
Is Flex/Actionscript a real programming language? Can it do what Java does? (work offline, write files, networking etc.) - juwo

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woot
Yes , it can be used to build applications with those capabilities. But
depends on how you implement it ..just like Java. When implemented in browser,
most of the sandbox restrictions apply.[Like java applets]. But when
implemented in a desktop environment [using an OS dependent wrapper or on top
of runtime like Apollo], it can write files to disk and do otherwise taboo
karmas.

For updates on whats going on in actionscript community[or Adobe technologies
in general], subscribe to Adobe's MXNA . Some of the finest Actionscript
coders can be found at flashcoders pipermail list.
[chattyfig.figleaf.com/mailman/private/flashcoders/]

For an opensource perspective on Flash and Actionscript visit: osflash.org

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danw
ECMAScript (the standard that action script is built upon) is turing complete,
therefore Actionscript is a real language.

~~~
fauxto
Touche.

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juwo
Even Bruce Eckel who wrote the popular Java books, "Thinking in Java", has
switched sides and is backing Flex.

Qs: Can your application if written in Flex;

1) can it open/close files, in Flex?

2) FTP stuff across, open network connections?

3) can it work offline?

If ActionScript is simply a scripting language in the browser, then I doubt it
can do the above. So why the hype? \- Anil

~~~
fauxto
<http://flexblog.faratasystems.com/?p=115>

The answer to the initial question, "Is Actionscript 3 a 'real' programming
language?" depends entirely on who you're asking.

1) Flex application run in a sandbox, much as Java applets do. Locally, and
currently, Flex applications can open files for parsing, but can not write to
them. This is remedied with Apollo which is in alpha. Apollo is essentially a
Flex application wrapper that provides a file system API, among other things.

2) This really becomes a question of whether or not someone is inclined enough
to write the necessary Actionscript 3 as it supports binary sockets and byte
arrays currently. Someone has already created a ZIP library.

3) Again, when Apollo launches, then yes. Although, a Flex application can run
offline should it not require file system access, and even then files can be
opened, just not written to.

Actionscript runs in a VM just as Java does, which is irrelevant given that
the questions you're asking are entirely arbitrary. The answers to which only
tangentially, and tenuously, provide support in defining whether or not a
programming language is 'real'.

In the interests of providing my own answer... I would say no, it's not quite
a 'real' programming language.

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juwo
My interest was - juwo has no users apart from myself. I was wondering about
rewriting it in flex.

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danielha
Do you think rewriting it in Flex will provide you new users?

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juwo
Have you downloaded and run juwo?

Why not? Please tell us frankly.

The answer can be revealing.

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jaggederest
Why would you want to compare it to java? Ye gods man, java/c/c++/c# aren't
exactly the kind of languages I'd want a new language to compare with.

Python, Ruby, Haskell98, ocaml, etc. Consider those your languages that set
the bar right now. Java is 'the new' C.

~~~
juwo
Never heard of them. (heard of ruby only here, in YC).

old wine in new bottles.

if-then-else by any other name... is just as tedious.

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jaggederest
heh, that's what you think. Try building anything substantial in one of the
languages I named and then going back to java.

Ruby programs are maybe a tenth the size, give or take,

Python similarly small.

Haskell will blow your mind because you basically never use control structures
or type declarations.

Continuation-passing scheme, smalltalk, erlang...

Any of these things will change the way you develop, probably immensely for
the better.

~~~
juwo
can I write a standalone desktop program in Ruby? (I dont know).

BTW my feedback on your work <http://news.ycombinator.com/comments?id=17871>

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omouse
Yes: <http://www.erikveen.dds.nl/rubyscript2exe/index.html>

Next time just Google for "Ruby standalone". Saves me the trouble of doing it
for you ;)

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juwo
You proved my point - for me - better than I could have done so myself :)

If I have to _google_ for it and come up with a 3rd party tool, then it isnt
part of the language!

And FYI, I wasnt writing my comment in complete ignorance nor laziness. I did
go to the ror site when I first heard of it here on YC. When I realized it
seemed to be a scripting language with a web server, I lost interest. Offline
is _very_ important for me/juwo.

~~~
jaggederest
try python. well supported windowing toolkits. and it doesn't suck.

