An easy-to-use and well-written book

This is easily the most useful book I have purchased on developing applications with Flash (I have been using Flash since version 2.0 and have been writing games and apps with it for 5 years). The book covers the subject of RIA's in structured chapters that help developers of all skill levels understand the tools that Flash MX 2004 provides. I keep this book within arms reach of my workstation because it also serves as a great reference tool.

In my opinion, the highlights of this book include the best chapters I've read on Flash Communication Server (FCS). FCS is one the most exciting and important new technologies to come from Macromedia and this book will have you building amazing connected applications quickly and easily. (I personally learned to develop for FCS in a matter of hours using step-by-step examples in this book). If you want to learn FCS, get this book first.

Other topics I found very helpful are Kerman's discussions of Local Shared Objects, Flash Remoting, Components and XML. In addition to the specifics of these and other technologies, the author presents excellent information regarding general application development techniques and practices.

All in all, this book covers the subject of RIA's in a thorough manner. Most aspects of application dev are discussed and there are lots of great detailed code examples throughout. Bottom line, I own books twice as thick that don't explain the material nearly as well as this book.

Other Reviews

• Author: Flash programmer or Macromedia brainwashed? Avoid it.
• Good start for RIA Technology
• A must read that introduce Flash MX 2004
• A Different Approach
• An easy-to-use and well-written book