Marco Casario | RIAvolutionize the web

Flash on the Beach 2008 schedule is up and I'll be there as a speaker

I was considering going myself at FlashOnTheBeach 2008, but now that they took me as a speaker I have no choice.
I was an attendace  of the first edition of the conference and I missed the two others. So I'm glad to be part of this awesome event.

Moreover there'll be a lot of friends to meet and to party with. Looking at the lineup this is going to be great:  Peter Elst, Koen de Weggheliere, Neil Webb, Lee Brimelow, Mike Downey, Richard Galvan,Ralph Hauwert, Keith Peters, Aral Balkan, Mario Klingemann,  Branden Hall,  Grant Skinner, Mike Chambers,  Andre Michelle and many more.

The FOTB08 schedule is now up, so don't miss to partecipate at this amazing conference !
See you there !

Pistach.io is now accepting advertising

The Pistach.io project was launched and everything is now ready.
The Flash Pack is comprised of top influencers in the Flash, Flex and RIA communities:

* Andre Michelle
* Aral Balkan
* Chad Udell
* Flash Magazine
* Grant Skinner
* Keith Peters
* Marco Casario
* Mario Klingemann
* OSFlash
* Peter Elst
* Seb Lee-Delisle

Although we serve millions of impressions each month we're not about impressions, or CPMs (however we'll guarantee you 5% of impressions for each ad you place with us). We're about influence, and cost per influence.

Your ad displays prominently with no other advertising to compete for your audience's attention.

Get the information and contacts on Pistach.io site.

Adobe Flash 9 vulnerability found ?!?!?

I've just read it and reported. It seems that Symantec found a bug on the Adobe Flash Player  ( include 9.0.124 .0and 9.0.115.0)  and it says web sites hosting Adobe Flash Player content can be compromised by an exploit in the newest version of Flash. Embedded JavaScript can redirect users to a Chinese malware server :

(From CNET News)Symantec says that under certain conditions embedded JavaScript within the player will redirect users to dota11.cn. In an alert on Tuesday, Symantec said specific details about the vulnerability exploited were unknown, and initial testing of the in-the-wild exploit showed it to be unreliable. Nonetheless, Symantec said it had identified at least one commercial site, www.bridgettwalther.com, which is a horoscope Web site, but that the embedded malicious code has since been removed.

Read more on securityfocus.com (Adobe Flash Player SWF File Unspecified Remote Code Execution Vulnerability)

Flash Player 10 prerelease is out on the Adobe Labs

Adobe Flash Player 10 is now out on the Adobe Labs.
Get the Flash Player 10 prerelease now. All users should uninstall any currently installed Flash Player before installing the beta.

From the Adobe Labs: Adobe Flash Player 10, code-named "Astro," introduces new expressive features and visual performance improvements that allow interactive designers and developers to build the richest and most immersive Web experiences.  These new capabilities also empower the community to extend Flash Player and to take creativity and interactivity to a new level.

      

Hydra changed its name: Pixel Bender

Just to let you know that Hydra, the bitmap effect scripting language,  will be renamed to Pixel Bender. Reading the Kevin Goldsmith blog this is the reason :

The problem is that it's a great name for any kind of technology that does multiple things, so it is pretty popular. We didn't want to confuse folks, so we worked with the Adobe branding team to come up with a new name that we could use moving forward. That name is Pixel Bender (tm).

AdobeTechConnection Workshop: Flash Media Server 3, Flex 3 and AIR

Adobe Italy and Comtaste has organized, with the support of FlexGala, the first  of a long series of workshop dedicated to  Rich Internet Application development. This kind of event is a totally free real training session. In fact we've requested to all partecipants to bring their laptops to follow the day.
In this first meeting we've talked about Flash Media Server 3, Adobe AIR and Flex 3.  Matteo and I have taken examples and demos we usually use for Comtaste's training courses about these topics.
People were very interested and we gave the basics to stream a video content using the Flash Media Server 3 and ActionScript 3 (with Flash CS3 as well as Flex Builder 3).
In the second part of the morning we showed how to export the streaming video on AIR using flash CS3 and Aptana.
Adobe Italy has supported the event offering the possibility to make a raffle for donating a Flip Video Ultra device (it's so coool !).

You'll find all the slides and demo example on FlexGala Adobe user group site.

Understanding Flash Media Server and DRM (Digital Rights Management)

At NAB in April 2007, Adobe rolled out several upgrades to its Flash Media Server 2 that are DRM-like and provide greater security for Flash Video objects. If you are providing Flash content as a progressive download, users can record the content from the cache in their web browser using a “ripper.” However, streaming the content using the proprietary Adobe Real Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP) results in increased protection from rippers. From Adobe’s website: “By default, content delivered by Flash Media Server is wrapped inside an Adobe protocol called RTMP. Because this is an unpublished, proprietary format, none of the RTSP stream ripping programs have the capability to rip media delivered over Flash Media Server.” Adobe also supports simple domain and IP authentication schemas as well as SSL to further enhance the security of Flash content.

Read the full DRM Demystified article

Adobe Bordeaux, the new tool oriented to designers for creating Flash Content

Heard the following rumors about a new tool , Adobe Bordeaux (via Beedigital), to create Flash contents without programming with Actionscritp 3 language.

Features:

- Easily create buttons, menus, slideshows, video controllers and other interactive components
- Customise the look and behavior of interactive components included with Bordeaux
- Visually convert artwork to interactive elements without coding
- Trigger actions and events from markers you add to your video and audio
- Create multi-page microsites as easily as dragging and dropping
- Make objects and text move, spin, resize, reveal, slide, bounce, fade, and more without using keyframes or code
- Easily control how motion responds to mouse events
- Import, trim, and encode video files into FLV
- Add audio and trim and adjust levels
- Import native Photoshop files as layers
- Import InDesign files with pages and objects preserved as individual elements
- Output efficient SWF or Adobe AIR files

The FLVPlayback component and its support for the HD MPEG-4 video formats (MP4, M4A, MOV, MP4V, 3GP, and 3G2)

I'm a little bit confused about that. If you read at this Adobe Developer Center "Using the FLVPlayback component with Flash Player 9 Update 3" it seams like the FLVPlayback component is able to load and play video files in  a .mp4 format :

With Flash Player 9 Update 3, the FLVPlayback component is     updated to add support for the high-definition MPEG-4 video formats that     utilize industry standard H.264 encoding. These formats include MP4, M4A, MOV,     MP4V, 3GP, and 3G2. They do not include protected MP4 files, though, such as     those downloaded from iTunes or digitally encrypted by FairPlay. Consequently,     the FLVPlayback component is no longer restricted to playing FLV files.

 

Note: The ActionScript 2.0 FLVPlayback component also     supports MPEG-4 video formats that utilize H.264 encoding, beginning with Flash     Player 9 Update 3. For both ActionScript 3.0 and ActionScript 2.0, you need to     ensure that you are working with an updated FLVPlayback component in order to     use H.264 video files in your project.

Now, in my experience the FLVPlayback does not accept the .mp4 extension.
Plus the  Flash Player used to test files in Flash CS3 (the euthoring) is the version 9,0,45,0 which does not support h.264.

My conclusion is that we have to wait until a new update of the FLVPlayback component or the Flash CS3 IDE will come out.
Any news on that ?

Flash Video (FLV) DRM

As you probably know, Adobe provides security for FLV video files with its Flash Media Server 2 (as well in the new Flash Media Server 3).
So using the RTMP protocol you'll be able to protect your FLVs from the rippers
Adobe also supports simple domain and IP authentication schemas as well as SSL to further enhance the security of Flash content.

I found this interesting article about DRM and Flash Video :
DRM Demystified
Reports of DRM's death have been greatly exaggerated. If anything, it's more important than ever. Here's a look at the leading DRM technologies, as well as a glimpes into DRM's future.

Flash Developer / ActionScript Engineer Wanted (based in Rome)

Comtaste, my company :), looks  for an experienced Flash developer (ActionScript 2.0/3.0 expert) with a strong Object Oriented Programming background and knowledge of common design patterns.
The candidate must be self-motivated, creative, passionate, flash-lover and agile to work closely with an experienced team of Flex and Java experts and totally mad creative designers.

You can see the detailed skills and experience required  (in italian language) on this AUGItaly blog or in the next page of this post.

Flash Media Server 3 and the revisited license model (I love that)

Great news for all Flash Media Server 3 developers. Adobe changed its complicated licensing model for the new Flash Media Server 3, giving us a simple and easy way to buy the right FMS 3 for our needs.
Now we'll be able to buy only two different version of  Flash Media Server 3 : the Flash Media Streaming Server  3 and the Flash Media Interactive Server 3.

The first one, Flash Media Streaming Server 3, is oriented to live and on- demand video streaming while the  Adobe Flash Media Interactive Server 3 is for customized scalable video streaming services, plus multi-way social media applications.

As Ryan wrote : The new pricing is $995 for an unlimited connection license for Flash Media Streaming Server and $4500 for a Flash Media Interactive Server license. This is a great change from the complicated licensing scheme of FMS 2 which basically started at $4500.

This is awesome. At least I can go to many clients that are using Window Media Server and convince them to switch to Flash Media Server with a ridicolous price.
So we can now create streaming video to Flash, Adobe AIR software, Adobe Flash Lite 3 and Adobe Media Player. That's fantastic !

What I'd like to know is wheter both versions of Flash Media Server 3 support the DRM. Anybody knows that ?

Flash Media Server 3, any news ?

It was during a meeting in the office of one of our client that they asked me about the Flash Media Server 3. After the announcement made by Adobe at the IBC 2007 (6th September), no any other news has been announced.

Adobe expects to ship Flash Media Server 3 in the first quarter of 2008, so the release date is behind the corner.
I'm sure that many of you like me can't wait to see the Flash Media Server 3 in action !

I just want to rember you some of the announced features of the Flash Media Server 3 :

* Improved performance
* H.264 and AAC streaming support
* New security features
* Improved live video support
* Adobe Media Player support
* Mobile video delivery to Flash Lite 3
* Better out-of-the-box experience
* New plug-in architecture
* Server-side republish

For more official information read the Flash Media Server 3 FAQ.

Next version of Flash Player supports industry standard H.264 for MPEG 4 videos

It's like today Adobe will announce this great news :

(via CNET)The company on Tuesday is expected to announce the release of a beta version of its Flash Player, code-named Moviestar, that adds support for H.264, the video compression portion of the MPEG 4 standard. The updated Flash Player also will be able to take advantage of hardware acceleration in most PCs' graphics cards and is optimized for dual-core processors, said Mark Randall, chief strategist for dynamic media at Adobe. It will support HE-AAC version 2, a more efficient audio compression standard that is also part of MPEG 4.
The new features will be made available in the fall as part of an update to Flash Player 9.

Support for the H.264 standard will lead to more Web video content being available in high definition, Randall said. He said Adobe chose to support the standard now because it is being adopted more by content producers and media distributors like cable companies.

Learning Flash Media Server 2: an O'Reilly PDF Book by William Sanders

Learning Flash Media Server 2 book is the ideal primer for web developers just getting started with Flash Media Server 2 (FMS2) and Adobe's Real-Time Messaging Protocol for streaming media, as well as anyone doing administrative work with Flash-related content.

With Learning Flash Media Server 2 and a little Flash and ActionScript experience, you'll be up to speed in no time. The first chapter takes you though the installation procedures on Windows and Linux, explains how to organize your development environment using Apache web server, how to test your FMS2 connections, and how to use the management console. Then you'll dive right into the whys and hows of:

• Recording and playing back streaming audio and video
• Camera and microphone settings
• Non-persistent client-side remote shared objects
• Two-way audio-video communications
• Broadcasting and server-side bandwidth control
• Working with server-side files: the file class
• Server-side shared objects
• Server-side audio and video streaming
• Server-side loadvars, xml and working with configuration files

Fullscreen HD Video feature in Flash Player 9

If you want to know more about the HD video feature of the Flash Player 9 update 4 don't miss the interview by Ryan Stewart to Tinic Uro.

Tinic shows fullscreen, hardware acceleraed video running in the Flash Player in High Definition (720P and 1080P) resolutions.

Ryan, hope to see more interviews like these ;)

The paid download video market is in a dead end

I read in a CNET News article that a Forrester's reasearch does not see future  in selling video downloads :

"Sites that sell movies and TV shows such as Apple's iTunes will likely peak this year and then lose popularity as more content becomes available on free outlets supported by ads, according to a new study.
Sales of movies and television shows are expected to almost triple to $279 million in 2007 from an estimated $98 million last year. But unless the average consumer begins paying for their online video en masse, growth in sales will likely peter out next year, according to Forrester Research.
Forrester estimated that sales growth is not likely to triple or even double in 2008 and beyond, after early adopters and media addicts have already started using the services."

I'm pretty disappointed and skeptic about this research because in my vision in the future there will be :

• less techinical issues for end users (the new OSs will be easier to use and they will better integrate video content with different media)
• video formats used  on the web  will be reduced (and it seams like the FLV will be predominant)
• media such as television and computers will converge deeper
• content publishers want to have another channel to distribute theirs video contents and earn more money with web advertising

These are just my own quick thoughts about the use of paid donwloadable videos from the web. And Adobe probably reached the same conclusions because it's about to release the Adobe Media Player that will give the possibility to the content publishers to sell their contents !

Make FLV file conform to Adobe specification with the Adobe FLVCheck tool

Adobe released on the Labs the Adobe FLVCheck, a tool to modify the FLV video files created by third party softwares and technologies. FLVCheck makes FLV files compliant and conform to Adobe FLV specification.
You can download the FLVCheck tool on the Adobe Labs :

      

       

This alpha version of the command-line tool is Windows-only. You can use custom batch files to run the FLVCheck tool and test your FLV files as part of the creation process using your non-Adobe technology. The FLVCheck tool will verify internal timestamps, metadata, and message headers to help identify FLV files that may have trouble playing back from Flash Media Server. The tool supports Unicode file names.

       

The FLVCheck tool will inspect the FLV file and will only return information about the composition of the file. FLVCheck does not correct the FLV data if it is corrupted. If an error is found, you will need to re-encode the file to get the best quality of service for your consumers.

      

Offering a 50% discount code for FITC 2007

We're proud  to announce that italian Flex User Group is a supporter for the FITC 2007. As sponsor we have the possibility to offer a great discount for our readers.

Here is a 50% discount code you can use when registering to the conference :

Code: send me an email and I'll send it to you ;)

FITC Toronto 2007 April 22-24, 2007 Toronto, Canada. Entering it's 6th year, and the only festival of its kind; combining cutting edge technical speakers along with inspirational creative speakers from around the world. Its 3 days and nights that will leave you inspired, energized and awed!

Confirmed speakers this year include John Maeda (MIT), Joshua Davis, gmunk, Mike Downey and Mike Chambers (Adobe), Colin Moock, Brenda Dawes, Angus Kneale (the mill), Grant Skinner, Sean Koriakin (Imaginary Forces) and over 60 more.

See you there guys !

Flash Media Encoder released by Adobe

Adobe released the Adobe Flash Media Encoder, designed to enable technical producers to capture audio and video while streaming it live to Flash Media Server (FMS) or the Flash Video Streaming Service (FVSS). When high-quality streaming is your top priority, Flash Media Encoder helps you broadcast live events such as:

• Sporting events
• Concerts
• Webcasts
• Educational or promotional events

With an intuitive user interface that works seamlessly with plug-and-play cameras and microphones, and compatible analog-to-digital convertors, Flash Media Encoder features Flash video (VP6) technology to deliver high-quality footage that provides size and bit rate flexibility. You also get full audio control with bit-rate efficient Nelly-Moser.

Is Adobe thinking to open Flash format :) ? The OpenFlash.org's site case

I was reading on Marcello's blog this curios stuff.

Navigating on this url   http://www.openflash.org/ you will be redirected to www.adobe.com site. Isn't it fun ?

What are Adobe thinking of  :) ?

Source code for Using WebCam and Bitmap data with Flash 8 event

I've just finished the eSeminar for Adobe Italy titled :

Webcam motion detection with Flash 8

I promised to publish the source code of the example I create during the event, so here they are !

Download the flash source code files for that event (zip file, 350 Kb)

Deploying Flex 2 application on Linux with Flash Player 9 for Linux

Adobe has released the final version of Flash Player 9 for Linux.
You can download this version on Adobe Flash Player page.

Adobe Flash Player 9 for Linux supports the same major features and functionality as the Windows and Macintosh versions for playback of Flash content and applications. Unsupported features include Express Install and auto-update notification, which are not available due to the variety of Linux platforms, each handling the Adobe Flash Player plug-in installation in different ways. The full-screen viewing feature is not yet available but is expected to be available in a release later this year.

See more info on Emmy Huang's blog : Adobe Flash Player 9 for Linux now available on adobe.com

HelloMoto Colors, a colored Flash drawing system by Motorola

Moto Colors :

it's just a Flash application by Motorola with a cool drawing system.

You can create your artworks and then save and share them.

Become a Flash Video Maker with YouTube and Flash Media Server

YouTube has announced the new feature that allows the users to record videow directly from their webcams !

It's named Quick Capture and  allows you to record a YouTube video instantly.
Just fill out the form and then start recording.
Make sure your webcam is installed and working correctly :)

Flash in a Web 2.0 world: how to solve everyday Flash issues

First part of the last day of the conference is over and we had great sessions. I attended the Flash in a Web 2.0 world and Flash Enterprise sessions and I really liked.

Geoff Stearns talked and proposed the solutions for real problems Flash developers face with every day :

History Management (back button and deep linking/bookmarking):  he created solutions using the  State Manager and SWFAddress utilities

Search Engine Optimization: use alternative content in HTML showed if the browser does not have the plugin (usign his SWFObject library or UFO method)

You can see links and slides on his blog.
Great job !

Flash Enterprise was a how to/tips&tricks session where Sascha Wolter demonstrates the process of building a framework and realizing a project using ActionScript 2 and ActionScript 3 with common tools like Flash 8, Flash 9, FAMES, FDT and Flex 2.

Flash on the Beach - Day 2

Brighton is a sweet place (when the weather is fine). Yesterday I spent some time going around the town and it's cool.

Anyway. The second day of Flash on the Beach conference ended and it was full of cool sessions.
I wrote about some session (see my AJAX developers should learn a lot from Flash/Flex developers and Introduction to Desing Patterns with Actionscript 3) but I missed the last from Richard Legget on Flash Lite 2.x development.

Richard made a great overview of the potential behind Flash Lite 2.x and the opportunity for developer. He showed some cool examples and his great multi user mobile application: LoveIsland :) where he used the SUSHI server to communicate with the Flash Lite application.

Today is the last day of the conference and this is my agenda for the day :

• Flash in a Web 2.0 world
  Geoff Stearns
• Accessible Flash: Oxymoron?
  Niqui Merret
• Photoshop to Flash: Optimizing Pixels and Workflow
  Michael Ninness
• The Power and Problems of Prototyping
  Chris Pelsor

AJAX developers should learn a lot from Flash/Flex developers

The Flash on the Beach conference is gonna be great.
Jeremy Keith during his AJAX:the Flash Killer? session explained what there is beyond the AJAX term, he talked about the history of AJAX progrmming and he showed some AJAX in action applications.   

It was interesting to have the point of view in building Rich Internet applications from a different perspective. He's an experienced Javascript developer and he traced the boundaries where it makes sense to use Flash/Flex instead of AJAX.

He pointed out that a developer should always repeat himself the question: (when developing a web application) what is it  the right technology to use considering my needings ?
When he talked about AJAX and usability/accessability issues he said that AJAX developer should learn a lot from Flash/Flex developers who faced and solved these problems years ago !

He ended his session with this slide :

Flash: AJAX Killer ? ;)

Introduction to Desing Patterns with Actionscript 3

I've just finished to attend the Joey Lott's session about Desing Patterns with Actionscript 3 ath the Flash on the beach conference.
The session was oriented to give beginner user an introduction to the concept of design patterns in programming with Actionscript 3.
He presented these important fundamentals to start programming using Design Pattern :

- programming to an interface/polymorphism
- understanding abstract classes
- usign inheritance and composition wisely
- architecture 101

And I totally agree with him. I'm not an experienced design pattern architect but in order to work with design pattern programming you have to be clear in mind the concepts of object oriented programming.
At the end he showed some Actionscript 3 examples developed usign some common design patterns such as Model View Controller, Singleton, Command and so on.

Great work Joey !

Flash on the Beach - Day 1

I've never seen raining in that way. Here in Brighton today is heavy rain and strong wind.
Now I understand my english teacher when she used the expressio: rain cats and dogs :)

Anyway. Yesterday it was the first day of the Flash On The Beach Conference and it was great !
I attended the session from Mike Chambers (Understanding Apollo) mixed with Branden Hall (Explorations with ActionScript 3).
Then I closed the day with Aral Balkan and his Memo to the CEO session where he explained the approach of Agile and Extreme Programming for software development. He gave us precious advices !
Last but not least it was the turn of Mark Anders with Create Unique User Experiences With Custom Flex Components. It was a very techinical session where he explained the process in developing components with a particular focus on drawing tecniques.
I learnt a lot of useful stuff !

Now I'm in the hall of the great Dome Centre and I'm just blogging waiting for the 2nd day !

Flash Video Contest by friends of ED

Friends of ED organized a Flash Video contest named FLV'ED to show what the Flash platform is capable of when it comes to incorporating and delivering interactive video content.

The rules are pretty simple; all we ask is that you include at least three of the assets that we provide, set your movie to be 670 x 370 pixels, and that you keep any submission to less than 2 ½ minutes or 10 megabytes. You've got until 31 December 2006 to submit your project—we can't wait to see what you'll come up with.

You can submit your entry here, either by uploading it, or pointing us to where you are hosting it yourself.

Reaching Brighton for Flash on The Beach Conference

I know, I'm late :)
This morning I was not able to wake up earlier ;)
Actually I'm on the train to Brighton to enter to the Flash on the Beach Conference and thanks to T-Mobile WiFi  I can check emails, blog and surf :) Cool !

It was a great weekend spent in London. I missed from the city for 5 years so it was cool visit the Buckingham Palace, the Big Ben, Covent Garden, Soho, and shopping around Portobello Road.
The weather was incredible. I've never saw raining. They were two sunny days (but very cold).

I'm terribly sorry to miss Mike Downey's presentation (but I saw him  in Italy and at the MAX) but I'll arrive on time for Understanding Apollo session by Mike Chambers :)

I'm arriving Flash on The Beach !

Leaving for Flash on the Beach Conference

Yesterday I left for London to join the Flash on the Beach conference.
If you'll be there and want to meet me, you can find me on these sessions !

See you there guys.

I'll keep you updated posting news and photos on my blog ;)

20% Discount for Advanced Flash 8 Next Level ActionScript DVD by Total Training

A new 2 DVDs pack has been released by TotalTraining on :

Advanced Flash 8 Next Level ActionScript DVD by John Ulliman

Total Training gives me the opportunity to give the readers of my blog a 20% discount, that’s the highest discount they offer at this time (thanks Ben for the discount).

Use the following code :  save20trade .

Become a pro with ActionScript by watching interactive, work-along lessons that walk you through the necessary steps of using the built-in classes, new objects, or making your own custom classes and components. You'll also learn the new advanced features of Flash Pro 8 that are only available to ActionScript users including the Drawing API, Bitmap API, and the matrix transformations and displacements. Plus, you'll get a preview of how to use ActionScript in development of mobile applications.

Flash on the Beach '06 Wishlist

Well I've seen Tink's , Peter's and Richard's wishlists it's now my turn !
It was very difficult to choose from so many possibilities. And I'm not totally sure about my choices :)
The schedule of Flash On The Beach was so full of cool sessions !
Anyway here it is my first draft of Flash on the Beach '06 Wishlist :

DAY 1 - Monday 4th Dec

Flash and the Adobe Engagement Platform
Mike Downey

..and now for something completely different..
Craig Swann

Understanding Apollo
Mike Chambers

Memo to the CEO
Aral Balkan

Create Unique User Experiences With Custom Flex Components
Mark Anders

Ready to go to the Flash on the Beach Conference

All is done for my partecipation at the Flash on the Beach Conference in London !
This is the for sure the  first major Flash conference in the Europe.
So if you live in Europe and you want to know more on Flash platform (Flex, Actionscript 3, Apollo, Flash 9, Flash Lite...) don't miss this opportunity to see over 40 of the best minds in the industry delivering 3 full days of awe-inspiring sessions.

Moreover I saw that Mike Chambers and Mike Downey will present Apollo and Flash 9 during the event ! Cool !

I'm just deciding my schedule of sessions, but it won't do a simple job ! I think to attend Flex 2, Flash Lite and Actionscript 3 sessions.

If you want know more on FotB 2006 read the interview FlashMagazined made to John Davey, the organizer of the event.

Adobe has contributed source code for the ActionScript Virtual Machine to the Mozilla Foundation

Found this on Mozilla Press Center :
Adobe Systems Incorporated  and the Mozilla Foundation, a public-benefit organization dedicated to promoting choice and innovation on the Internet, today announced that Adobe has contributed source code for the ActionScript Virtual Machine, the powerful standards-based scripting language engine in Adobe Flash Player, to the Mozilla Foundation. Mozilla will host a new open source project, called Tamarin, to accelerate the development of this standards-based approach for creating rich and engaging Web applications.

The Tamarin project will implement the final version of the ECMAScript Edition 4 standard language, which Mozilla will use within the next generation of SpiderMonkey, the core JavaScript engine embedded in Firefox®, Mozilla’s free Web browser. As of today, developers working on SpiderMonkey will have access to the Tamarin code in the Mozilla CVS repository via the project page located at www.mozilla.org/projects/tamarin/. Contributions to the code will be managed by a governing body of developers from both Adobe and Mozilla.

“Adobe’s work on the new virtual machine is the largest contribution to the Mozilla Foundation since its inception,” said Brendan Eich, chief technology officer, Mozilla Corporation, and creator of JavaScript. “Now web developers have a high-performance, open source virtual machine for building and deploying interactive applications across both Adobe Flash Player and the Firefox web browser. We’re excited about joining the Adobe and Mozilla communities to advance ECMAScript.”

“This is a major milestone in bringing together the broader HTML and Flash development communities around a common language, and empowering the creation of even more innovative applications in the Web 2.0 world,” said Kevin Lynch, senior vice president and chief software architect at Adobe. “By working with the open source community we are accelerating the adoption of a standard language for creating and delivering richer, more interactive experiences that work consistently across PCs and mobile devices.”

Read the full Adobe and Mozilla Foundation to Open Source Flash Player Scripting Engine news.
Read also the Adobe to donate script code to Mozilla on CNET.

My own copy of Actionscript 3 Cookbook

Just to let you know that if you're attending the MAX you have  a 20% discount on Actionscirpt 3 CookBook.
I've just bought a copy and I've read some tips.
It looks cool.

You can buy Actionscript 3 CookBook at the Conference Store at Level 5 (Exhibit Pavillon).

Flash Player 9 for Linux updated on Labs

A new update has been released on Adobe Labs for Flash Player 9 for Linux in two flavour :

• Flash Player 9 for Linux
• Standalone Player for Linux

See also the FlashComGuru's post.

Flash 9 (Blaze) Sneak Peak presentation

Today it was an intensive day at the FromAToWeb 2006.
Other than seeing some of the Apollo features, Mike Downey showed a number of new features in Flash 9 (Blaze) :

• new IDE with floating palette system (very similar to Indesign)
• support for importing  PSD (PhotoShop) files with the full support of layer naming
• actionscript 3 rendering improvements

On the next page you can see some of the photos of Mike Downey and Richard Galvan's presentation.

First public demo of Flash 9 (Blaze) internal build showed by Mike Downey

Dont' miss the highlight of the first full day of sessions at Flashforward2006 Austin: the Adobe Keynote :

Kevin Lynch: Flash 9 player penetration: forecast to achieve 50% of web users in 3 months! (well ahead of even the Flash 8 curve)

Garrett Nantz: Showed Flash 9 player on Ubuntu Linux (running Nike Air site)

Mark Anders: Demo of FlexBuilder 2 on 15″ MacBook Pro (built sleek Flickr browser)
Then showed it running as a self-contained app… Apollo on a Mac!

Justin Everett-Church: Showed Flash 9 Public Alpha (on WinXP on Parallels on 17″ MacBook Pro); cool demo of huge speed increase from AS2 –> AS3 (sun-like vizualization built from particles)

Mike Downey: first public demo of Flash 9 internal build (on WinXP on Parallels on 17″ MacBook Pro)

Flash Player 9 on Linux: where are we?

Today a student asked me when he will be able to see a Flex 2 application run under Linux.
I did not remember when the Flash Player 9 release date was fixed but with a simple search I found the info (by Emmy Huang, Product Manager for Flash Player at Adobe) :

Wasn't there supposed to be a simultaneous release of the Linux version of Flash Player 9?

A. Not exactly. We never said it would sim ship. We did say that we were skipping the v8 port to get a start on porting v9 (formerly known as v8.5). We are working on it, and expect to release in early 2007. Which means a beta should be here very soon. For progress and updates, check Mike's Penguin.SWF blog.

I think Linux users won't be happy to hear that !

Flash Player 8 Penetration Statistics

Flash Player 8 reached the 86.7% of distribution. Wow it's a huge number.
The interesting thing is that the version of Flash Player that supports Flash Video (FLV files) is near 100% (more than 97%).

See the Adobe Flash Player Version Penetration.

No mention for Flash Player 9 :(

How to create raw PCM audio data with Actionscript 3

Great tutorial released by flashcodersbrighton.org on how to synthesize sound in Flash with Actionscript 3 :

How to make actionscript 3 play generated pcm wave data :

The new Loader and ByteArray classes allow you to create SWF bytecode in memory. This opens up a huge number of possibilities in Flash. I’d been mulling the idea of creating a flash compiler in flash (way over my head. Nicolas Cannasse, are you listening?), and realised that a technique of this nature must have been used to create the audio engine in the example above....

Read the full tutorial !

Google Map Flight Simulator in Flash

No words need, just connect and have fun :

Google Maps Flight Sim

 

Vote the most Influential Flash Site Of The Decade

Nice initiative started by FWA site that celebrates the 10th anniversary of  Flash technology with a community poll to establish the most influential Flash sites of the last 10 years.

Every 2 day, FWA will conduct a poll for each year starting from 1998. Currently we're on 1999.

Vote  your favourite sites !

Flash video producers tips at Adobe Design Center

John Nack pointed out some great tutorials publised on Adobe Design Center site about Flash and Videos :

Flash: Ten years, ten perspectives
Flash designers give insights on their early years using Flash, and discuss how it shaped their lives personally and professionally.

Tips for rookie video producers
Adobe product manager Scott Fegette lets you in on three tips that will help you get the best results from your homegrown videos.

Flash is 10 years old:a site on the evolution of Flash

On Tuesday, Adobe intends to launch a microsite showing the evolution of Flash over the past 10 years, including video interviews with developers.

Can '90s-era technology for cute Web animations lead a new generation of cutting-edge Web applications?

Read the answer in this article :
As Flash turns 10, Adobe looks ahead
Once used mostly for animations, Flash is Adobe's bet for partner "ecosystem," high-profile Web customers, growth.

Nike Joga Bonito Flash Video site

Ok it's incredible what men (miracled men I suppose) can do with a ball !
On the Nike Football site you can see all the video series of  Joga Bonito in Flash Video format.

IFBIN goes open source

Do you want cool Flash 8, Flash Lite and Flex 2 real examples with source code available for free ??
IFBIN is now an Open Source project :) As you can read on its blog IFBIN project, after 5 months of legal matters, decided to make its content free under a BSD License !

You can download the tool and choose the example you want !

What does open and free mean for IFBIN?

1. All code is free to download and use for any purpose.
2. All code is licensed under a BSD License.
3. IFBIN will add support for example publishing within IFBIN 2.0.
4. IFBIN 2.0 will be a free service.

Moreover :<<IFBIN 2.0 will be released as an Adobe Apollo desktop application for secure publishing and installation of software examples. Adopting Apollo will provide seamless access to file installation services and cross platform support. The client application will allow anyone to publish and download software examples easily. We will also be adding support for other software and design products within the Adobe product family.>>

Actionscript 3 books

Actionscript 3 is now a reality. Everyone can play and code with it. But we have to wait a lot before being able to read some Actionscript 3 books.
These are books I found on that topic, feel free to add your titles :

Advanced ActionScript with Design Patterns (Paperback)
by Joey Lott, Danny Patterson

List Price: $44.99 Price: $28.34 Not Yet Released

ActionScript 3.0 Pocket Reference

By Colin Moock
First Edition October 2006 (est.)
Pages: 152 (More details)

ActionScript 3.0 Cookbook Solutions and Examples for Flash Developers

By Joey Lott, Darron Schall, Keith Peters
First Edition October 2006 (est.)
Pages: 544 (More details)

Flash Game Programming Wiki is live

A new wiki site in town dedicated to the game programming and development with Adobe Flash : FGPWIKI.

Hope to see more and more articles ! Good Luck !

Amazon FishBowl first episode with Flash video and Stephen King

Amazon published the entire pilot episode of Amazon Fishbowl with Bill Maher, an original program coming to Amazon.com this June.
The first episode has an exclusive Interview with Stephen King where he talks to Bill Maher about his new speculative novel, Cell, in which technology brings civilization to its darkest age

Every week throughout the summer, the show will feature live musical performances; interviews with authors, directors, and actors; and a UPS Special Delivery to an Amazon customer.

Beginning June 1, the show will be streamed every Thursday at Amazon.com at 8 p.m. Pacific / 11 p.m. Eastern. Until then, you're invited to enjoy the pilot episode in the video player below.

And the stream will be powered by Flash Video !

PSP Flash Demo Contest 2006

Found this link on Yahoo Flash Lite group posted by Hayden about a contest organized by PSPFlash.net :

First Annual PSP Flash Demo Contest 2006

Welcome to the original PSP Flash Demo Contest. The goal of this contest is to encourage innovative flash development on the PSP platform!

Guidelines:

> Must use a Macromedia Flash 6 SWF file
> Must fit the Sony PSP Screen without scrollbars
> Must be submitted with SWF, name, contact phone number by August 31st at midnight 

Prizes:

1st Place: Brand New Sony PSP System + PSP Game of your choice + fame!

2nd Place: PSP Game of your Choice PLUS a PSP UMD Movie of your choice + fame!

3rd Place: PSP UMD Movie of your choice + fame!

ActionScript 3.0 cheatsheet released

Via FlashCoders mailing list I found this precious link :

The ActionScript 3.0 cheatsheet family has been born. There will be  additional sheets created in the (hopefully) near future so be sure to come back to the blog in the next few weeks.

For now you can download the first three AS3.0 cheatsheets here:
AS3.0 Top Level Classes
AS3.0 Packages
AS3.0 flash.display Classes

http://actionscriptcheatsheet.com/blog/

As always suggestions and creative criticism are very welcome... I got flamed for posting the AS2 Cheatsheet and I think once is enough. If you  hate these sheets please just keep it to yourself :)

Sony PSP Adopts Flash Player 6

Many blogs talked about that yesterday.
But it's now official.
Adobe published a press release titled (pdf format)  :
Flash® Player 6 Integrated with PSP System Software Version 2.70 to Deliver Flash based Games, Content and Superior Web Browsing Capabilities

This is the full Adobe's Press release :SAN JOSE, Calif. — April 26, 2006

“For PSP users, the availability of great Flash content on the system will help create a far more impactful experience,” said Al Ramadan, senior vice president, Mobile and Device Solutions at Adobe. “PSP has taken handheld computer entertainment system to a new level and now millions of Flash developers have a huge new market for their innovative internet games and content.”

Adobe Systems Incorporated Nasdaq:(ADBE) today announced that its Macromedia Flash technology has been adopted by Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. and integrated with the PSP™(Playstation®Portable) system software version 2.70 – which became available on April 25th in Japan, North America and Europe. PSP users will be