Not too long ago I was speaking with several different companies about Macromedia Flash development. It’s because of these conversations that I have decided to clarify some topics that are buzzing about the Flash realm. But, before we do that, I think a little history lesson might be in order. We all need to understand what Flash was before we can understand what Flash is, as well as what it might be tomorrow.

In the beginning Flash was an application (not a platform). Its origins are from an application called SmartSketch. Originally SmartSketch helped people draw on a computer screen like a child might draw on paper. By the time the internet took off, SmartSketch had been turned into an animation product called FutureSplash. FutureSplash created animated graphics that could be viewed in a web browser. To view the animations the browser needed a plug-in. This plug-in is what we now consider the Flash Player and, of course, FutureSplash has evolved into the modern day creative application Flash 8. FutureSplash is not the only thing that evolved, the Flash Player also evolved into a platform of sorts. And, thus, our history lesson is over.

Today, the Flash player has become more of a platform than a plug-in. In fact the term “Flash� has become synonymous with an entire platform of solutions instead of the creative IDE called Flash. Why is this? Well, in consideration of all the ways the Flash player is being used today, the answer is rather obvious. That is, in general, the Flash player of today (Actionscript Virtual Machine) is being used to deliver complex and sophisticated user experiences instead of simple animations. Or, in other words, the Flash platform of today can deliver interactive content (video, sound, and animations), web applications (Flex), rich communication applications (Breeze,Central,Flash Paper,Captivate), and mobile applications (Flash Lite) across browsers, operating systems, and numerous devices. Now, if the Flash player can do all this (and it can) should we really expect the Flash creative application to keep up with all the needs of a robust platform? I think not, and, thus, enter stage left Macromedia Flex, Macromedia Breeze, Flash Lite, Central, and many other technologies now supporting Flash as a platform.

So, what about the precious creative tool that started our love affair with Macromedia Flash? What’s going to become of the Flash IDE (currently Flash 8) in light of all this platform stuff?

From drawing program to animation program, Flash has always been a creative tool, regardless of our desires to make it into a robust development environment. But don’t worry, Flash isn’t being slighted here. If anything Flash is simply evolving back to its roots. “Why is this happening?� you ask. Well, over the last couple of years we have been trying to push a square peg (Rich Internet Applications) through a round hole (Flash Creative Application). Because of this, Flash, the creative tool, has been sitting on a fence balancing itself between two conflicted identities. Is it a creative environment or a development environment? It would seem that Macromedia has finally drawn a line in the sand and solidified an answer to this question. However, before we jump on the Flex bandwagon I think it’s important to get an accurate view of the modern day Flash IDE and what it will be used for in the future. So, from a progressive viewpoint let’s have a look at when we should use Flash (in general) as a standalone authoring environment.

The Flash IDE should be used:

• to produce and deploy simple audio and video solutions that do not require the use or storing of complex data.

• for complex animations with arbitrary shapes (vector graphics).

• for simple solutions that involve a client microphone or webcam that do not require the use or storing of complex data.

• to develop components & assets for Flex applications.

Now that we have a firm grasp on when to use the Flash IDE as a stand alone authoring environment, the next logical question isn’t, “when don’t I use the Flash IDE as an authoring environment?”, but instead, “when do I need to add Flex into the mix?â€?

Sooner or later we’re all going to have to face the cold hard facts that Flex is eventually going to shine brighter than Flash, and that with Flex on our side we only have to know when it’s overkill and when it’s not. When Flex is clearly overkill, Flash will, of course, be up to the task.

In part two of this article I will be covering Flex builder 2.0, Actionscript 3, and the Flash 8.5 player, soon-to-be Flash 9 player.