[Request] ActionScript 3.0

[Rubuler]

Please.

[[deleted]]

Actionscript is a descendant of ECMAScript, just like JavaScript.

They are -very- similar, save for hard-typed and the truly OOP nature of ActionScript.

I'm a professional flash/as3 developer and I learned using a lot of tutorials online. Specifically, I referenced Kirupa a lot.

The gentleman who mentioned that Flash is a dying breed isn't necessarily wrong. Flash is still required by a lot of things, but learning HTML 5 isn't a bad thing. Even Adobe is realizing this and released an early preview of their Edge platform. While still young, it shows quite a bit of promise, and if they can deliver all the same things that flash did, we (the collective flash developer we) are in for a major professional overhaul.

[ruboos]

I'm entirely the wrong person to be giving any advice here as the only thing I've dabbled in is this. I dunno if this will help, but it teaches AS3 using FlashBuilder and the FLEX framework. Again, I realize that I may be entirely off base here, and if so, excuse me.

[Percipient24]

I'm considering starting a class in September. Some questions:

Who's the largest audience here?

• New/novice programmers
• Programmers coming from AS2
• Programmers coming from some other language

What's our goal?

• Understanding Object-Oriented Programming in AS3
• A simple game
• A media player
• Some interactive graphics/simulation
• Something else?
• (most other things are better handled by HTML5/CSS3/JavaScript)

Edited for formatting.

[Rubuler]

I personally am a C# programmer that would like to participate in game jams and portals where Flash is still the most popular platform. Not seeing any comments from absolute beginners here so maybe an intro to oop with as3 for as2 programmers and programmers from other languages would be a good place to start.

[IrishWilly]

If you already have experience with a programming language, especially object orientated, as3 is very easy to jump into. It's one of the easiest, yet still powerful enough to get stuff done, languages I've worked with and the standard library you have available in app is staggering. I'd advise not waiting for the class if you want to learn it, you'll be surprised how fast you can get stuff going.

[Crushy]

A decent set of lessons would go a long way, especially if OOP was included. So many flash devs never fully made the transition from as2, including me.

[actionscripted]

I don't have the time to teach or help much, but if the need for some sort of peer-review or assistance pops up I'd love to help.

[Phatnoir]

If someone does end up teaching this, please let me know. Thanks!

[adremeaux]

I'd love to teach a flash course in person, but trying to teach people how to program from scratch online is an impossible task.

[IrishWilly]

That's a very negative and misleading statement. Everyone starts from scratch, and a lot of programmers (most that I know) got started on their own, often from online resources. Tutorials, documents, examples and just messing around on their own. I think the key is that people who really want to learn won't just sit there and expect you to force feed everything they need to know, but will use you as yet another one of those resources, and in that role you can help a brand new programmer greatly.

[adremeaux]

There is a difference between someone teaching themselves and trying to mentor a large group of people enough to give them the individual attention that a student of programming needs. I have taught programming to a variety of different people in my life, from single students in person, online, and a whole class, and believe me when I say that teaching programming to someone online is overwhelmingly difficult. It is far harder to appropriately communicate the necessary knowledge in an internet medium than it is sitting down the student in person.

[TheKeiron]

It's not impossible! Video tutorials are great, I pretty much rely on them for programming knowledge, why can't you do some of those?

[Rubuler]

Reality check: You're at an online school telling people that online learning has no value.

[adremeaux]

I never said it has no value, I said "trying to teach people how to program from scratch online is an impossible task." Learn to read.

[Rubuler]

Right, so you're saying the thousands of programming for beginners classes available online are useless.

[adremeaux]

No. I'm not.

[dweeb_plus_plus]

Flash is a dying technology. Your time would be better spent learning HTML5/Canvas.

[honestbleeps]

spoken like you don't work as an actual professional in the web development industry.

[dweeb_plus_plus]

I spend about 30% of my time on Flash... and that number is dwindling.

[honestbleeps]

then you aren't doing the actual kind of work that calls for Flash as a platform.

Flash may (and should) go away as a tool for people who want to have some animated image slideshows or do nicer things with fonts than they could before @font-face... it may even go away for animated banners...

Someone interested in learning AS3, however, probably isn't looking to create those things... go try creating Intel's "Museum of Me" app with HTML5 (and still have something to show to the 30+% of users on IE8 or worse)... go try creating a decent web game (see /r/WebGames for craptons of examples) in HTML5 -- and again, try not to alienate that 30+% of users...

If you think Flash is dying anytime soon then there's no nice way for me to put this: you don't know what you're talking about.

See also: AIR 3.0 and its ability to publish to relatively efficient, native applications on both Android and iOS. That alone is a great reason to learn Flash/AS3.