Nifty new developments for Flash
Google Maps API for Flash: “Lets Flex developers embed Google Maps in Flash applications. [T]his ActionScript API provides a number of utilities for manipulating and adding content to maps through a variety of services, enabling you to embed robust, interactive maps applications …” (Examples here and here.)
Flash Player 10 is out in beta. Hank Williams says it’s “going to change the way we all use the Internet.” Many technical details here.
Open Screen Project: “Adobe will be releasing the file format specifications for Flash (.swf and .flv/f4v) and removing all licensing restrictions involved with the Flash format. In the future, the project will be expanded to include AIR.” (The SWF format has always been open, as far as I know, but apparently this is a more extensive “opening. ReadWriteWeb compares it to Adobe’s earlier publication of the PDF specs, which allowed us to convert various files to PDF format without buying Adobe products to make it happen.)
SWFObject 2.0 has been released, but it is not backward compatible (so do NOT replace your old one with the new one).
Jeroen Wijering says he’s on the verge of releasing version 4.0 of his free FLV Media Player — by the end of May, he says. Maybe he will change that after he test-drives Flash Player 10.
Hi Mindy, not exactly a comment on this post, but I wanted to share with you and your readers the results of our first Online Journalism Workshop at GWU, using your book as one of 3 texts.
We created a showcase site here:
http://onlinejournalismworkshop.com/
(good URL, huh!)
Like anything, the first time out had some bumps, but I am full of admiration for the students who stumbled through it with us.
Best,
Jason
May 17, 2008 at 1:56 pm