Should I learn Flash / Flex / ActionScript or HTML / CSS / JS ("HTML5")?

Question

I'm new to all this web development (2 weeks, maybe my 1st code scraping exists here , I am quite like me), and I eventually learned how to use Adobe Flash Builder 4, which I really liked (although Action Script annoying me from time to time).

I have read a lot lately about the “future” of web development, RIA, web 2.0, etc., and it seems that the main goal of flash flash flash flash / ActionScript is to build HTML / CSS / JS (or " HTML 5 ").

Therefore, obviously, I don’t want to spend time learning a language (Flash / Flex / AS3), which will end in a couple of years dead, and eventually he will have to learn another (HTML / CSS / JS) when I could just move around now .

My main interests are websites focused on information resources (database oriented), with a high level of user interactivity for configuration, loading, etc. I like the whole mobile web aspect and would like to be able to also develop a platform for this, as well as mobile applications, etc. I like the whole "live" aspect (for example, "Tour de flash highlighting", which displays user activity), especially not caring for complex uber animations and, obviously, wants things to be responsive and user-friendly.

So, any contribution to this would be greatly appreciated, I just would like to consult with a general guide for my personal training and development.

Thanks!!

Answer 1

You make some basic mistakes in the question. The combination of HTML / CSS / JS is different from HTML 5, this combination works fine with current implementations (ignoring some of IE's annoyances at the moment). HTML 5 is a new extended definition of HTML with a number of new features, such as: local storage.

HTML 5 is also not fully regulated and not fully supported.

You must first learn HTML and CSS; in general, you still need a webpage where you can embed flash files. You should get some basic Javascript knowledge for the same reason.

Conveniently, Javascript will port to ActionScript, which is a variant of the same ECMAscript standard.

Answer 2

The flash is not going anywhere for a long time, and given the glacial pace that works in the HTML5 committee, the HTML 5 specification will not be fully standardized yet for the time being.

Plus, before all of these great HTML5 web applications become commonplace, Windows users in the world will need a better browser than Internet Explorer 8. Given that 10-20% of web users are still stuck on IE6, I don’t think that we will see that html5 becomes dominant in a few years. Of course, by then we will see HTML6, and the slow, painful process of updating the world will begin again.

Personally, I do not make flash, because for what I really do not need it, but flash is a really useful tool outside of web development. The lot of three games A has, for example, a menu with flash memory and user interfaces.

But actually, get good at both / both technologies and you probably won't have enough work.

Answer 3

Learning a language such as ActionScript can never be a waste of time, thinking that you develop from it will allow you to understand the concepts of programming, and it will be easier for you to move to other languages ​​if / when you so desire. Learning HTML and CSS is important if you plan to develop for the Internet, but it does not bring you the same type of knowledge, as it uses completely different logic. If you like the idea of ​​creating web applications, one day you may need to develop desktop applications, then HTML will not be useful, while the programming knowledge acquired with AS3 will not be lost.

Answer 4

Is it just a pleasure for learning or do you have any specific tasks? I like to use the right tool for the job. If you do not have a specific job to perform or any restrictions on the job, I would choose the most competitive skills and go with it. Unfortunately, I'm not quite sure what is the best-selling skill.

My recommendation would be to check out some things like JSON in JavaScript. It seems to be quite stable (maybe I can even say that it is stable), the evolution of AJAX, which is quite widespread and is likely to remain for some time. If you focus on high-level theoretical concepts, specific arrivals and implementation implementations will not be so important (in my opinion).

I think learning AJAX (using JSON, not XML) is a good way for you to learn about using asynchronous information sites. If you need to redraw the whole site when you extract the information, you are doing something wrong. AJAX concepts come in handy regardless of your platform.

Good luck

-Brian J. Stinar -

Answer 5

Do not worry about the flash.

Yes, it's pretty, powerful, and pretty ubiquitous. It is also at the exit of the door, as you noticed in your question.

Let's compare Flash and its recently arrived competitor, the HTML5 canvas .

Flash is supported only by Adobe; if you need quality tools or development resources, you will have to buy from them (for the most part).

An HTML5 canvas does not need proprietary development tools. HTML5 canvas is supported by every major browser provider - Mozilla, Apple, Google, Microsoft. All suppliers will provide documentation and competition to each other, which should lead to a better product.

When OpenGL support (direct access to the gfx map) was discussed for an HTML5 canvas, guess who was the only hold? Adobe of course. Everyone else wanted hardware graphics support for the canvas.

In other words, this is Adobe versus everyone else here, and Adobe is not going to win. They can maintain the status quo for a while, but they will eventually lose their foothold, and canvas and co will take over.

tl; dr: Do not use the study of dying patented technology when you can study modern open technology that will replace it.

Answer 6

HTML5 is still very unstable, so you should not try it.

HTML5 is great for me, but some companies have not moved away from IE6, given its current state. Flash, while useful, can be very tedious at times, and sometimes it doesn't even work on some computers or makes some computers really a pain in the "insert word here".

Better to start with CSS and HTML4. Get the basics and then start more. By then you will know what you want.

Answer 7

Personally, I think all the answers here are too complicated. Here is my trick:

Use the technology that excites you, and best of all for what you want to build right now.

If the application you want to build right now is great for Flex, use Flex. If something about HTML5 catches your imagination and doesn't let go, immerse yourself in it. You can always change technology in a year or three, and you will use everything you have learned about design, architecture and usability with you - learning a new scripting language, and some new tools will not be so bad. The only way you can make the “wrong” choice here is for some reason you choose a technology that you don’t use to get something built.

The reason I think this is the best way, no one here can tell you anything useful about what technologies will or will not appear in a few years. Adobe may go bankrupt; Steve Jobs could die; Google may split up in an antitrust suit. Hell, Flash could be on the iPhone next year for everything we know - or HTML6 could adopt a new, strongly typed JITable programming language. Or a hundred other things can happen to make your (and our) forecasts moot.

I mean, personally, I expect both Flash and HTML5 / 6/7 to be vibrant and prosperous in five or ten years - because they both have successful organizations that invest in their future, and because that I never heard that significant argument, why success should require the failure of another. But this is just a hunch, and my hunch is no better than yours. Focus on getting the good things done now, and the technological roadmap of the future will come when that happens.

Answer 8

In my opinion, everything is worth exploring, especially when it comes to HTML / CSS / JS / Flash, which are completely different systems / skills pools adapted for entry-level developers.

HTML is flagged and is very important as it describes the use of XML. CSS writes visual formatting rules. JavaScript is the language the script is written in, and a great way to lay your feet using simple programming logic. And Flash is a great system to get into object-oriented programming in a compiled language.

As you continue to dare, you will find that many technologies are simply different tastes of the same ice cream. While different languages ​​have their own nuances, there are fundamental similarities between the most compiled languages. I came from Flash and got into iPhone development ... while Objective-C is a more powerful and ugly diving system, I still knew my ass from my elbow, creating my first application after several years of experience with AS3. The same goes for .NET and Java. In addition, I would prefer that Flash is not dead, despite the fact that he lost his grip after the appearance of iPocalypse. Regardless of whether he dies in a few years or not, this does not make AS3 less valuable to learn in addition to HTML / CSS / JavaScript.