2007 / March 20/ Standards Nazi, Transforming
For the past three years I have been engrossing myself in the mastery of HTML, CSS and JavaScript. I have labored countless hours over it, and come to a point where I think I can say I’m pretty darn good at it. The past 6 months especially have been focused on JavaScript, and visual scripting as a whole. I’ve loved every minute of it, and have come to see most of the “limitations” people claim on the web are self-created. Browser CSS tweaks, JavaScript incompatibilities have become rather minor to me. The web just feels right to me. The content layer, the presentation layer, the behavior layer, and the DOM tying it all together. It’s one big melting pot of goodness.
However, through it all there have been little things picking at me. Performance of Javascript is a big one. I’ve been continually disappointed with Firefox’s speed of re-rendering, and Safari’s inability to implement the simplest functions correctly. Strangely, IE has been the least of my worries with Javascript. Javascript itself has been a bit of a hit; almost OO, but not quite. No real class system, lacking many features, and the ugly implementation of DOM browsing. Frameworks have made this better, much better, but it’s still a problem. Justifying frameworks, and keeping up with the newest frameworks and their features is mind boggling. The continued support of IE6, has been heart breaking. If not only for it’s lack of transparent PNGs. In fact, yes, I’ll come out and say it: IE6’s lack of transparent PNGs is its greatest downfall. Plugins have also been a disappointment. Getting HTML, Flash, Flash Movies, and Quicktime all playing together across multiple browsers is like playing chicken with a Semi.
There’s just a few issues that have made HTML not quite perfect.
So last Friday, we had a meeting about the next-gen CMS we’re building, and what technologies we’re planning on using. The subject of Flex came up, and the engineering team had more or less decided to use Flex instead of HTML. Us design-guys were pretty irked at this, as the decision was made without our guidance. Needless to say, I was a bit irked. But instead of being an ignorant standards nazi, I chose to do something different. I gave Flex a try.
So for the remainder of Friday night, and part of Saturday I read overviews, tutorials and even built a couple of sample apps. You know, it wasn’t too bad. Sure it was different than HTML, but damned if it wasn’t really tempting.
Really, really tempting.
You see, that whole “Flash camp” isn’t so flashy anymore. It’s all built on the idea of separation of style, structure, and behavior. There’s three tiers to development: XML, CSS and AS. Man, that sounds a whole lot like XHTML, CSS, and JS. But seriously. There was no GUI required. No WYSIWYG as the only editor. It was all text based. It was fast. It worked across all browsers. It had built-in knowledge of application ideas, like trees, menu bars, and tabs. It even had the ability to extend and share new components.
You know, it felt a whole lot like the web. A whole lot like HTML. I dare say I was enjoying it.
So I’ve tasked myself with a simple goal: Learn and build a functioning application in Flex. I’m not influenced by hype or panels, I’m influenced by my own drive. My drive to master something I utterly suck at. My drive to always learn something new, and constantly create.
Where are we again?
What’s the whole point here? The point here is to not let your ignorance blind you. Those who insult flash are simply doing so from their own ignorance: much like those who once insulted tableless layouts. Give something new a try every once in a while. You never know if you might like it. All the cool kids are doing it, why aren’t you?
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All my little projects that I leave scattered around the web. Some for profit, all for fun.
March 20 | #
Great post, I’ve felt (especially recently while moving to a new job) myself getting into the whole standards Nazi role, so thanks for the wake call.
Flash IDE here I come…slowly.
March 20 | #
It’s true that the use of Flash was once a terribly inaccessible choice. Not so anymore. Done right, Flash can be a very useful tool. I hope, like you, that I will look at technologies logically in order to embrace those useful ones that can make life and coding easier.
March 21st | #
Flash is great, when used in the correct way. Like everything it can be used and abused in terrible ways but with a bit of thought it can produce great things. I’m glad you didn’t jump to conclusions based upon the past and have found something new to try.
March 21st | #
I’ve always had a bias towards flash applications, but after seeing a live demo of a Flex app, that changed. Let us know about your progress in future posts!
March 21st | #
Great write-up.
I love the little ap that you made! Could be very useful if implemented in the right way!
March 27th | #
Please don’t use the term nazi in such a throwaway fashion. It is incredibly insulting to the victims of National Socialism. It’s like labelling someone you mildly dislike as Hitler.
March 27th | #
I’m glad you could contribute towards the post in such a positive manner Jeremy.
March 27th | #
Well I’m Jewish and it didn’t offend me, and I suppose that’s the “test”. In other news Seinfeld’s Soup Nazi didn’t offend anyone either, but maybe Jeremy’s just more emotionally sensitive than the average man.
March 27th | #
I had no idea that Jeremy Keith was so old. I’d always thought he was younger.
March 27th | #
Americans.
March 28th | #
Yeah dat’s raaight spits tobacco juice into pail…us danged ‘mericans jes’ ain’t PC enuff.
March 29th | #
[...] a recent post on Warspire.com, Kyle Neath wrote about his recent experience with Adobe Flex. So last Friday, we had a meeting [...]