Jun 5, 2009

Flex Builder has been rebranded as Flash Builder in Flex Sdk 4 release

Hi All,

It is one of the most shocking news I came across recently. Yes it is true that Adobe has taken a final decision on rebranding the Flex builder.

Before writing any further, I like to share one email communication which I recently had with Adobe Team.

The content is as follow:

Shaleen Jain wrote:

Hi Adobe Team,

I do not see the decision of rebranding the flex builder to flash builder as a reasonably good decision.
My belief is that, it will discourage new java and flex developer.

Customer is now believing that flex is different from flash in the sense that flex is basically for enterprise application.
Flash is considered considerably at a lower level when comparing with flex.

Client, developing mission critical application will have faith in flex but that can be deteriorate when we start calling flex to flash.

I am working in Flex since 2005. Initially I was not sure what will be the future of flex. Adobe team then clarify that Flex is specially meant for developing RIA which will be run on flash player and it is not flash. I just want to remind Adobe team is that, the decision to make flex and NOT flash is that, Adobe want to attract developer from other technologies(especially Java) because they don't want to be called as designer.

But now when flex is picking up the pace and leading other RIA technologies we are rebrading flex to flash again.

I hope this decision will ruin the image of Flex in the market.

Further to that, developer generally don't prefer to be called a flash developer rather than flex developer ( At least I will never prefer to be called one).

Hope you may want to reconsider the decision to rebrand flex builder to flash builder in the interset of Adobe, their investors and Flex community.

Warm Regards,
Shaleen Jain

Adobe's Reply

Hi Shaleen:
Unfortunately at this time the decision to rebrand has already been made and is final. You can read a good summary of many of the issues you talk about in Lee Brimelow’s blog, at http://theflashblog.com/?p=998

Thanks for your comment!

Mike


I will write more about this very soon.

Thanks,
Shaleen Jain

3 comments:

  1. Hi Sahleen,

    I don't represent dobe but I belive that teh decision is a move in the right direction .. let me exlain why ...

    Flex framework is still Flex framework
    Your Flex app is still a Flex app since it uses classes/code from the Flex framework .. it uses the flex compiler ... etc. etc.

    Flex/Flash builder is just an editor .. you can write that same Flex app in Notepad if you will .. I use Textmate + mxmlc all the time.

    Clients care about the code .. not about the tool you used to write that code ... taking a different example .. clients care if you wrote code in .NET framework or not ... they don't care if you used Visual studio to write that code. Similarly they care if you used flex framework ... they dont care if you used notepad to write your code or Flex Builder or Flash Builder.


    Now as for Flash Builder the tool.. it really is Flash Builder .. it can be used to do a lot more than just build using the flex framework .. flex framewrk is just one library you can use .. but you could use any framework .. or no framework ... so teh IDE really does not have a tie into the Flex Framework ... so the name is appropriate

    But, adobe's decision to change it now .. after som many years of branding is qustionable but I think its short term confusion and doesnt really matter

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  2. Hi Mrinal,

    Thanks for your comments.

    For everybody who already uses Flash and Flex, renaming Flex Builder to Flash Builder is not going to cause any serious issues; we understand the roles of both tools and can differentiate. Where the name change will be confusing is with future students and professionals evaluating Flash and Flex for the first time, and trying to decide which tool set they need to master and for what purpose.

    What I am most concerned about as a Flex developer is Adobe’s recent moves to blur the previously-clear definition between Flash media and Flash enterprise development skill sets. If Adobe continues this trend and decides to abolish the Flex name altogether and call it “Flash Enterprise” or something like that, people like me who develop purely with the Flex framework are going to have a much harder time targeting relevant employment opportunities. This will be just as difficult for Flash developers targeting rich media/non-Flex opportunities. The two specializations are individually necessary and distinct for different kinds of work, regardless of the platform’s capabilities.

    We cannot deny that this is ultimately leads to more confusion.

    Thanks,
    Shaleen Jain

    ReplyDelete
  3. I show the first entry against new banding.

    Dear, friends title designation doesn't change the work you are doing.

    ReplyDelete