Is Flash Java?

[erwin1978]

With a lot of websites now containing Flash content I'm a bit undecided whether to stick with html or go full Flash when I redo my website. By the way, am I right to think that Macromedia Flash is based on Java?

 

[jattardi]

Flash is completely different than Java, actually.

You can do similar things with Flash and Java, but the two are very different. Also, Flash is centered around graphics/animation (I think) whereas Java is a much broader programming platform.

 

[Drakkon]

Java != Flash weo different languages, two different compilers, they do have a similar means of delivery, but they have no relationship other than that

with the latest incarnation of flash you are able to do a lot of server side stuff, not as much as java, but what you can do you do a LOT easier. Its not all animation anymore
The language behind flash (actionscript) is VERY simlilar to JavaScript, and AS 2.0 can have classes like Java, but all in all completely different languages.

 

[jattardi]

Cool! I didn't know Flash had evolved so much. I still am strongly against Web sites done mostly/fully in Flash, though. Most of the tricks and effects people use with Flash for navigation bars and animation and such can be duplicated very well with modern-day DHTML using JavaScript, CSS, and the HTML DOM.

 

[jkoon]

Yea I just started using flash and it has been surprisingly easy to pick up (although I am already familiar with several other programming languages).

 

[DaveSimmons]

One advantage of Flash over Java is that many people do not have a current version of the jajva runtime on their computer (the one MS shipped with windows was really, really old and nonstandard), and the process for installing it is clunky. In contrast, almost everyone has Flash installed, usually either the latest or just 1 version back.

 

[homercles337]

Flash is not java, ITS EVIL and needs to be removed from the web entirely! If you know anything about usability you will avoid using it like the plague--regardless of how "easy [it is] to pick up." I dont even have the horrendous thing installed and refuse to launch IE just to look at some stupid, hiddeous, unusable design some clueless fool did. [/rant]

If you want something "flash-like" look into SVG. Im not sure what the W3C has done with it since i looked into this stuff years ago, but my new version of Illustrator has a TON of SVG tools (me wonders if Adobe took the reigns?). I would go into all the reasons why you should avoid flash (and there are MANY), but i need to go eat something.

 

[bersl2]

Originally posted by: homercles337
Flash is not java, ITS EVIL and needs to be removed from the web entirely! If you know anything about usability you will avoid using it like the plague--regardless of how "easy [it is] to pick up." I dont even have the horrendous thing installed and refuse to launch IE just to look at some stupid, hiddeous, unusable design some clueless fool did. [/rant]

If you want something "flash-like" look into SVG. Im not sure what the W3C has done with it since i looked into this stuff years ago, but my new version of Illustrator has a TON of SVG tools (me wonders if Adobe took the reigns?). I would go into all the reasons why you should avoid flash (and there are MANY), but i need to go eat something.

:thumbsup: on SVG.

I don't think any of you realize how important a format like Flash is. Sure, people make stupid websites and lame cartoons in Flash; but they also make wonderful animations, several of which have already made themselves an inseparable part of Internet culture. Or have none of you noticed this?

Just as with any medium, 99% of the stuff out there is shiat. It's for the 1% that we put up with the other 99%.

A few addenda:

Firefox will eventually have a native implementation of SVG 1.1 Full.

Artist-types will find some kind of way to biatch about it. I think that it will be over the XML nature of the format. If there's one thing artists hate, it's other people being able to make changes to what they perceive as their work (Flash is compiled from FLA to SWF). But that issue is better left for another time and another thread.

Yes, SVG can be animated and made interactive. The code to a Tetris clone done in SVG and Javascript is very elegent. Games should be made in Java anyway.

 

[ShadowBlade]

actionscript is somewhat similar to javascript

 

[kamper]

I don't want to rant like homercles337 but I would implore you not to base a site entirely on flash unless you truly mean it to be an application instead of a website.

Originally posted by: bersl2
Firefox will eventually have a native implementation of SVG 1.1 Full.

:thumbsup: That will be freakin' cool. If firefox continues to pick up market share until then and a half decent number of web designers start using it then it might just light a little fire under ms to do something similar (and for the opera folks, I'm sure your browser will get svg someday too ). Kinda find it funny though how firefox's orginal reason for existence was to be minimalistic and now they're doing things like this. Not complaining though

 

[Kyteland]

Originally posted by: Drakkon
Java != Flash weo different languages, two different compilers, they do have a similar means of delivery, but they have no relationship other than that

with the latest incarnation of flash you are able to do a lot of server side stuff, not as much as java, but what you can do you do a LOT easier. Its not all animation anymore
The language behind flash (actionscript) is VERY simlilar to JavaScript, and AS 2.0 can have classes like Java, but all in all completely different languages.

AS 2.0 syntax is based on ecmascript, which is the ECMA standard for javascript. Programming in flash is almost identical to programming in javascript, they are very similar languages.

Javascript != Java. AS2.0 ~= Javascript.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Originally posted by: Kyteland
AS 2.0 syntax is based on ecmascript, which is the ECMA standard for javascript. Programming in flash is almost identical to programming in javascript, they are very similar languages.

Javascript != Java. AS2.0 ~= Javascript.

True for variables, but javascript is missing the mind-twisting timeline, nested movie clip, and sprite-based programming model of Flash. The idea that you re-start a program by moving the frame pointer back to frame 1 is wacky fun.

 

[Bacardi151]

no flash isn't based on java, although it has its own syntax for programming it is different. and i wouldnt recommend you using flash for anything else but buttons/menus, unless you master it, because it's quite hard to update. flash is only for pretty looking websites, if that's what you're aiming for then go for it.

 

[mdchesne]

no