What do you use to code Flash?

[combatking0]

Which version of Macromedia / Adobe Flash do you use?

If it isn't one of the above, what is it called, and what version does it output?

I use Flash 8, which is installed on my laptop from work on their site license.
I also have a private copy of Flash 9, but I lack the hardware to run it.

[benny!]

I did not use any Flash IDE von Adobe at all. I code everything from
scratch using the free Flex 3.0 SDK from Adobe.

As a tool to edit my code (IDE) I use the great FlashDevelop - AFAIK
only available for Windows platform.

Since flex3.0 supports already all Flash10 libs, you can choose to
export/"compile" your code to target Flash7, Flash8, Flash9 or Flash10
player.

[Shockwave]

Sounds like Flex3.0 has great support.

[combatking0]

I had heard about Flex, but I wasn't sure about what it could do.

With it being free, I'll recomend it to my pupils.

I wonder what the differences are between the Flex and Flash platforms.

[benny!]

Well, I think this is more a problem of some word
puzzling. At the beginning I was confused by that,
too.

Flex is nothing more than a development framework
that produces a SWF file.

Well, AFAIK Flash is only the authoring tool/IDE
by Adobe. But in general people speak about the
Flash platform meaning the flash player (virtual
machine) which executes SWF files.

Flex as a development framework can be used with
actionscript3.0 only - or you can use flex' markup
language called MXML (or a mix out of both)

[combatking0]

Does that mean Flex is code only?

[benny!]

Does that mean Flex is code only?

No, Flex was actually designed to create RIA's (rich internet applications). Preferable
normal GUI stuff. There are GUI builders, too - so you have a design tool like Flash IDE,
too. But in the end you can use pure MXML/Actionscript too.

[combatking0]

I guess that means Flex is a bit more versitile than the Flash development environment?

I just had a look at the Flex download page - is the Open Source version free, while the Adobe version is not? The Adobe ones seem to be a lot bigger.

[benny!]

Yup. That could be. But tbh honest I do not know it exactly.
The bigger Flex SDK version is because of some additional
packages by Adobe which are not open source...

Hmm ... good question, CK0.

[combatking0]

I'll have to investigate the OS version and adapt the tutorials and lessons as required.