Flash creators with visual interfaces. Some focus on educational software, while some focus on banners, media players, photo galleries, or games. Some are commercial while others are OSS or freeware.

There are also a number of textual Flash tools. Some work with XML. Some use ActionScipt directly. Some are libraries for C/C++, Python, PHP, or Perl. HaXe has a standard library supporting Flash features and will compile codee to SWF.

For a partial list of OSS software that works with Flash files or is used to support development of them, take a look at the projects page of the OS Flash Project.

I personally use FreeMotion when a timeline is really handy or there's a good ActionScript 1 or 2 library that works with it which would make my life really easy. I use HaXe for any Flash work I want to approach from ground-up programming perspective. I've tinkered with MTASC but I haven't used it seriously. I've yet to dabble with Flex.

If I keep getting more requests for updates to more recent Flash stuff designed elsewhere, I might need to break down and buy CS3.3 (well, probably take an old-version discount on CS3 somewhere actually). I don't do very much Flash work right now, though, and the price on the Adobe stuff is steep. The OSS stuff is nice, and the lower-end commercial stuff works for many things.

I could probably get used to the Swish Max IDE for the price difference, though. Anyone know the limitations on ActionScript compatibility and Flash Player 9 output of version 2?

I have a piece of software called SwishVideo2 which takes video and creates flash movies. They realised that Flash 9 broke all the movies that their product created (when viewed using Flash 8 and earlier) so they issued a patch that allowed Flash 8 and earlier to view their Flash 9 compatible movies. Why should everybody have to redo all their work just so Macrodobe can charge a new fee ?

... is a swf authoring program. The only reason I still use windows is for swish, which does everything flash does in about 1/10 of the time. Unfortunately I haven't been able to get it running with wine.

• Firestarter
• SWiSH

The Flash file format is open. I don't understand your point. Just because something is proprietary doesn't make it not open, or bad for that matter. There are tools out there which output Flash and are not made by Macromedia themselves. There are even open source Flash production mechanisms. Yes, Macromedia could at some point change the file format to obfuscate it, yes they could make it non-backwards-compatible, they could even decide to abandon Flash completely. That doesn't put the genie back in the bottle, and its still not making Flash a bad thing in and of itself.

If you want to create SWF (Flash) animations, there are much cheaper alternatives to buying Flash from Macromedia. SWF is an open format, and there are other manufacturers of creation tools. Swish is one I've heard a fair bit about. Others are available for Tucows. You can even create SWF files from within PHP with the MING libraries. In short, I don't think SVG will replace SWF simply because of cost.

Swish is a program that I find easier to use than Flash. Give it a look.

Oh, it is also a helluva cheaper product too.

SwishZone
Swift3D
RoboFlash Toolkit
SWFkit
FlashBuilder

Macromedia has gotten better about releasing the specs of the swf more closlely following the release of the next version of their authoring envrionment, and while it's certainly not nearly as open as SVG it's about the most open proprietary format (I suppose that's like jumbo shrimp) out there. There is some real competition and most importantly, a ton of innovation going on. In terms of real-world, what kind of cool/useful/productive things can I create, Flash/SWF have given developers a lot more to work with than SVG.

And the Flash sucks comments will fall on deaf ears. Yeah a lot of people are making junk with Flash but don't you remember all the crap personal websites people made in html?

How about Flash MX?

It's a bit more intuitive than most programming languages and ActionScripting is object oriented (and can be quite powerful)...

Not to mention, it is all wysiwyg.

Of course, for the rest of us who can't afford to buy Flash MX (about 500 bucks!), there are much cheaper alternatives like Swish2 that costs between $20 and $50 (depending on what features you want) and is even easier to use.

This will get kids learning on a programming environment that can be instantly gratifying (they make their own little web pages) and can get them interested in object oriented programming / visual programming, and who knows!

Definitely something more within the league of a first time programmer (I wish it was around when I was first programming a computer... beats the heck out of ROM basic or assembly).

Well, it's publically documented and no patent concerns (or rather, no patents are being excised on it). There are multiple implementations of both flash renderers and flash authoring environments. It's not that proprietary.

expensive-to-author format

swish is pretty cheap, either $40 for the full thing or $20 for the "lite" version. And of course, nothing stops anybody from producing an open source version of Macromedia Flash.

The plugin's a pain in the ass even on Windows or Macintosh- you're always having to upgrade it, or you've got the wrong particular "flavor".

But the vast majority of the world uses IE, in which upgrades and installs are pretty seamless. Sure, it's a pain in the ass on Linux, or in Mozilla.

On the general "I hate flash, too many adverts use it and people always use it for site navigation" thing, I think the same argument could be applied to say animated GIFs, or images in general, or hell rich text - I can hear the naysayers being presented with the web for the first time saying "Rich text with images is rarely useful, it normally just gets in the way of the content. Just give me plain text and I'll be happy".

Flash Player for Linux (Obvious)

Flash Usability (Flazoom!)

SWF Extractor (Windows prgrams that extracts images and mp3 files from a SWF file as separate files)

Unlock SWF (Open up compressed SWF files)

SWiSH (Low cost alternative to Macromedia)

(Yadda, yadda, closed source, I know, I know. Trouble is, there is no alternative to Flash at this time.)

I use SWiSH (http://www.swishzone.com) and the ease of use and the fun I have doing my flash pages sure beats the bucks I'd have spent on Flash. Swish is about $50.

I am not sure if this will do everything you need but give it a go. I do a little web development on the side and I use Flash as my primary language. This is a great piece of software but like you mentioned the price is up there. I recently discovered a app call SWiSH this software cost $50 and it does everything Flash does but more. They have built in effect so the learning curve on this software is minimal and the price tag is the best part. You should grab a evaluation copy and give it a try. You will be pleasantly surprised. If you need any help please don't hesitate to ask.

There is a reason the BLINK tag is dead.

that is not an accurate or mature attitude towards flash. yes.. the blink tag is dead, and for good reason, but in case you haven't seen any promotional websites for things such as movies or events lately, you might be interested in knowing that your version of the future of the web is boring. Yes, a good website is one that offers dialup and text only browsers lusers an escape trap, but flash has some very entertaining possibilities on the web. Of course it has no place on a site like slashdot.. but fine.. move on from sites that use it.. you are seriously missing out.
I happened to have loved the recent E.T. website, completely done in flash. The sounds, images, and interactivity were very interesting.

Sorry about your connection, or browser, or lack of interest in web media. It must be boring where you live.
flaimbait? perhaps.

As for the slashdot question,
If you want to build Flash and you don't want to pay $500, how do you do it
you do it with swish.
it's not as fancy but it will do the basics.

To quoth the site;

SWiSH makes Flash easy ... and affordable! Do you want to get into Flash(TM) but can't afford the steep price and even steeper learning curve? then SWiSH is the tool for you!
SWiSH creates all the cool flash effects you need for your web site in a fraction of the time it takes with other programs!
SWiSH exports the same SWF format used by Macromedia Flash(TM) so more than 97% of web surfers can see your animation without downloading a plug-in!

... and so on. Check it out, I found it great, and with a $49.95 license fee, not too harsh on the pocket.

Swish is a Flash tool that only costs $50 for a basic license and has a free demo for you to decide. Macromedia Flash files can be saved in .swf format. It is not fully featured Flash, but may handle your needs.

Most of the answers so far indicate that Flash should not be used and why. That, however, was not the question. I have been been using Swish from http://www.swishzone.com/ for those simple animations with fade in/out, slide in/out of text and images for the little banner-type images. I would stay away from Flash for constructing a whole page or a site (yes, those exist!).

You could try Swish, which does text effects (among other things) quite well and is only $50.

mahlen

"The carrot is the agent of the coleslaw." -- Berkeley Bob

A few months ago (I am finishing off high school now) my general studies teacher decided we should all do a presentation on a social issue. I chose Civil Liberties but that's irrevelevant. The thing that made by presentation different was that I chose Swish, basically a Flash creation tool. It's damn easy to use, and I got to play with all their neat text effects. The result? A presentation that absolutely blew the pants off of the standard "slide-in-the-bulletpoint" presentations made by my friends. Why don't more companies do this, when it clearly has such a lot of impact? Herd mentality I guess: people thing presentation, they think PowerPoint.

One thing should be noted though for people who are going to try this - I spent so long playing will all the fun effects my presentation was rather light on content :) I'll be more careful about that next time. Also, my presentation needed a graphics accelerator, tee hee. If Linux really wanted to do something better than MS Office, it should start thinking differently. It wouldn't be hard to create an SVG based presentation app that looked amazing, esp now KDE and Gnome have SVG support built in. It's stuff like this that will ensure a Linux victory on the desktop is not a hollow one. thanks -mike

That site links to Swish which in turn links to various demos, one of which stars a geek who looks eerily familiar.

That site links to Swish which in turn links to various demos, one of which stars a geek who looks eerily familiar.

That site links to Swish which in turn links to various demos, one of which stars a geek who looks eerily familiar.

The Flash traceroute demo they have on thier pade would be impressive if it actualy worked. *Sigh* Now if only someone would port SWiSH to linux and open source it the world would be perfect. Flash is rarely good for anything other then cool-but-usless-and-bloated interfaces, and cheesy games and animations. This has some interesting animations and games. Lets hope some troll dosent come up with a flash version of goatse.cx, and if they do at least it will be slow loading. Alrighty then I'm off to find some hetro flash p0rn games.