Flash MX sucks. It is siht. That simple.

I just imported an EPS and the app crashed. I would expect this, except that
I would (even more so) expect ANY fcukING GRAPHICS APP TO IMPORT AN EPS WITHOUT
CRASHING!!! WHAT THE fcuk?!?! IT"S A fcukING EPS - THE MOST GENERIC GRAPHICS
FORMAT THERE IS!!!!

I cannot paste text without getting all sorts of bullsiht shapes on my
screen, I cannot paste artwork from Illustrator without it getting all messed
up (I don't care how many of you people swear by Freehand, Illustrator is king
for a reason), Flash's text formatting abilities are a fcuking JOKE, it has
poor font handling, the worst animation tools I've seen this side of Lightwave,
no autosave, crappy bitmap support (ever try rotating a bitmap? It looks like
crap), it's slow, ugly, hard to learn, non-standard in just about every
possible way, and a real punishment to use. This app is not worth 35? much less
the hundreds that MM asks for it.

Why do all of you fools continue to praise such a steaming pile of crap? I
have been using digital media apps for over a decade (Photoshop since version
2, freehand since version 2, dreamweaver since version 2, Aftereffects since
version 3, all modern apps since their inception), and none have even come
close to Flash in their inability to allow the user to complete even the
simplest tasks. For christ sake, even Microsoft programs better then the
Macromedia team. It's tempting to find their product manager and beat the
living siht out of him/her. Macromedia clearly does not have any quality
control, or there would be heads rolling down the cube hallways for releasing
this torrent of siht upon the world.

I know that the easiest response it "well, don't use it if you don't like
it". That's bullsiht. Flash has permeated into the web and media world so much
that it's putrid scent can be felt whenever one turns on any computer made
within the last 5 years. If I want to stay competitive in my market, I HAVE to
use this sihtty app. Well, I strongly recommend my Clients, supervisors and
co-workers against it. Flash isn't even fit for development of the gay-ass web
banners it's used on so often.

Standard reply to this thread:

" Oh he/she must have lost some work when the app crashed - just let them
complain and they will fade away".

Well fcuk YOU. No amount of complaining will make your use of this app any
more legitimate. Think of the countless hours lost to the poor design and
development of this "app". Macromedia does not seem to care. MX is an even
bigger joke than version 5 was. MX04 is worse still. I'd swear that they put
new bugs in just to piss off new users.

I want to go to the local store and shoot BBs through all the boxes on the
shelf just so that many fewer copies of this trash will be available to ruin
lives.

[h][u][b]THIS APP fcukING SUCKS!!!![/b][/u][/h]

now, tell us how you *really* feel.....

You said: "As long as microsoft does not release competing tool , which I hope
they will, macromedia will grow
just more bold , w/o concern of user like me and you and many others. Till
than you can only get
over it and try to work your way along flash's habits. Wait some more, MS
coming out with something
, if there is substitute , than many will move away from flash, than
macromedia will go back in
place and focus again on suiting the users not the share holders.....>"

AGREED! I've worked with a number of Adobe programs, Media 100, Boris and a
lot of Microsoft programs. Flash MX is by far the most cumbersome software
I've ever set out to work with. It is not at all user friendly . . .. I wait
impatiently for the day that Microsoft comes up with something that will do the
same things in a much more user friendly way........Meantime, I find myself
cussing up a storm everytime I use this software.............):

But apart from those few points, you think its ok?
"hard to learn, non-standard in just about every possible way"
Maybe there is some truth in that but also explains some of your frustrations.
There is still nothing which can replace Flash MX.

i wonder, then, if it's such a piece of crap, why three quarters of the web has
at least some flash content...

you people would need three promotions to make "moron".

microsoft over macromedia. you've exposed your ignorance - no wonder you can't
make it work.

you fool.

My comparison to Microsoft was an effort to show that - even compared to the
worst development team in the history of computing (MS), Macromedia stoops to a
new low.

Flash may have permeated the web, but only because there is no other option.
We had an intern that could make magic things happen in Flash, but not without
going through several hardware iterations to do so (he threw 2 machines off the
balcony). Flash sucks, Plain and simple. I hesitate to think that Microsoft
would be able to produce something better (I'd put much better odds on Adobe
doing so), if FrontPage is any indication, then Microsoft has little chance of
success.

But flash is still a poor excuse for a real media app. I know that it has
lots of spiffy features (PHP, SQL, Server-side support), but that does not
change the face that it cannot act as an effective tool for media designers. It
just can't. Flash will be a blip on the radar screen of the history of the WWW.
An insignificant one at best.

If MM got their S**T together and

1. Fixed the bugs
2. Fixed the interface
3. Apologized to the users

Then they MIGHT stand a chance at continuing to dominate this media space.
As things sit, the first viable technology that comes along stands a good
chance of taking their crown away.

Flash is the Quark of internet development. They don't give a CRAP about their
customers, and they develop poor code. Pity pity pity to all who work with MM
and who use Flash.

Pity.

[q][i]Originally posted by: [b][b]glennn1137[/b][/b][/i]
i wonder, then, if it's such a piece of crap, why three quarters of the web
has at least some flash content...

you people would need three promotions to make "moron".

microsoft over macromedia. you've exposed your ignorance - no wonder you can't
make it work.[/q]

Look MM have a monopoly in this area, so obviously where there's no choice ppl
will just have to put up with whatever tool is available. That is NOT grounds
for praising software which is hard to use and full of glitches, idiosyncrasies
and bugs.

Also, bashing one software vendor over another is pointless. Products are
developed by specific teams - and that may well include sub-contractors who are
entirely separate companies. There's no point bashing MM as a whole when it is
the Flash developement team that is at fault here.

And I need to add to the list of complaints that Flash's support for bitmap
images is appalling. STOP CHANGING OUR IMAGES ON IMPORT! And add some decent
transparency support while you're at it.

Rant over.

PS using v5.0a on Mac

guys/gals/whoever,
this thread is rediculously embarrassing - calling each other names over a
piece of software is humiliating at best - throwing more than 1 entire machine
off of a balcony because of a software program is inredibly extreme and i find
it simply hard to believe - in fact many accusations are way over the top and
some i have never heard of or have never been able to duplicate in all my years
of using flash successfully - so from my point of view, thanks flash for giving
me a career i otherwise amy not have.
as for the tone of this thread - it's juvenile and unprofessional and does
nothing to help anybody except original poster get some over the top
frustrations off his/her chest.
although i've seen many threads like these end up with 40+ replies, i'm sure
this one's no different. so have fun name calling peeps. it just makes
everybody sound rediculous. sorry - i step off my soapbox now.

Perhaps there wouldn't be so many posts to answer if the software did what people expect it to do.

[q][i]Originally posted by: [b][b]Flash Ex-user[/b][/b][/i]
Perhaps there wouldn't be so many posts to answer if the software did what
people expect it to do.

Either way, I'm not checking this thread again. I'll still use DW, but Flash
is dead.[/q]

LOL - i knew it. it's always about having the last word.
i'd actually love to talk about some of these flash issues in a more
productive manner - i just dont seem to have most of these issues/problems, nor
does any piece of software tend to get me as emotional and upset.

[quoted text, click to view]

You should see my posts in regard to this product. Would say it's way off from 'praise'.
And i'm not the only one so you not alone .
It does have annoyances , maybe more than other apps. Not just the bugs are annoying
but the fact that macromedia do not fix them . Unlike adobe, i'm sure you experience , where team
openly talk about new release problems and soon after based on user feedback they release patches ,
macromedia does not. They arrogant , they call bugs features and they never release upgrades.
For the first time in years for MX 2004 but that's because this app really could not breath at all.

There are formats of files that flash does not like. In many years
I just work out my way in learning what it does prefer and what it does not so I output in most
friendly format possible. By now it became routine so I don't experience crashes much.
As long as microsoft does not release competing tool , which I hope they will, macromedia will grow
just more bold , w/o concern of user like me and you and many others. Till than you can only get
over it and try to work your way along flash's habits. Wait some more, MS coming out with something
, if there is substitute , than many will move away from flash, than macromedia will go back in
place and focus again on suiting the users not the share holders.

Just chill with the words, I know for a fact that there is plenty under age coming here .
My dear friends kids come to read the forum. They 12 and 14 , just playing with flash for fun.
I do get pissed at times and I do throw words but even then I try to remember not to go too far.
They get it enough from hip hop on mtv , keep this place free from that , at least.....

[quoted text, click to view]

SWiSHmax ?

phatkow.. do you deny that you developed or were a part of the development of
Flash? as a developer, you will rarely come across the bugs that your users
see, simply because they break things in ways you would never even think of..

I can totally relate to the maniacal rantings of the auithor of this post. I
wll admit that I am a beginner to Flash
but there is no doubt that this program is the most cimbersome thing I have
ever seen.

I am an experienced computer user from the world of Illustrator, Photoshop,
and Painter ( in fact I teach
Illustrator and Photoshop at the college level) so I have a good understanding
when something is intuitive
and Flash is not. Now I am not qualified to bash this program because I am
relatively new to it but I have uttered worse
phrases than we have seen here when using this program.

People tend to defend and accept that which they are use to but compared to
the world of Adobe this product simply
is 2nd rate. I was forced to recreate some animations from AfterEffects in
Flash which is how I started my journey with Flash and I had just started in AE
as well. NO COMPARISON....PERIOD ( not in regards to web but for animation)

Yes, the gentlemans language was harsh but extremely accurate. Flash is
everywhere but that does not make it a quality product.

By the way the Flash to Quark comparison was right on the head!!

I don't believe that its crapware, but I don't usually use it to import other
file formats. I can honestly say that MX 2004 is the best version so far with
much more documentation than regular MX or the other versions I used. Of
course there is room for improvement. And of course illustrator can open an
eps better than Flash. No contridiction here.

But I love Flash, I think about coding in actionscript on my drive home from
work and I can't wait to try a new idea out when I see what the other
developers and designers are doing. I can't say that you'll be missed in the
Flash community, Ex-Flash User since you haven't been around long enough to be
a part yet. For the other developers, spearhead efforts to improve on Flash
code and classes. Find workarounds and post them.

I visit AMDMB.com all the time and of course we find problems with software
and games, but the point is to help eachother find the hacks and workarounds to
get the job done.

Now, I don't believe everyone can contribute right away, but why bash
something when we already understand that its the Holy Grail of developement.

[q][i]Originally posted by: [b][b]cjard[/b][/b][/i]
phatkow.. do you deny that you developed or were a part of the development of
Flash? as a developer, you will rarely come across the bugs that your users
see, simply because they break things in ways you would never even think
of..[/q]

i totally accept the fact that various users will experience various
bugs/issues simply because flash can be used in so many ways - which is why
when 1 person calls it crap isn't enough to go on - sure - it could easily be
pure crap for anybody depending on their needs - for me, there's nothing that
even comes close yet (although it seems Swish is in the running) but that's
where MY needs come - i'm sure they're completely different from the original
poster's needs.
that's what makes flash so cool - total programmers who dont know or care to
draw even a stick figure can spend 20 hours a day with flash - and then there
are pure artisits who have trouble with stop actions that can spend 20 hours a
day with flash - and then their are those in between - it's what makes flash so
versatile - so when 1 person jumps on a soap box and colorfully calls it crap
for him - well, that's why there's a free trial - and if you dont like it -
then move on to something else - but the nature of this post is just a rant to
get attention and possibly try and feel better about having had such an awful
time with a product - believe me, i have had some really bad experiences with
software and support - but for my needs - flash has not been one of them -
again, for MY needs, which in comparison to most are probably primitive ;)

-regards

[q][i]Originally posted by: [b][b]phatkow[/b][/b][/i]
[Q][I]Originally posted by: [B][B]cjard[/B][/B][/I]
phatkow.. do you deny that you developed or were a part of the development of
Flash? as a developer, you will rarely come across the bugs that your users
see, simply because they break things in ways you would never even think
of..[/Q]

i totally accept the fact that various users will experience various
bugs/issues simply because flash can be used in so many ways - which is why
when 1 person calls it crap isn't enough to go on - sure - it could easily be
pure crap for anybody depending on their needs - for me, there's nothing that
even comes close yet (although it seems Swish is in the running) but that's
where MY needs come - i'm sure they're completely different from the original
poster's needs.
that's what makes flash so cool - total programmers who dont know or care to
draw even a stick figure can spend 20 hours a day with flash - and then there
are pure artisits who have trouble with stop actions that can spend 20 hours a
day with flash - and then their are those in between - it's what makes flash so
versatile - so when 1 person jumps on a soap box and colorfully calls it crap
for him - well, that's why there's a free trial - and if you dont like it -
then move on to something else - but the nature of this post is just a rant to
get attention and possibly try and feel better about having had such an awful
time with a product - believe me, i have had some really bad experiences with
software and support - but for my needs - flash has not been one of them -
again, for MY needs, which in comparison to most are probably primitive ;)

i freely admit flash has bugs and usability issues (for me) but i didnt choose
to abandon the program because of them - instead i find simple work-arounds and
keep going - no software is perfect (although After Effects comes pretty darn
close) and flash does for me what i need it to do and more - in fact i use only
about 50% of the program's potential - ultimately, i'd simply rather see a more
constructive complaint, one that tries to figure out if the issues are user
error or if responses can yield work arounds for the user who started this
thread - instead it just seemed like he/she wanted to vent and then get the
last word in.

-regards[/q]

I would like to direct this reply to the Team Macromedia senior member
"phatkow":

I agree that "Ex-user" is a little uptight about this issue and that several
comments on this thread a little extreme; HOWEVER, I certainly understand their
frustrations about the product. I am also having lots of problems working with
and learning Flash MX 2004 (somewhat less so with Dreamweaver MX 2004).

I thought that upgrading to the 7.01 release would solve my problems with bugs
and crashes, but it actually got worse. I could not even test a movie. It would
just hang, as if in slow motion. I could not even cancel the operation. I had
to go back to 7.0.

For the record, I am using a Mac G4 Laptop on OS X .3.3 with 1GB ram.

I am currently struggling with an Actionscript issue in which I found a simple
password script (on the actionscript forum) and tried to use it with 2004 (see
my posting under Actionscript 2.0 compatible password script), but it didn't
work. I am trying to adapt it by looking on the actionscript forum for clues,
and am making some progress, but it's VERY frustrating.

My point is that there is validity to these complaints. Flash is very hard to
learn and use because of bugs and interface problems. It may be hard for you to
understand because you may have used Flash for a long time and have come to
understand its quirks, but for newbies and people used to Adobe software (which
I agree is better written and implemented) it is very frustating using most
Macromedia products.

I also agree with the similarity to Quark. I have been frustrated with their
arrogance and lack of decent customer relations for YEARS. I am finally going
be rid of them, because now I feel that InDesign is going to make it in the
marketplace and is a better product.

The thing is that Flash and Dreamweaver have powerful features, but they are a
pain to learn and use. I hope someone at Macromedia is watching this thread. It
is extremely important to do something about it.

In desperation, I signed up for Macromedia University in January, and am STILL
waiting for courses on the Studio MX 2004 products. This is not professional.
These products have been out for the better part of a year, and still no help.

Somebody please make Macromedia understand the frustrations of many of their
paying customers!

Please respond.

i agree 100% with everything you are saying.
i have often said to many people/friends trying flash for the first time
recently that i'm glad i am not trying to learn it now from the ground up - it
was much easier to learn it from version 3 and with each new release. same goes
for many programs.
erain's Swift 3D software has the best written manuals i have ever read - they
are very clear and concise, and also very simple and often very amusing - as
close to *fun* as you could have reading a manual - I believe flash could
benefit from something along these lines. There are gobs of online resources
and tutorials about how to so most anything with flash - but with MX04 and no
"normal" mode - i'm glad i started with flash back in the day when it was
primarily a designer/animator's tool - i like the fact that AS has come so far
- but now it seems Flash has lost it's *fun* side and is now marketed as an
expert-only developer's tool for RIA and the like. MM hardly seems to
recogonize the vast amount of flash used for TV animated series nowadays - i
see it everywhere - Cartoon Network, Comedy Central, etc....

but for now, yes - i know how flash works and it's quirks - and if you're a
newcomer - well that's why there's forums like this and people like me and the
many other superior team members and developers/designers out there that answer
questions on a daily basis - hell i still learn new things with flash every
week even after all this time - it's not one of those programes you finish
reading the manual and you've learned all there is to know - it's organic -
it's whatever you make of it - like a big ball of clay - once you get past the
fundamentals then you can understand how to mold it into what you want.

Thank you, phatkow, for responding to my comments. I hope the situation will
improve for Flash MX04 users.

That said, my current problem is trying to be productive with the product
right now. A lot of the scripts I've found to do what I want to do aren't
specific to MX04, and usually don't work. Are you using MX04? Have you worked
with the screens based design mode? I noticed there seem to be special issues
with that and navigation, AS, etc.

How can I best use these forums to answer questions relating to MX04? I am
still waiting for an answer on my post in the AS forum, and I've seen several
unanswered posts. What do I need to do to increase my chances of getting help?

I would appreciate any advice you may have on this.

Thanks!

If you don't like it, don't buy it. And hey - we're all gonna die anyway,
right?

--
---------------------------------------
http://www.phageinteractive.com
PhageInteractive Ltd.
remove mm_ to mail
---------------------------------------
'If I come across as a grumpy and twisted old man, it's just because I'm a
grumpy, twisted, old man." - me
---------------------------------------

..

When it comes to interactive websites, nothing beats flash. A small plugin that
is adaptive with nearly every web browser, and has an extremely fast loading
time for very functional abilities. There is nothing else on the market right
now that can even compete with Macromedia Flash, and nor do I see one coming in
the near future. If Microsoft was to make a product similar, it would be only
another product for anti-Microsoft consumers to whine about. If you do not like
the program, don't buy it. Take the 30-day trial from Macromedia's homepage,
and if it doesn't suit your tastes, delete it! Preferably don't use the
manufacturer's forum to complain about it. That is what customer service is
for. In the meantime, for those who need help with other problems, continue to
feel free to post on the forum.

[q][i]Originally posted by: [b][b]LeeNSCC[/b][/b][/i]
Thank you, phatkow, for responding to my comments. I hope the situation will
improve for Flash MX04 users.

That said, my current problem is trying to be productive with the product
right now. A lot of the scripts I've found to do what I want to do aren't
specific to MX04, and usually don't work. Are you using MX04? Have you worked
with the screens based design mode? I noticed there seem to be special issues
with that and navigation, AS, etc.

How can I best use these forums to answer questions relating to MX04? I am
still waiting for an answer on my post in the AS forum, and I've seen several
unanswered posts. What do I need to do to increase my chances of getting help?

I would appreciate any advice you may have on this.

Thanks![/q]

i'm using MX and MX04 about 50/50. i work with many different clients and
teams and not all have upgraded to MX04 - and all have heard too many negative
things about it - so i find myslef working with MX still a lot. I have been
working with MX04 for some private clients but honestly, i'm not using anything
that MX doesnt offer - I'm not a developer or a programmer - i'm a designer &
animator - so for me, MX04 doesnt have much to offer since their were hardly
any design/drawing enhancements - my AS skills are limited and MX04 makes it
that much harder for me to write code - although i personally welcome the
challenge of no normal mode and most of the time in MX i'm in expert mode - but
solely to push myself to learn the hard way - if i were a total newbie MX04
would be way to over my head - especially without a good solid manual to have
open next to me.

I dont use components, i dont use screens - not even sure wht they are -
something about screens being for the user who doesnt want to understand the
timelines in flash? anyway - i have no use for them - 99% of my clients hire me
for my design and animation skills - anything beyond that and some intermediate
AS and bring in my programmer.

as far as getting answers from this forum - make your subjects descriptive -
always copy/paste your code and be patient (sounds like you already have).
almost every question has already been asked/answered and i commonly find the
google archive of every thread very useful:

[L=http://groups.google.com/advanced_group_search?hl=en&as_ugroup=*flash*]http:/
/groups.google.com/advanced_group_search?hl=en&as_ugroup=*flash*[/L]

bookmark it - use it - it's the greates source for flash answers i know of.

hope this helps.

Simply not true phtakow. Look at this forum; a post every 10 minutes from some
user, newbie or not, unable to do something with Flash. What does that tell you
about a) the documentation and b) the lack of documentation combined with the
lack of updates, internal bug tracking, and software full of those very, very
special "features." Many if not most of these posts go unanswered. Look for the
ones with 0 replies to find the MM bugs. It's a comapny that plainly buries its
mistakes to keep selling what should never have been released in the first
place. It's a shameful practice and users are obviously sick of it. You may now
polish your MM team member logo and return to newspeak.

[quoted text, click to view]


[quoted text, click to view]

I guess it depends on what you are used to. I've always found Adobe
software cumbersome and unintuitive.


--
Cheers,
Linda Rathgeber
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Learn Fireworks Visual Effects with "RAZZLE DAZZLE"
http://www.webdevbiz.com/pwf/
Victoriana | http://www.projectseven.com
Playing with Fire | http://www.playingwithfire.com
Team MM Fireworks Volunteer | www.macromedia.com/go/team
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Actually 9/10 of those posts *are* covered by the documentation - people are
just too lazy or stupid to use it.

--
---------------------------------------
http://www.phageinteractive.com
PhageInteractive Ltd.
remove mm_ to mail
---------------------------------------
'If I come across as a grumpy and twisted old man, it's just because I'm a
grumpy, twisted, old man." - me
---------------------------------------

..

[q][i]Originally posted by: [b][b]huecoTanks[/b][/b][/i]
Simply not true phtakow. Look at this forum; a post every 10 minutes from some
user, newbie or not, unable to do something with Flash. What does that tell you
about a) the documentation and b) the lack of documentation combined with the
lack of updates, internal bug tracking, and software full of those very, very
special "features." Many if not most of these posts go unanswered. Look for the
ones with 0 replies to find the MM bugs. It's a comapny that plainly buries its
mistakes to keep selling what should never have been released in the first
place. It's a shameful practice and users are obviously sick of it. You may now
polish your MM team member logo and return to newspeak.[/q]

i stongly disagree. yes we see many posts asking many questions - but in my
many years on this exact forum - i cant tell you many times i have seen the
most basic flash questions being asked everyday - sometimes more then once in a
single day - and the answers are as easy as hitting the F1 key. i'm not saying
ALL problems can be found this way - since flash can be used in so many ways,
there's often times no solution to a problem in the help docs due to the custom
nature of the project. But more often than not - in my experience on this forum
- and i have posted thousands of threads - way beyond the number seen next to
my name in the web forum - about 75% of all questions here can be found either
in the help docs or by searching the fourm for the same question previously
asked answered.

[q][i]Originally posted by: [b][b]huecoTanks[/b][/b][/i]
You may now polish your MM team member logo and return to newspeak.[/q]

not sure why I am under attack for being a team member - what was the point of
that comment?
I was a newbie once too. At that time I found this forum to be a wealth of
information and I still do. In return, I chose to give back to the forum by
helping as many flash users as i possibly could. i posted for a couple years
and thousands of threads before being asked to be a member. and yes - i will go
and polish it - i'm proud of it. and i will use it to help you and anyone else
who asks.
-regards.

Originally posted by: huecoTanks
[Q]You may now polish your MM team member logo and return to newspeak.[/Q]

I understand that you are frustrated with MM but there is no need for personal
attacks like that. I have always found that Phatkow has responded fairly and
with an open mind to criticisms of MM products and if you stick around these
forums for a while, I?m sure you?ll come to the same conclusion.

My $0.02: If this is 'crap' you ought to
try....the...alternatives....are there any?

Trying to fuse ColdFusion into DW and Flash must be giving MM fits.
Seems they've transferred some of those fits to us in a kind of real
world, open-source development project. The scripter-developers are
probably drooling on their keyboards. But there is frustration for those
of us who make a living producing visually rich environments and need to
be able to work quickly and efficiently to keep food on the table. (I
just lost a week trying to make asfunction work as documented, but it
doesn't, so I doubled back and built my routine the 'old' way: in a
timeline. Took an hour.) In retrospect, they should have kept MXPro in
beta until they could have made useful interfaces to the script
functionality, thus keeping us right-brain types away from the AS panel.

Still, I refer to my opening statement. If one thinks this is crap, try
the alternatives. The end result of the open-source experiment ought to
be one heck of a program! Just hope it's out before 2010!

-will.

[quoted text, click to view]