Macromedia has announced the Macromedia Flex 2 product line and Macromedia Flash Player 8.5 - solutions that provide the foundation for building effective rich Internet applications that blend the responsiveness of desktop software, the cross-platform reach of the Web and the expressiveness of the Macromedia Flash Platform.
According to Jeremy Matthews, MD of e-enablement specialist and Macromedia distributor, Dax Data, the new products are designed to span the full spectrum of rich Internet application scenarios, from e-commerce product configuration to visual trading applications that integrate with real-time data.
They cover several major elements of the Flash Platform:
* Flash Player 8.5 - the latest high-performance client runtime for rich Internet applications.
* Flex Framework 2 - the core programming model and component library for Flex.
* Flex Builder 2 - a new Eclipse-based environment for developing rich Internet applications with the Flex Framework. Flex Builder 2, previously code-named Zorn, can incorporate rich media content from Flash Professional 8, Macromedia`s authoring tool for creating rich interactive content.
* Flex Enterprise Services 2 - provides essential data services, automated testing support and an open adapter architecture for delivering data-intensive rich Internet applications and deeply integrating with enterprise service-oriented infrastructure.
* Flex Charting Components 2-extensible components for advanced data visualisation.
"We`re seeing growing interest in rich Internet applications as organisations look for new ways to streamline customer engagement and internal processes," says Matthews. "The Flex 2 product line and Flash Player 8.5 will enable millions of developers in organisations large and small to deliver cross-platform applications that will change the face of the Internet by bringing information to life."
Flash Player 8.5 adds industrial-strength programming power on top of the expressiveness introduced in Flash Player 8, creating a sophisticated, cross-platform runtime. It includes a new virtual machine that offers faster runtime performance, full runtime error reporting, improved debugging, and ActionScript 3. ActionScript 3 complies with the latest ECMAScript specifications, and increases developer productivity by making it easier to find and fix errors earlier.
Flash Player is currently installed on over 600 million desktops and mobile devices globally and new versions reach 80% of computers on the Web in approximately 12 months.
Macromedia is also introducing a new tiered licensing model to bring the power of Flex development within reach of every professional application developer, as well as offering value-added capabilities that scale to meet the needs of the most sophisticated enterprise projects.
Flex Builder 2 should sell for under R7 000 per developer and will include the ability to develop, compile and deploy Flex applications that connect to XML and SOAP Web services with no additional charges or server licensing required. Flex Enterprise Services 2 will be licensed on a per CPU, per project and enterprise licence basis to offer the development efficiency, performance, advanced integration capabilities and testing support that advanced applications will require.
"Applications deployed by enterprises must increasingly meet divergent requirements across business-to-business and business-to-consumer scenarios. They must offer a rich user experience on the front end, while implementing, on the back end, a secure, maintainable connection to enterprise data and services," says Ray Valdes, analyst, Gartner. "Rich Internet application platforms based on mainstream IDEs that support connecting to enterprise services using service-oriented architectures can provide a good return on investment through enhanced agility, improved usability and increased end-user productivity."
Alpha versions of Flex Builder 2 and Flash Player 8.5 are available for download. The alpha version of Flex Enterprise Services 2 will be available later in the development cycle. All of the products should be commercially available in the first half of calendar 2006. For more information, please visit http://www.macromedia.com/devnet/flex/articles/flex2_intro.html.
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Dax Data is a value-added software distributor and product marketing organisation, focusing on Web technology and host connectivity. With offices in Cape Town and Johannesburg, it holds a variety of distribution and remarketing agreements for local markets, including:
* Macromedia - Web design and development tools and servers
* NetManage - RUMBA and OnWeb Web enablement and host connectivity
* Graphon - Thin client solutions
* DataMirror - Enterprise connectivity, data availability and disaster recovery with replication products
* Logitech - Webcams and desktop peripherals
Historically, Dax Data has assisted companies with delivery of mainframe-based information to open systems platforms such as PCs and LANs - primarily by means of the NetManage suite of products such as RUMBA, which it has distributed since 1992.
Developments in recent years have seen the company expand its range of Web Technologies, its distribution agreement with Macromedia becoming a mainstay. Dax Data works with a number of resellers, consulting and training partners to ensure the successful delivery of customer solutions. Driven by customer demand, Dax Data has transitioned strongly into the Web development market, offering a set of value-added services that include: presales evaluation programmes, first line technical support, consultancy and training. Dax Data enjoys various industry accreditations and is recognised as a Microsoft Certified Partner, IBM Business Partner and Sun iForce Partner.
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Experience matters. Macromedia is motivated by the belief that great experiences build great businesses. Our software empowers millions of usiness users, developers, and designers to create and deliver effective, compelling, and memorable experiences - on the Internet, on fixed media, on wireless, and on digital devices.
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