Re: FLASH: Re: Flash and Databases

[Wayne Townsend]

>Hi all

>

>Thanks to everyones 2 pence/cents worth. Sorry I haven't replied earlier

>[digest mode]. I will be looking into all the options that have been

>proffered and time permitting will offer feedback from a DBnewbie as soon as

>I can.


You're welcome, Matt.


>On first glance:

>

>Flame thrower option sounds really good but limited to MAC servers


In case you didn't know, G4/500 Mac Servers with WebTen Unix Apache 

really rock, if you need a really high-performance solution. Also, 

there are ISPs that specialize in hosting FlameThrower projects on 

G4s if your client doesn't want to have his own server. (ie. low 

budget).  So all you need to author high end web-apps is a Mac and 

FlameT.


>and no demo to trial.


I know.  :(    I think I'll again make that suggestion to Incwell. 

This is a no-brainer - there needs to be a free demo.  I'm pretty 

confident they'll do it eventually.


They do have a very popular list though, and lots of help if you need 

it.  Flamethrower / SC is authored on Macs.  But any old mac will do. 

This is nothing to the cost of a serious project.  And it is such a 

rapid development environment, that the client saves enough on one 

project to pay for the hardware/ servers.  And it's a great feeling 

to put together web applications sometimes in only a few hours - even 

for novices.


Many times it's the software that drives the hardware you use.  For 

example, not all that long ago, although we're a Mac shop, we built a 

high-end PC workstation *just* to run Studio 3D Max.  If a project 

demands a solution, you just do whatever it takes.  IMO, all serious 

web developers need to be unbiased and support all major platforms 

in-house.  How can you be taken seriously if you don't?


>Macromedia's Generator sounds ideal but isn't the cost a bit prohibitive?

>Does any Hosting company provide it?


I think they do, but someone on this thread said that this was 

overkill considering the project you described, and I tend to agree.


Generator is great for creating content on-the-fly with variables 

that change quickly over time.  That is not what you described as 

your clients needs.  Also, creating swfs by merging data with a 

template does take a good bit of processing time and is not the way I 

would do it with fixed data, because there is simply no way that 

Generator is going to merge, create and send an swf as quickly as a 

Flash client and a variable call to a CGI.  Generator suffered when 

Flash-4 came on the scene because F4 could send and recieve variables 

to and from a server.  Ouch!  But, Oh Yes!!!


The fact is, many sites can *only* be done with Generator.  But 

today, many can also be done with F4 and a great cgi engine.  Yours 

is one of the latter.



ATB,


/w


Wayne Townsend,

Founder, CEO, Accesson: www.AccessOn.com

Millennium Entertainment Technologies: METgames.com, LLC

waynetaccesson [dot] net

, Alt:

waynetabsolute [dot] net

, Studio: 760.329.9990 

(US), Toll Free: 800..399.4969, Mobile: 760.902.5299 (US), WEB: 

AccessOn.Net  http://www.accesson.com / .net   & 

http://www.Metgames.com


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