Remember just a few years ago those nasty, annoying java applets? The ones that would make an image wiggle or a text to scroll? Is Java evil? Is Java the equivalent of the blink tag?
Of course not! Just like Java, Flash is a tool. It's up to you how to use it.
You know, I expected the "proud geek community" to be a little open-minded when it comes to software.
Some online apps simply cannot be done feasible with *anything* else than Flash.
The company I work has just signed up for an oline, interactive e-learning project.
The product has to be small, easy to update and maintain and very dynamic. We're using Flash MX + PHP/MySQL for some backend stuff.
Such a project could not have been done in plain html. Java could be possible, but with Flash we can easily use animations and sound (which in this case are not gratuitous but required). Shockwave or Authorware would require a lot more work, money, etc.
The "lessons" will be XML files pulled from the database, media clips and so on. And it's so easy to develop all these in Flash...
I know that most of you don't like it, but have you ever tried to develop anything with it? (version 5 or MX?) I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.
"Eastern Europe" is a vague term. While the author is right about Russia and Ukraine, all Centreal & Eastern European countries that want to join the EU (including my country, Romania) have quite clear laws against piracy, online fraud and other stuff like that.
Sure, there is piracy, but it is not endorsed or even tolerated by the government.
I just wanted to bring this up to clear some possible misconceptions. A while ago, I wanted to but something online with a credit card and the transaction was rejected for fear or fraud. I had to email & fax them additional data in order for them to believe me that the transaction was legal.
"graphics created by using a revolutionary computer controlled painting process. Check it out!"
If they were painted by hand, each and every one of them, that would have been something.
A friend of mine likes to play the mandolin. He just bought an 80 years old one from an antique shop, hand made (in Italy), hand painted and after all this time it sounds better than his brand-new-designed-by-computer Fender mandolin.
These guitars are probably intended for geek kids who want to pose as rock stars badasses, who will never play them but just hang them on the wall "l00k, 1'm 31ee7"
I agree with Petru. I'm also a Romanian myself and project manager for a local company. We've worked for the past 5 years with companies from US, UK and Germany (big ones, including Oracle and IBM).
Outsourcing can work like a charm, but it takes a good manager. The starter of this thread mentioned a few things that caught my eye:
- "work ethic": like everywhere, there are honest and dedicated people who will work closely with you, respect deadlines, etc. and there are those looking only for a quick buck. It's your job to determine very early if your partners are to be trusted;
- "cultural differences": not that big are you might think. As long as there's a mutual respect, there's no problem. You can use that to your advantage (fresh ideas and perspective).
And we do deliver web based solutions (ColdFusion & Java) tailored for individual customers, so this can work too.
Finally, I don't want to strike anyone's ego, but the concept that "creativity = US", "implementation = overseas" is wrong.
Most (if not all) motherboards let you specify a temperature above which your pc will shutdown... or you can use a mb monitor to do the same thing withing windows/linux/whatever and give you a warning if the temperature exceeds xx degrees.
Slashdot Mirror
Oh come on!!!
The mic/camera features are for the up-coming Cold Fusion MX, which will allow video conferencing and other stuff from flash movies.
You need to grant each site the access to mic/camera in order for them to use it.
Is now Macromedia on Slashdot's hit list too? Just let me know so I can adjust accordingly.
Is this trying to be Insightful? It's Troll/Flamebait if you ask me.
Just because MM is closed source doesn't make them evil. It's their business model, respect that!
I know this is Slashdot, but come on.
Remember just a few years ago those nasty, annoying java applets? The ones that would make an image wiggle or a text to scroll? Is Java evil? Is Java the equivalent of the blink tag?
Of course not! Just like Java, Flash is a tool. It's up to you how to use it.
You know, I expected the "proud geek community" to be a little open-minded when it comes to software.
I work with Flash since v2.
Some online apps simply cannot be done feasible with *anything* else than Flash.
The company I work has just signed up for an oline, interactive e-learning project.
The product has to be small, easy to update and maintain and very dynamic. We're using Flash MX + PHP/MySQL for some backend stuff.
Such a project could not have been done in plain html. Java could be possible, but with Flash we can easily use animations and sound (which in this case are not gratuitous but required). Shockwave or Authorware would require a lot more work, money, etc.
The "lessons" will be XML files pulled from the database, media clips and so on. And it's so easy to develop all these in Flash...
I know that most of you don't like it, but have you ever tried to develop anything with it? (version 5 or MX?) I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.
I just want to clarify things a little.
"Eastern Europe" is a vague term. While the author is right about Russia and Ukraine, all Centreal & Eastern European countries that want to join the EU (including my country, Romania) have quite clear laws against piracy, online fraud and other stuff like that.
Sure, there is piracy, but it is not endorsed or even tolerated by the government.
I just wanted to bring this up to clear some possible misconceptions. A while ago, I wanted to but something online with a credit card and the transaction was rejected for fear or fraud. I had to email & fax them additional data in order for them to believe me that the transaction was legal.
"graphics created by using a revolutionary computer controlled painting process. Check it out!"
If they were painted by hand, each and every one of them, that would have been something.
A friend of mine likes to play the mandolin. He just bought an 80 years old one from an antique shop, hand made (in Italy), hand painted and after all this time it sounds better than his brand-new-designed-by-computer Fender mandolin.
These guitars are probably intended for geek kids who want to pose as rock stars badasses, who will never play them but just hang them on the wall "l00k, 1'm 31ee7"
If someone has a "brilliant mind", don't you think he/she will be granted citizenship right away?
The funny thing is, I've found Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom, to be a lot better than Wing Commander: The Movie.
I Think WC4 had the best cinematics in a game and the plot wasn't bad either.
Too bad that after Chris Roberts left Origin, WC5 was not innovative (except the DirectX support).
I (still) have hopes for Freelancer, although it was delayed sooo many times...
I agree with Petru. I'm also a Romanian myself and project manager for a local company. We've worked for the past 5 years with companies from US, UK and Germany (big ones, including Oracle and IBM).
Outsourcing can work like a charm, but it takes a good manager. The starter of this thread mentioned a few things that caught my eye:
- "work ethic": like everywhere, there are honest and dedicated people who will work closely with you, respect deadlines, etc. and there are those looking only for a quick buck. It's your job to determine very early if your partners are to be trusted;
- "cultural differences": not that big are you might think. As long as there's a mutual respect, there's no problem. You can use that to your advantage (fresh ideas and perspective).
And we do deliver web based solutions (ColdFusion & Java) tailored for individual customers, so this can work too.
Finally, I don't want to strike anyone's ego, but the concept that "creativity = US", "implementation = overseas" is wrong.
I, with the aid of my father, managed to adapt a floppy disk driver to work with my Spectrum. It was a 5.25", 360Kb.
And then I had fun for months working to hack the games that came on tape and rewrite the loader and copy them to disks...
Most (if not all) motherboards let you specify a temperature above which your pc will shutdown... or you can use a mb monitor to do the same thing withing windows/linux/whatever and give you a warning if the temperature exceeds xx degrees.
So, where's the problem?