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Adobe Flex 3 for creating RIAs out

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CIOL Bureau
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BANGALORE, INDIA: Good news for developers and also non-programmers working on Rich Internet Applications (RIAs). The Flex 3 software by Adobe Systems, the cross platform, free open source framework for creating RIAs is open for public beta. The alpha version is expected to be out by September end.

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The platter comes with rich new User Interface (UI) capabilities, enhanced developer productivity, desktop deployment and enterprise testing and performance tools. Another important feature is the software’s impeccable compatibility with Web 2.0 and Enterprise 2.0. The public beta also marks the first significant deliverable for the open source Flex project, beginning with the availability of nightly builds and a public bug database.

Flex 3 empowers the developers to extend their RIAs’ reach beyond the browser to the desktop using the new Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR), formerly code-named Apollo. By applying Flex Builder 3 and Adobe AIR software, the developers can create more engaging, higher-performing applications that run both in the browser and on the desktop.

  “The RIA revolution is fully underway on the web, and Flex is on the leading edge with the most expressive and quickest development framework available,” said Duane Nickull, senior standards strategist, Adobe. “ The ability to bring applications to the desktop, in combination with access to the free Flex open source code, means that there is no better time to be a Flex developer,” he added.

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Starting with Flex 3, developers will be able to freely download, extend and contribute to the source code for the Flex compiler, components and application framework. The scripting language in Flex is the most advanced implementation of the JavaScript standard, ECMAScript 4, and runs on the Adobe Flash Player using the open source Tamarin virtual machine, recently contributed to the Mozilla Foundation. The Flex 3 public beta unleashes the project by providing a full roadmap for Flex 3, including detailed feature specifications, nightly builds and a public bug database where developers can log and track issues and feature requests.

Flex 3 comprises major advancements in the area of designer and developer workflow, including powerful integration with Creative Suite 3 software design tools that facilitate direct import of CS3 assets into Flex. Other design enhancements include deeper support for visual skinning and styling, full language intelligence support for CSS and the Flex Builder 3 Design View, which lets developers edit design and layout for complex applications.

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For the development environment, Flex 3 offers numerous code enhancements that increase productivity. For instance, Flex Builder 3 supports refactoring, allowing developers to make substantial changes within a project quickly and consistently. Flex 3 includes memory and performance profiling, enabling developers to evaluate the internal operations of their application running in the browser or Adobe AIR. In addition, the class outline view and code search capabilities let developers find variables, methods and properties easily, even n large-scale development projects.

  “Flex represents a huge opportunity for developers in India and with the latest offering, we are confident of maximizing the potential for the developer community,” said Sandeep Mehrotra , country sales manager, Adobe Systems, India. “India has a great potential market for us, with online marketing rapidly growing in the country and customers demanding richer experiences over the internet. Indian developers can now mine on this potential opportunity to deliver the next level of experience over the internet to domestic and international customers”, he added.

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Meanwhile, developers have an opportunity to showcase their Flex and Adobe AIR applications in the Adobe AIR Developer Derby, a contest thrown officially open today. Winners will be announced at the Adobe Max conference from Sep 30 to Oct 2 in Chicago and winning applications will be showcased on Adobe.com. For details visit www.adobe.com/go/airderby.

Availability:

The public beta versions of the Flex Builder 3 and Flex 3 SDK are available in English immediately as free downloads from Adobe Labs at labs.adobe.com/technologies/flex. It is offered for both Windows and Mac operating systems. Adobe will post daily software builds of the Flex SDK and a public bug database at labs.adobe.com/technologies/flex/opensource. For more information, including system requirements, visit www.adobe.com/flex.                        

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