I’ve had a few commenters here bring up the fact that I’m not blogging so much about Flash these days. And it’s true. At the end of December last year I started learning Objective-C for iPhone development, and now I’m extending that into OpenGL.
At my job at Infrared5, I’m working on a big Flex project. I’ve managed to largely avoid Flex up til now (readers of this blog will know I”m not a big fan), but I have to admit, I’m enjoying it and learning a lot. It’s not something I want to do long term, but I really am glad I’m getting my feet wet finally. So, while I’m learning and discovering a lot there, I’m really about 2-3 years behind the rest of the community, so the stuff I’m learning is not particularly blogworthy. “Hey, I learned how to skin and add a dropshadow to a text input field! Woohoo!”
But when I go home at night, I’m studying Objective-C, Cocoa, and OpenGL, and it’s blowing my mind. I’m also starting to get involved in the budding iPhone development community, which in many ways has that early technology frontier feel that Flash had back in 1999-2001 when I was getting started there. So, when I discover something cool, I write about it. I know there are a lot of others in the Flash community following the same path. Also, Infrared5 is starting to get involved in iPhone development. We’ve released our first in-house developed game, iFly, we are already working on one large client iPhone project, and have several more in the pipeline. So there’s a good chance I could be doing Objective-C around the clock.
So, is this the end of Flash for BIT-101? I can’t really say. I’m certainly not making that conscious decision. I’m just doing what I’m interested in and sharing what I find. I know that for many of you, this is a blog about Flash, but for me, it’s a blog about whatever technology I’m diving into at the moment. I had a flurry of Python posts a while back when I was studying that. When I went to Microsoft and met Bill Gates and he turned that hypno ray thing on me, I wrote about Silverlight for a couple of weeks. I’m sure there are other examples. In general I’ve always returned to the Flash-centric orbit.
Maybe I’ll burn out on the iPhone/OpenGL stuff and get back to Flash eventually. But to be honest, I feel like this diversion has the power to become the main path for me. As developers, we always have to be learning and growing. Even if you just stick with one language like ActionScript, it’s almost a full time job keeping up with the changes and discoveries. But you also have to be learning new technologies. I can say without a doubt that learning Objective-C has made me a better AcitonScript programmer. Looking at similar problems from the viewpoint of a new languages gives you a whole new insight to the problem itself. Branden Hall gives a great talk about “Great Ideas I’ve Blatantly Stolen” where he talks about borrowing technology solutions from various other languages and cross applying them back to ActionScript.
So I don’t really know where this is taking me. I do know that I’m having a lot of fun and learning a lot. I invite you along for the ride if you are interested.
I will definitely be following your OpenGL posts as I am thinking of going in a similar direction. Theres also Unity3D which starts to gain more and more popularity among developers. Interesting times ahead! π
Good post Keith, and please, don’t feel bad.
With the progression a lot of web developers have made with the advance of object oriented actionscripting / whateverlanguageyouused , expanding your horizons is only natural.
Furthermore, the Apple / iPhone platform offers at the same time a cohesive and productive environment to really spread your wings. How cool is it to be able to learn things like Objective-C and OpenGL with immediate and enjoyable results?
I for one really enjoy your search into the unknown and happily join in by coding along.
Keep it up. It’s getting exciting.
#import Γ’β¬ΕBlog.hΓ’β¬Β
int main(int argc, char **argv) {
Blog *a = [Blog initWithURI:@”BIT-101″];
Blog *b = [Blog initWithURI:@”FLASH”];
if ([a isEqual:b])
{
NSLog(@Γ’β¬Βa is equal to bΓ’β¬Β);
} else {
NSLog(@Γ’β¬Βa is not equal to bΓ’β¬Β);
}
return 0;
}
π
“As developers, we always have to be learning and growing.”
Can’t agree more, frogameleon is also shifting towards iPhone development (at a sometimes, alarming rate), where will it end, don’t know, but it’s one hell of a ride!
I’ve also been learning Objective-C over the last couple of months, and I couldn’t agree more about it making me a better ActionScript programmer. The biggest revelation so far was discovering the power and flexibility of the NSNotificationCenter/NSNotification setup for dispatching and handling events. They serve (roughly) the same purpose as EventDispatcher/Event, but have a few subtle differences that really made me think about better ways of using events in ActionScript.
I’m also moving from AS3 to Objective-C / openGL. I really like the perspective you bring, and think that it is useful to hear from people making this transition, as I think there are a lot of us out there. So, to sum things up, keep doing what you’re doing, and don’t let the haters hate.
Hey, it’s not a problem that you have a break in AS, but publish more pictures becouse we don’t understand anything π
I grew up with Flash, and grew as a programmer as actionscript grew as a language, Macromedia and then Adobe did a great job of guiding a generation of us from simple hackers amazed by a coded ‘eased’ animation to fully fledged programmers that understand design patterns. For people like me moving to objective ‘C’ and / or c++ makes sense. It really is the next logical step. Flex doesn’t excite me, I liked the ‘flashy’ side of Flash, openGL openframeworks and the iphone are giving me the rush that microsites and flash games just don’t. For all those moaning about there not being enough Flash stuff on here: Have you bought Keith’s new book? There’s loads in there… Loads and loads and loads of cutting edge interactive Flash stuff. Go buy it.
L
I couldn’t agree more with the above comments.
While I’ll always have a special place in my heart for Actionscript and it’s community, it’s my day job, bread and butter work…… but, I can’t stop thinking and tinkering with iPhone development even when I’m in work (sorry boss!) it’s extremely exciting. I love the buzz around the community and the thought of what is to come in the future. You have to do what excites you π
I appreciated the non flash posts you make ( I feel like I’ve said this before….) . I always saw your blog about…well…you. I imagine any decent developer is interested in what other technologies are out there, and what others with similar backgrounds are going through to learn this technologies.
Thanks
I’m right there with you. I’ve been having a lot of fun with the iPhone development lately. And I think I’m starting to feel too comfortable with Flash, if that makes sense. A vast majority of the items I’m tasked with doing present no challenge and require very little thought – it’s mostly just a familiarity thing at this point. As a result I’ve started looking at switching my primary focus ( for day job ) over to iPhone as well.
And keep on the forums! It seems there are a lot of people who have come to Objective-C from the Flash world lately. =)
Finally, let us shed this veneer of Flash that we’ve all clearly outgrown
Traitor !!! kkkk
ItΓΒ΄s a kidding Keith π
We all need to learn a new language ( some time or at some point ) being stuck in the Flash player you can become a bit claustrophobic, and like you say, it does make you a better programmer, it’s exiting and isn’t it what got us here in the first place (learning a new language ). Personally I am getting into Ruby on rails to develop RIA with flash or flex front end, but I can’t wait to get on the Iphone. I have learn programming trough Flash with your books and blogs, your blog inspired me, and now if they don’t allow a flash player on the Iphone soon i see my self learning it too… π Could you tell us more about you feelings and thoughts about the objective-c language and the “frame work” if there is one, compare to the world of flash ? Thanks for every thing, good luck, and keep up the good work ( We know you will lol )
Keith, like may others who read this blog, I started programming with Flash. Back in the day I would follow Colin Moock (and Gwen), and so I grew through exploration and the generous sharing of the community. Now I read your books for my flashing help, and I am really glad there will be some friendly faces around as I stumble into the world of ‘proper’ programming. Keep sharing all you do, and thanks!
Keith, I find this extremely inspiring, although I had to laugh when I heard you say in your interview that it only took you a couple weeks to master Objective-C well enough to get your first app in the store and that either you are a super genius or it isn’t that difficult (which is code speak for only the people who’ve tried to know that you are a super genius). I can’t dig into iPhone dev right like that now, but I hope I get the chance one of these days. We can’t all make it to the #1 spot in the free games section in a month and a half, but seeing you do it makes the rest of us think its worth at least giving it a shot.
It’s unaceptable!
And you will have to post the download stats of your iphone app if you ever want to be forgiven! π
Without jokes:
A few years ago, i was just a lingo developper. I loved it and it still as of today miss the simplicity of the language. I knew flash, but before actionscript 1.0. It took me too much time that there were no jobs anymore for Director programming and that even if i was giving alot of values and working hardcore, i was still a “disposable at end of project item”. I ended working in 4D database programming…
I decided to take care of that, it was favorable to me and also my workplace that.
Flash/actionscript (components/jsfl), Realbasic, C++ photoshop sdk, css, html, php, applescript, javascript, xml, xslt, xpath, flex, Air, MySQL, automation of indesign/photoshop just to name a few things i played with or used professionaly.
Maybe you remember the “demo” i showed you at FITC 2007 special event (on human anatomy)? That was for me a bit a milestone/achievement of all that learning (not that i was alone, i was surrounded with very talented people!).
I will never be a ‘top’ like i used to be in lingo, i’m very likely second class in pretty much all that i use, but i’m not afraid anymore to jump in the unknown. Less dependant and less disposable!
I also have jumped since december/january in iphone development and now it’s a whole new challenge!
– Finding the idea.
– Doing the conception.
– Finding time to do this part time with a stressfull and energy consuming full time job.
– Getting used to the base SDK and objective-c a bit odd syntax.
– Playing around with the samples to get a better feel of what’s possible.
– Evaluating the libraries that could jump start the development.
– Doing the paper work for registration (even if it’s minimal) and “business” issue.
– Thinking about marketing, piracy issues.
– Having realistic commercial expectation while not having one application out.. yet! π
– And then there will be images, sound, text, localisation, etc.
– etc.
– etc.
I’m used to work on very big project with very competent people, i’m setting the bar high but doing all this alone is quite a challenge! And then i see that people are posting very simple application with two pics, a sound, single touch and a bit of accelerometer (very clearly just hacked sdk sample projects!) that just happen to be fun (not tons of fun, but 99cents worthy), that get very good reaction.
I will be working hard to get something out asap. Maybe it wont work, but it wont take me three years to realise that i should have moved on already!
You blog is very inspiring, so just keep going. It’s maybe hard to hear this for some, but actionscript is not the end of it all!
Learn or die! π
Nooo! another casualty, lost to the irresistable charms of new and exciting things. Flash is really the only thing that matters guy, if you want to EVER EVER EVER be respect in the least, you will stop this silly plight and run straight back to flash (not even Flex). DO IT!… NOW!… *GHOSTLY SOUNDS* OOOOOOOH! … *MIND RAY* Zap!
diversity is an enrichment.
If you are getting attracted to work on the iphone , why not ?
Its annoying that you have to apologise yourself for your decision.
I remember as i was getting bored out on flash and starting to get myself into VVVV some people where getting pissed like i was working for the enemy now.
actually its still about creating nice things on computers.
its all about bits and bytes.
as far as i have seen all top flash coders who have been pushing the limits, took at least a quick peek outside of flash.
freedom implements movement
inspiration comes from outside
you are still a flasher even if you are writing in whatever is next
good luck and keep on flashing
ps. after some amazing adventures on VVVV i finally came back to flash
Interested?
Hell yeah!
“I for one really enjoy your search into the unknown and happily join in by coding along.”
I agree with Toine, keep on sharing your discoveries, whatever the topic may be. π
Because of the maths and physics bias of so much of your work, the things you do here are applicable to any language really, so as long as what you’re doing is interesting (and it invariably is) I don’t thing that language you’re currently using (or not using) really matters.
Thank you for this great post. Is making me move forward and improve my skills. I’m just starting this new venture into the Flash World.