In March, Macromedia created quite a stir in the community by releasing a completely new version of their Web site (www.macromedia.com). This beta version of the site reflected the Macromedia vision of the way Flash can be used with ColdFusion (or any other application server) to deliver rich Internet content on the Web. The site redesign was met with mixed response from the community.

As you will soon see, whether you like the new site or not, it can serve as an opportunity to learn something new about developing rich Internet applications. The new site was the subject of several small discussions on the List - I will focus on one in particular that I found interesting.

Macromedia compiled a report on what they learned from the experience of developing and releasing the beta version of their site, which can be found at www.macromedia.com/special/progress_report/beta1/. Angela McGregor posted a link (http://rss.com.com/2009-1122-992201.html? type=pt&part=rss&tag=feed&subj=news ) to a CNET review of the new Macromedia site, stating that she agreed with the review and thought the article should be titled "Drunk on Flash."

This article criticized Macromedia for heavy use of Flash in order to make the site more "flashy" as opposed to using it more as a tool to "deliver value." It also reviews Forrester's three best practices for Web site design, which the author of the article obviously feels Macromedia did not follow. Devendra Shrikhande's response speculated whether or not Macromedia had read the article before compiling their own report.

Macromedia's own Server Community Manager, Christian Cantrell, chimed in to clarify that Macromedia had read the article, listened to user feedback, and had moved on to a beta 2 version of the site, which he advised us to visit (www.macromedia.com). Christian was responded to by TheaterMania Tech Department, who asked why the beta version was public rather than private, especially given the "bad press" that had resulted from replacing the existing macromedia.com site with the beta version. This is in reference to some Macromedia customers' and developers' complaints about slow load times, heavy use of Flash, and difficulties navigating the site, among other things.

The post sparked a discussion that brought up some very excellent points and gave credibility to Macromedia's decision to make the new site "live." Christian didn't deny that they certainly did take a risk launching the site publicly, but went on to validate their reasons and explain just how much they learned from the experience. Christian went on to explain that the information they gathered in such a short period of time was invaluable not only to Macromedia but to Web developers in general, and recommended everyone read the beta 1 report. He also brought up another very good point - Macromedia not only wanted to beta test the code, but also the concept.

I then responded that beta 1 of the site kind of made me feel the same way I did when I first saw the <blink> tag 10 years ago; it was "neat" for the first 10 minutes, but its "flashiness" soon annoyed me and I discovered that it had a tendency to result in seriously ugly Web pages. Beta 2 of the site is out now, and is much better. The beta 1 summary report is one of the best educational tools I've ever seen based on a real-world example. The summary is now out for beta 2 (currently at www.macromedia.com/special/progress_report/beta2.html) and shows just how much Macromedia has done to better the user experience on their site.

There are a few things Macromedia has done that really need emphasis. First and foremost, they released the beta version of the site to the public. This was a brave and daring thing to do, and Macromedia should be applauded for this. The site made excellent use of surveys to gather information from visitors, and beta 2 showed that Macromedia really did listen to what we had to say. That's another thing that needs mention - hats off to Macromedia for taking a chance and staying on the ball by immediately addressing issues and striving to better those things that the community has spoken up about such as faster load times, easier navigation, etc.

Macromedia should be applauded for writing the beta version progress reports and making them publicly available so that we may all learn from their experience. I strongly encourage all developers, particularly those interested in developing rich Internet applications, to read the progress reports. As new versions are released, Macromedia is continuing to record their findings at www.macromedia.com/special/progress_report/. Surely, macromedia.com will further evolve in the months ahead.

Speaking of upcoming news from Macromedia, at the time of this writing Macromedia has just publicly announced their new product - "Macromedia Central." Macromedia Central promises to deliver one unified interface that pulls in and displays content from various sources of data on the Web. You can think of Central as a portal for which Flash developers can build portlets - a browser for Flash applications, if you will. This "browser," just like traditional Web browsers, resides on the client machine, as do the Flash applications it houses. Many of these applications will be capable of functioning without a network connection but will also leverage the Web when you're online.

The product will use Web services and XML to interact with servers on the network (Web) and to allow information to stream to its interface in real time. Not only will content be available on- and offline, but it will allow for the sharing of data between the information portals that a user has chosen to load into the interface. This product looks to allow Flash developers to take their skills and applications to a whole new level in terms of usefulness and functionality.

Not much more has been publicly said about Central just yet, but look for more information in the very near future. I'm sure that the product will create quite a buzz in the community in the months to come. Central is slated to enter beta toward the middle to end of April and for release sometime this summer. You can find out more in the news section in this issue and at www.macromedia.com/software/central.