Macromedia Unveils New Flash, ColdFusion

Macromedia Inc.
Monday unveiled Flash MX, the latest version of the Macromedia Flash development environment, and discussed plans for its release of ColdFusion MX this summer.

With 70 percent of the 414 million Flash users using the product for than just viewing animation, this latest version was designed to allow developers to create rich-media content within applications.

Thus, Flash MX offers support for video, application components, and accessibility.

With Flash MX, Macromedia expects to meet the needs of both designers and developers to deliver rich Internet content and applications that can be experienced consistently across all leading platforms and devices. Flash MX was designed to simplify the process of visual authoring for traditional Web developers looking to use rich-client technology for their applications.

Flash MX offers video support to enable developers to deliver a better overall user experience by bringing and adding interactivity to video clips within the overall Macromedia Flash content. Video content in Macromedia Flash allows designers to maintain control of the look and feel of their applications. Flash MX also supports the Sorenson Spark codec.

Macromedia Flash MX will come with a customizable workspace to maximize designer and developer productivity. Prebuilt user interface components come with customizable scrollbars, list boxes, and other standard interface elements to ensure a common experience across applications. Flash MX also supports such industry standards as ECMAScript, HTML, MP3, Unicode, and XML.

Also included in Flash MX is the latest version of ColdFusion application server. ColdFusion MX (previously code-named “Neo”) offers new technology for high-performance application server connectivity and a new technology for collaboration and communication.

ColdFusion MX will work with Microsoft .NET, Java application servers, and Web services. Developers will also be able to use a new server gateway technology to build Macromedia Flash applications that work directly with application servers and Web services.

For communication and collaboration solutions, developers will be able to use a new Macromedia communication server technology that will enable capabilities that include two-way audio and video as well as real-time data transfer with Macromedia Flash Player 6.

ColdFusion MX is currently in Beta and is expected to ship this summer. Macromedia Flash MX is scheduled to be generally available starting March 15.

Flash MX will be available electronically from the Macromedia Online Store for Macintosh and Windows. It is priced at $499, with upgrades at $199. The product will be available in English, French, German, and Japanese on March 15. Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Italian, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, and Swedish versions will be available at a later date.


Amy Newman is managing editor of InternetNews.com sister site ServerWatch.

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