Actionscript Hero

PS. If you win a lot of money using some of these ideas, please donate something. If you are not rich yet, I like candy. If you don't won anything I'm sorry... (just kidding ;)

All for the best :)

Contribute to the brain storming: post your idea! Will ya?

So, don't forget to send your feedback please, and say thanks to Geoffrey. If you are a developer, you know how important is the feedback.

See the screenshots:

One
Two



Thank you Geoffrey. I followed your work and I have to say that I really admire your dedication.

Visit the macromedia central beta blog.
Subscribe to Mike Chamber's central-dev list here.

PS: I recommend you the larger mode to see the iPod TV add.

* Read the Central documentation >> chapter 3: Building a Central Application >> page 51


[Update November 18, 2003]

Sephirot.it: SOLReader (a shared object reader)

That's all.

Ok, Ok, ;) there are more really, really nice articles in the wild (sorry I'm a central fan). Take a look:

Providing a Flex Front End to Your Struts Applications by Christophe Coenraets, Macromedia

Flash Video Templates and Tutorials by Forest Key, Senior Product Manager, Macromedia Flash

Delivering High-Quality Video with Flash Video Streaming Service by Tim Napoleon of VitalStream (see my previous entry on FVSS)

Controlling Media Components with Macromedia Flash MX 2004 Behaviors by Dan Carr, dancarrdesign.com

Planning Your Mobile Flash Projects by Nader Nejat, OmegaMedia

Module: Demo: Building a Central Application
(Sign in to your Macromedia account, go to this page, click on "Browse the On Demand seminar library", select Modules)
Duration: 05:17
"You will get a high-level overview of the steps necesary to publish your Central applications to the Macromedia Central servers"

Module: Demo: Deploying your Applications To Macromedia Central
(Sign in to your Macromedia account, go to this page, click on "Browse the On Demand seminar library", select Modules)
Duration: 04:56
"In this step-by-step demostratiion you will see each step necessary to publish your applications to the Macromedia Central servers. Learn how to obtain a product ID, how to prepare the necessary files and how to install your application for testing"


Watch the seminars and modules here.


Have fun and stay tunned. More goodness soon.

Read everything about this mosaid and the mission in this NASA' Press Release:
Nasa press Release January 4, 2004

Learn more about the Nasa' mars Exlporation Rover Mission here

Visit my announcement of the succesfull landing of spirit linking three excellent Nasa' videos here.


About the Flash movie:


CREDITS:
Photo: Nasa Press Release January 4, 2004
Link
Splinter Sound Loop: Ted Collins
Link
Component FPanoramic: Alessandro Crugnola
Link
Flash Integration: aSH actionScriptHero
Link

Next in the wishlist: A Macromedia Central application for The Definitive List! Stay tunned!

"Icon Professional 2004 is a commercial Pixel Icon editor that will ship in February. The application is a commercial Central application with a 30 day trial. The software lets you create icons and share them online. Below is a link to an alpha preview of the editor that will install within Central. This version of the editor lacks Save, Open, Share functionality and is intended for review only, as such it is licensed as free Central application. This will let you review the drawing tools and better understand what is possible with the format and editor in combination. The editor itself uses the icon engine for rendering all icons, cursors, and tool selections.
I would truly appreciate any feedback you could provide on the editor, the icon format, and icon engine. I hope you enjoy using the tools as much as I enjoyed making them."

Unity runs the chat and most other multiuser aspects of the site, while FlashCom provides the audio/video conferencing.
Colin Moock

Your links:
aSH (Text / Voice)
Hall of Justhese vs Hall of Shame (actionscripthero.com/blacklist.txt)

"I saw the signal, guys. All is ready" -- aSH

NOTES:
1. There are tons of resources for XML and Images/Pictures/JPG etc.. and they are not included here! See my firsts post in the "Loading Images" category.
2. Reproductions, errata, distributions, blogs posts, forums posts, etc of this post/list are allowed and encouraged.
3. It would be VERY NICE if the community post in blogs, forums, comments... their bookmarks by topics! Please, do it!
4. If you have more links that you want to share here, please use the comments section. Give back! :D Share your findings!

"As a platform for next-generation Internet applications, Central offers a unique combination of facilities that align with every one of these 10 Internet 2.0 trends." [the 10 most important trends driving the next-generation Internet, or "Internet 2.0."]
Read Jeremy Allaire's article Macromedia Central and the Next-Generation Internet

• Rich Clients: "By leveraging Macromedia Flash Player, Central enables developers to deliver Rich Internet Applications that can do the following: Reside on desktops, Collaborate with other applications, Provide notification-based, presence-aware applications."
• Broadband: "Using Central agents柚acromedia Flash programs that run as background processes on the desktop妖evelopers can build applications that are "always on." Combine these agents with the always-on nature of broadband connections and you have powerful applications that can constantly provide data and content (including very large, high-quality media files) to end-user, broadband-connected PCs."
• Wireless: "As evidenced by its strong endorsement from Intel Corporation, Central has been designed at its core to support wireless-centric applications, where applications operate over high-speed Wi-Fi networks when they're online but can also operate offline just as well. The built-in network connection detection, synchronization, and notification capabilities of Central facilitate laptop and PDA-based applications that operate in a semiconnected or disconnected fashion."
• Devices: "Because Central follows Flash Player wherever it goes, as Flash Player expands its footprint into non-PC devices, Central will follow suit." [...] "Over the next two to three years, as Wi-Fi converges with smart phones and Flash Player, Central will become part of this richer fabric for communications and media delivery."
• Real-Time Communications: "Whether it's for consumer or corporate data, the ability to push data and surface notifications easily to end users on desktops in a cross-platform, ubiquitous environment is a huge leap forward for real-time applications. While Central leverages the powerful real-time communications facilities already available in Flash Player, it also augments and extends them."
• Web Services: "Instead of users calling these protocols from within a browser-contained application, Central provides a permission-based mechanism for desktop-resident applications to call arbitrary web service endpoints. This enables them to call out to network services located anywhere on the Internet and create one of the first general-purpose web services client environments."
• Hosted Applications: "Central provides the perfect compromise預 beefy persistent desktop client that reaches into the network for services and data but that also easily updates itself. Existing and emerging ASPs would do well to consider Central as the foundation of their hosted applications."
• Big Data: "The web has done a lousy job at keeping pace with advances in disk storage and available bandwidth. With big pipes into homes and big disks in modern PCs, Internet-centric software platforms need to provide better means for developers to take advantage of local and offline storage. Central does this through a powerful local file system cache that allows developers to cache arbitrary data (in the form of XML) and, more importantly, media and application assets."
• Paid Content: "Among the most innovative aspects of Central are its built-in facilities for payments and transactions around content and online subscriptions. Acting as a lightweight digital rights management of sorts, the product payment approach in Central enables a much larger group of developers and content providers to create paid content offerings that reach Internet end-users."
• Software Manufacturing Economy: "Macromedia Central is at the forefront of new models for creating and delivering software as a service, shifting us away from the past world of installed desktop software to the world of Internet-connected and delivered experiences."
• A Unique Opportunity: "ISVs, developers, and content owners would do well to study Macromedia Central. It merges and enables a wide range of trends that are driving the next-generation Internet. It will be great to see what people build!"
Jeremy Allaire on Macromedia Central and the Next-Generation Internet.

"This new partnership gives developers the ability to create Macromedia Central applications with seamless AOLｮ Instant Messenger™ (AIMｮ) and ICQｮ presence and other instant messaging features."
AIMｮ Developer Program website. Read press release here.

In the last week, I've been involved in some interesting discussions on Central. In my previous articles*, I talked about the unique facilities and the unique value of Central. Today, I'll talk about whether it is successful or not.


The "strong point" of some colleagues that "demostrate" the "failure" of Central and it's License Programs, is the "few central apps" that they have seen. For them, this is an "evidence". So, they bring to the table this "self-evident truth" (axiom?) as the basis for the discussions. First of all, "the few central apps" that they have seen it's not an indication by itself that there are no more central apps. Secondly, even if there are "few central apps", it doesn't necessary implies the failure of Central. Besides, as Jesse Warden wrote, "for all the people who go, 'Where are all the Central apps?' I say, 'Where are all the RIA's?'".


IMHO, we need to see Central in context. Macromedia Central is not just another product, or another way to do the things that we were doing. Central is MORE than that. Yes, Central is a rich client that reside on desktops but, it's not the same "old" model of installed desktop software: as Jeremy Allaire said, Central is "a forefront of new models for creating and delivering software as a service, shifting us away from the past world of installed desktop software to the world of Internet-connected and delivered experiences."

I think that a central concept of Central is

"Central is a platform for next-generation Internet applications."

But it's a platform with the particullarity that merges and enables a wide range of trends that are driving the next-generation Internet. Actually, Central facilities align with every one of the 10 most important trends driving the next-generation Internet (J.A.), leading in that way a "rennaissance" in Application Design, Development and Delivery (K.L.).

1. Windows Media Player,


2. AOL Instant Messenger,


3. Yahoo! Messenger,


4. MSN Messenger Service,


5. Real Player.

"Today we are making history. For the first time we are inviting software developers to embed ICQ and AIM into their applications."

"Macromedia Central is defining a new way for users to intelligently interact with information, and we're excited that the Macromedia developer community will have the ability to combine this powerful capability with the real-time communications capabilities pioneered by AIM and ICQ [...] Instant messaging isn't just a 'killer app' for the Internet, it's also a set of capabilities, such as online presence, that can dramatically enhance many business and consumer software experiences. We've taken the step of putting these capabilities into an easy to use software developer's kit so that, together with the flexibility and richness of Macromedia Central, developers will have a whole new way to bring richness to group interaction and online communication."
AOL vice president of desktop messaging Edmund Fish


"Our relationship with America Online provides a wonderful foundation for Central developers to build a wide variety of presence-enabled, social applications for AOL Instant Messenger and ICQ with the great user experience and responsiveness of Macromedia Flash, [...] This partnership opens the door for developers to build applications that add context through online forums such as discussion groups, virtual classrooms, and multi-party chat."
Kevin Lynch, Macromedia chief software architect

Read my articles here and here.

"With its ability to intelligently manage application information across today's occasionally connected and unwired world, Macromedia Central delivers a platform that coexists with reality. By working with Intel and Macromedia to create the HotSpot Central application, JiWire is enabling a continuous experience that follows people online and offline and making sure relevant information, location-based data, and hotspot availability is always at users' fingertips."
Kevin McKenzie


"Desktop applications seem to be well behind the times in terms of networking users and information together. Central is finally a step towards making applications that are connected online and to each other. It looks to be the application platform that the web browser promised but never delivered."
Josh Ulm

"This article explains how Central can help you create applications that work in both offline and online environments. I will discuss some of the key elements in creating Central applications. In the last half of the article, I will explain how you can build a simple Central application that uses its caching capabilities for offline environments."
Table of Contents:

1. Introduction
2. How Central Uses Connection Awareness
3. Caching Files and Data on the Client Machine
4. Building a Central Application
5. Implementing Network Status
6. Adding Functionality with Application Controls
7. Final Initiation
8. Testing Your Central Application

"The heart of Macromedia Central is an asynchronous, message-driven, dynamic runtime-modifiable framework powered by ActionScript."
Michael Williams on "Architecting Applications in Macromedia Central"

I was writing my second comment/answer in Graeme's blog "Sti-media" but it became this time really "big", so, I don't wanted to bother people there.
>>>>>First thing
I have nothing more to say, only that you are right, and I hope that the localizations can be available soon. Here (Breeze presentation) in 10.Roadmap, you have a Kevin Lynch announcing localizations in 2004.
>>>>>Second thing
Well, f7 is something that many take for granted. Here (in the same breeze presentation - 10.Roadmap), Kevin Lynch says also that Central will be moving to F7 in 2004. More recently, here you have some discussion about new features... and in this post, the discussion is centered in File I/O... so, I'll say that f7 it's coming in the next release, but, is just my guess.
>>>>>Third thing
>>"You keep comparing Central to a browser, even though Central is not a browser.. why is that?"
Well my comparison is that the browser is the "paradigm" of Internet 1.0, and Central a post-browser approach, adressing new trends (for the record, I don't think that it's going to replace the browsers). Let me quote Jeremy Allaire (who invented the term Rich Internet Applications) in August 22, 2003:

" To many people, the level of innovation in client technology on the Internet has appeared to stall; HTML 4.0 and Internet Explorer seem to provide the platform for web experiences. In reality, innovation has moved steadily along, primarily led by the now ubiquitous adoption of rich client technology such as Macromedia Flash Player.
Rich client technology can transform the quality and boost the usefulness of Internet applications, media, and communications because it combines desktop-like experiences with the deployment and content-rich aspects of the web. And, in the coming year, Macromedia Central will extend this model further by providing a new client platform for the distribution and use of Internet software and media. Also this year, Microsoft will describe and promote its .NET client technology as a post-browser approach to Internet applications and content." source. The new article of Jeremy Allaire about Macromedia Central and the next-generation internet is here

"Macromedia Central is based upon and tightly integrated with Flash Player. This allows existing Flash content, as well as Central content, to run side by side with little or no modification. At the same time this gives Central the flexibility to integrate with the native operating system in ways that would be difficult when running within the constraints of the web browser."

"By building applications using Central you afford yourself some flexibility that's similar to web applications which allow you to deploy once to a single client and present your interface in a consistent way on a variety of platforms. The initial release of Central supports Windows 98 through Windows XP, as well as Mac OS 10.1 and above. By building applications that leverage Macromedia's strengths in cross-platform deployment, you free yourself from one of the major limiting factors in building applications that are more tightly integrated with the native operating system." source

"All installed applications are contained within a secure environment, the same as in the web browser, where they are not allowed direct access to the user's hard disk or other applications running on the local computer. This enables users to try a wide number of applications easily without fear of viruses or other random mischief on their machines." Kevin Lynch's MMCentral whitepaper. Source (PDF)

"On the Central install, we do actually deliver an executable (though it's just a version of the standalone Flash player we've souped up for Central). The executable can come only from macromedia.com and is delivered via https with security certificates to make sure we're not being spoofed." John Dowdell post

"[...]Sometimes you may not want data to be so open and readable by prying eyes, and Central supports secure transmission of data. Information can be transmitted in encrypted form using SSL with HTTPS, the same technology that browsers support. In the first release of Central, information is stored locally unencrypted, the same as documents and other information on a user's hard disk. In the future, Central will support encrypted local storage as well. Authentication to network services is enabled by HTTP challenges for name/password combinations, which is handled by Central itself so applications do not have direct access to a user痴 authentication information. Web services can also be accessed securely, with encrypted communication
over HTTPS and authentication provided by basic HTTP challenges. Central also provides support for implementing more advanced authentication as standards solidify around web services security, such as WS-Security and SAML."

"The common user interface we have developed is named Halo, and its components are included in the Central SDK so your application can take advantage of them without requiring additional download time. Halo provides an elegant experience that works well in a variety of environments, and is tuned for the experience of occasionally connected applications on the Internet." source, KL whitepaper, PDF

"The total experience a user has while using a product. includes usability, aesthetics, bussiness logic, support, etc. Can be summed up as providing value to the user." FlashForward New York session notes and slides (slide 5)

"Desktop applications seem to be well behind the times in terms of networking users and information together. Central is finally a step towards making applications that are connected online and to each other. It looks to be the application platform that the web browser promised but never delivered."

"ISVs, developers, and content owners would do well to study Macromedia Central. It merges and enables a wide range of trends that are driving the next-generation Internet." [...] "As a platform for next-generation Internet applications, Central offers a unique combination of facilities that align with every one of these 10 Internet 2.0 trends." source

"We are all so engaged in the way computers and applications work today that it can be difficult for us to see beyond the current framework. There continues to be little change in how applications work even though the Internet is sparking a fundamental shift in architecture to a networked, distributed, multi-device world. As the Internet evolves into a platform that provides worldwide distributed data storage, distributed computing, and real-time communication, we need an appropriate application metaphor for this new world of information in which we are becoming immersed - one that works across a multitude of devices, evolving from previous ages of the mainframe, the minicomputer, and the personal computer."

"With Macromedia Central, it's simple to enable users to install your application if you choose to do so. Macromedia Flash Player 6 enables installation of your application through a small bit of ActionScript that will also install the Central environment if the user doesn't already have it. This capability is already in the current version of the player, which has already
been distributed to hundreds of millions of people洋ore than 90% of web users already have this functionality."

"Sometimes users have a connection to the Internet and sometimes they don't. This model of mobile computing is fundamental to Central, where applications can continue to run offline and can take advantage of the network when online."

"One of the exciting possibilities in Central is enabling your applications to cooperate with other applications, so people can use them together. This cooperation is accomplished by the "Blast" functionality, which can be used to send the current selection from one application to another."

"Central enables the user to let all applications know specific information about themselves, and applications can also notify the user about current information. Users can choose to specify information that can be known across applications, such as their name or their location. This enables people to just enter this information once and have it used many times. This information is
stored on the user's local machine rather than on a central server, so it remains in their control, and they can specify which applications can see what information. [...] Central also supports running background tasks, known as Agents. These are pieces of logic written in ActionScript that can do things such as check content over the Internet for changes,... [...] The user has control over whether notices appear on screen, and can also see that new notices are available through an indicator light on the Central
console."

"The majority of existing web applications use a model that makes a lot of sense when working with a single monolithic client: the web browser. For that model to work in a maintainable fashion, both client and server must work very closely together to give the illusion of state in a client that is virtually stateless.
Central introduces the idea of a truly stateful client that can host applications that function regardless of server state. With this type of flexibility on the client, developers are left with the task of presenting data in an elegant and usable fashion. This is where a service-based architecture comes into play." Mike Williams

"I mean no insult to you, but I don't think you read my post properly and instead interpreted it as you wanted. You made a lot of assumptions in your answers and answered all my questions and none at the same time. I know you are a huge fan of Central, and as a fan I would hope that you would be able to meet my questions head on with proper and real world answers. I know nothing of your past, or your experiences and can make no assumptions, but I feel that you have never really sat in a meeting with the execs, architecture and infrastructure managers and had to explain why you *need* to use a certain software. What it does, why, how, where and with who, for how long, which type... blah blah blah.. I think you undestand where I'm leading. :)
I know that you may come back to me with questions on this one (what about other software?), but it isn't for Central to question me, it is for me to question Central. I see your type of answers all over the place. Mike Chambers does the same thing (sorry Mike... but you do, maybe not all the time but...). It is not for you to question me about why I am asking these questions. Nor is it your place to make comparisons to other software (well, they do this and that so... kind of idea). It is about taking these real life worries and risks and meeting them face to face giving options or reasons why something is so and what can and will be done about the remainding."

"Dulles, VA, February 5, 2004 - America Online, Inc., the world's leading interactive services company, today announced the launch of the most recent upgrade to the popular AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) service with new features including live video instant messaging compatible with Apple's popular iChat AV video conferencing application, account linking and online games. AIM version 5.5 is available today via a free download at www.aim.com ." [...]
"The new live video instant messaging feature in AIM 5.5 is fully compatible with iChat AV 2.1, Apple's breakthrough video conferencing technology. Now AOL users from a PC can tap into the worldwide community of iChat AV users on Macs. iChat AV 2.1, the latest version of iChat AV was released by Apple today and is available for free download at www.apple.com/ichat/ ."

"The AIM service is at the center of one of the largest and most active communities online. Touched by more than 50 million active users* each month and supported by a network infrastructure that handles nearly two billion instant messages each day" AOL Press Release

Hard Drive/Users/USERNAME/Library/Application Support/SubEthaEdit/Syntax Definitions/

"CeBIT ranks as the world痴 number one event for the ICT sector. It is the only trade fair where representatives of business, science, politics and media can see all the latest trends in a single location!"
CeBIT 2004, Hannover 18 to 24 March 2004, Halle 4, Stand 70.

"is an important step in our goal to create a ubiquitous, transparent environment for deploying rich applications and content [...] is about taking the next step toward giving application developers a level of power, flexibility, and efficiency they have never had."