20 Replies to “The Paradigm Shift of MX 2004”

  1. I noticed a typo (grammatical error) in there somewhere. tsk. tsk.

    Very nice point(s). Technology is constantly being re-invented (Flash every 18 months or so), and you almost need to have an “adapt or perish” attitude to be successful. Keep driving yourself to learn, you’ll thank yourself in the future.

  3. A paradigm shift is nothing more than a world view change macro or micro. We need to learn to be paradigm less. Change the change. Until you are in control of what you want and where you want to go with whatever you are doing you will always be subject to or the subject of change. In short you will always be the victim of change. F%^%$k that! Enough is enough! Decide what you really want and others can follow if they want … People follow people who believe in what they are doing. This is what we need in the new economy. Not just survive but actually thrive! I am not there yet … But I can see it coming …

  4. I still think paradigms are good. I’m looking to create a new one when I feel more comfortable with the new Flash; the way I go about creating Flash movies. It will be based on projects, but you’ll still have some rules you follow. These rules help you get your job done; like OOP for example.

    I know I might of made it sound negative, but paradigms are not bad; holding onto the old ones are.

  7. Jester, Jester, Jester… I absolutely agree. What most people don’t understand is that the “death” of the designer (or at least lesser revelance thereof) will help the industry, not hurt it. Why? Simply because there waaay too many people out there who could be considered an employable designer. Again, why? Because any idiot can do it! Let’s face it, from a developer’s point of view, HTML is too easy to master- it’s lack of complexity has caused the ‘net as we know it to stagnate, and its low learning curve is responsible for an oversupply of web designers.

    By shifting the paradigm away from dreamweaver/html, and towards something with a higher learning curve (like Java), we can weed out the incompetent and untalented while at the same time increase user satisfaction. Darwinism at its best… grow a brain, learn how to script, or perish!

  8. I just hope that the need for artistic merits is not all outsourced to India or China. Although I have gotten to work with designers at work in India, it’s just not the same… with less involvement, to me, you don’t get the best result you could like in a design studio.

    Regardless, your right, tis for the best, I just want my design!

  9. Change is healthy. It facilitates a basic human need: the notion of progress – however illusiory that notion may be :)

    I think the trick of the journey is not to concentrate too much on the destination, but to enjoy the view along the way.

  10. I agree 100%! Not only do the designers have to become programmers but they also need to be IT experts too.

    Just makes you worth more in the job market. I just hope I can keep up…

  11. I agree too. Any good designer must know how to use all the tools that are available and what the capacity of those tools are. Or he must hire those sevices. Jesse, Darron and many more are prime examples of people knowing and using and even teaching the use of the tools. I don’t think mx04 will weed out the web designers using the wysiwyg programs, but those programs won’t be able to keep up with the technology. The definition of a web designer is growing to include the knowledge of programming. Like Jesse said, we must learn new things. I wish MM had included more tools to do visual design, but I’m still coming to grips with the present tools and do not feel limited by them. I have to learn AS2 – great, more tools! Now, where can I get more time!
    Knowing that the flash coumminity is tight, friendly, helpful, and there! , takes any fear out of AS2. The flash world is expanding , I love it! Bring it on, MM.

  12. I enjoyed reading your thoughts, Jesse. Thanks for taking the time. I remember when Flash 5 came out, I was so reluctant to change from the TellTarget and / slashes to the dot notaion. After I finally embraced the change, I wondered how I ever was happy with Flash 4 style to begin with. Same story with the change from 5 to MX. Callbacks was it that time, again a better way.

    Now I am really looking forward to the changes to MX 2004 with optimism becuase I know it will be a better way.

    I think deisgners need to learn programming and IT, but programmers also need to learn to design. It definately goes both ways. The beauty of flash is that it allows us to use the artistic/creative side of our brains and the mathematical/programmatic side together.

    Me thinks the biggest challenge is trying to wear too many hats. There are many great graphic designers and many great programmers out there, but not many live in the same body.

    I have had to learn a lot about programming, design and IT administration over the last few years becuase I am sole designer/developer/IT/project manager/admin for our small design and hosting company.

    Time-consuming is the word. The sad part for me is that I never have enough time to get ‘really good’ at one thing, becuase I have to know a ‘good amount’ about a lot of things.

  14. As fro design being easy or hrml being easy. Millions of people can drive a car, but a very select few will ever be racecar drives. I love that the everyday person can pick up html and use it. Some people have no need for a designed up snazzy website. I love the power the web has given the litte guy and I hope that never goes away. After all I wouldn’t be a design now if it wasn’t for that power. *grin*

  15. Yeah. I got an idea. Why don’t we call come up with a program far better than flash? So macromedia will have to compete!! eh?? eh?? What you got?

    Yah know? We’d make billions of dollars! And then we’d go and spend it all on Hot Pockets, and starbucks!

  16. I’m all about Hot Pockets, but Adobe’s attempt, though valiant, certainly showcases the head on the pig-pole in front of the castle your about to enter… and there were rumblings from a lot of people proclaiming Flash was about to die via some Microsoft project, but the rumors have died off. Either way, scary ground for me. Good attitutde, though!

  17. yeah, it’s been an interesting ride. I came from a photography background, and fell in love with Flash, back at version 3 (though looking back now, i wonder how that was possible..). At that stage my computer knowledge peaked at basic photoshop. Pretty soon, i realised I was onto a good thing, as work making Flash sites soon outdid my photography revenue, and the satisfaction i got was even higher.
    My first site, i managed to get a play button to swap between play, and playing, depending on the situation. I was pretty proud of my mastery.
    Where i am going with this, is that I’m a ‘child of flash’, as I’m sure are alot of other people out there. As I master each version, another comes out, and i start again, from learning to write simple logic, to creating custom classes, Its been about 4 years of accomplishment after accomplishment. From creating basic animations, to writing applications and games.
    Those of us that weren’t programmers to start with have been lucky to learn this way. I’ve finally started to master class structures (in v6), and as with every version, all of a sudden workarounds that i had painfully developed or learned from some of the masters out there, are now standard features. This doesn’t mean that I’ve wasted my time at all, it means that I’ve got a good understanding of how something works, before its handed to me on a platter.
    Its been kinda like getting a chapter at a time, of the ‘programming logic’ book. I have to push and bend each chapter till i can do what i need, but then when i finally get to read the next chapter, it all makes perfect sense.
    I’ve read alot of criticism of the new version of Flash, saying that they are leaving new users behind, and I agree. I’ve been really lucky to have this drip feeding from Macromedia, I’ve developed into a much stronger programmer, and also i understand my medium so much more (not just Flash, but the concept of interactive as a whole).
    I do think that there are people being left behind, and if i had to come up with a training course for people wanting to become interactive designers/programmers it would be get a copy of Flash 3, and then once a year, upgrade it.

    But the only way is forwards, and I’m $%^$&ing excited to get my hands on the next version. I want to see what it can’t do, and then do my goddamn best to see if i can do it.

  19. Outstanding and extremely accurate and well-written. Wonderful use of the Swiss-Quartz example.

    You have helped me switch from apprehensive to enthusiastic about the new MM product(s).

    Thanks for taking the time to express your learned opinion!

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