Flash versus Flex

Question

I\'ve tried looking everywhere for a concise list of the advantages and disadvantages of using Flex vs. Flash.

Coming from a programming background, I absolutely lo

Answer 1

From a programmer's viewpoint, the big difference between Flash and Flex is not so much which IDE/application you use for programming, but whether you program in ActionScript (AS) only, or use the Flex framework and MXML to program your applications.

I would say pure ActionScript is better for programming (whether you use Flash IDE or Flex IDE is not that relevant), and MXML is better for non-programmers to combine the components programmed in AS.

I would add to your list these pros/cons:

Flex:

Pros:

• Easier for non-programmers to get into application development
• You can quickly combine components to create small applications
• Components can provide an advantage in large-scale projects

Cons:

• Customizing the look of components can take a lot longer than anticipated, depending on the visual style you're looking for
• When you find out you need a custom component that doesn't exist, you might need to go back to Flash to do the real programming work and packaging of the component
• The "flexibility" of Flex means you will be reading a lot of documentation
• Bugs in the Flex framework
• You eventually will need to compromise with the architecture of the Flex framework

Flash (or Flex IDE in ActionScript project mode):

Pros:

• Easier for someone with a programming background ;)
• You can program whatever you like; no compromises with existing frameworks

Cons:

• Timeline can be daunting for programmers (although you can quite safely ignore it)
• Development of certain types of applications will be slower than with Flex

In short: pick the right tool for the right task.