Open Source Flash

[laura_seabrook]

I was reading an Linux magazine just now and they mentioned something called Open Laszlo, which is an open source platform for creating zero-install web applications with the user interface capabilities of desktop client software. Apparently you create code using XML and Javascript, and it compiles into flash binary (.swf) files, which will run on any browser with the current flash plug-in.

Sort of very cool, though yet another bloody syntax to learn to get results.  I always wanted to play around with Flash, but there were always obstacles. Although I really like Fireworks (perfect for adding speech balloons and saving graphics for my web comics), which has a similar interface, whenever I tried using the "official editor" it'd always be slow, clunky, and buggy (some of which might have been due to my old hardware). I downloaded heaps of "free editors" but most seemed to be really primitive, of advertisements for their shareware versions.

I shall have to have a look at some of the project on that list. I've been interested in using flash in web comics pages (mainly, for one particular space battle in on strip) - I've seen this done well in other web comics.

Doing a search just now, I came across the Open Source Flash site, with a huge list of projects! Number one project is probably an Open Source Flash Player, called "Gnash". Gasp - no proprietary software system is safe any more is it?