Comments on: iPhlash or just a flash in a pan

By: Just a flash in the pan then

Just a flash in the pan then — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 12:59:04 +0000

[...] Just a quick follow-up to a post I made a while back iPhlash or just a flash in the pan. [...]

By: Jethro Grassie

Jethro Grassie — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:11:00 +0000

@Matthew
Trying to mimic a native operating system UI always fails.
In fact an earlier version of the Flash Components (back in Macromedia days… Flash 5 I think it was) attempted this and it never matched native Windows or Mac UI. Not even close.

By: Matthew Fabb

Matthew Fabb — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:17:32 +0000

The mobile Flex framework will likely have a iPhone theme, making it easy to create an iPhone-friendly application with Flex. Even if it doesn’t I imagine the Flash community would make one, as there’s already of talks of Flash creators making an iPhone set of skins for Flash CS5 components.

That said it seems from various news articles since the big MAX announcement that Adobe has been working on Flash CS5 without input from Apple.

By: John

John — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 22:27:43 +0000

What Adobe is doing is not really any different than what Unity3d, PhoneGap and others are doing. They are providing an alternative method outside of Xcode of developing iPhone apps. If Apple were to shut this practice down, it would reach much further than just Adobe Flash CS5.

Regarding your two concerns, I’m not really concerned by either. Issues of performance will be weeded out quickly enough. Badly performing apps will get a bad rep and not sell. If Adobe can’t bring the performance during the export process, then the developers that choose that route will fail, and ultimately, Adobe will need to re-think their strategy.

As for consistent look and feel, its important for developers, regardless if you are using Xcode, Unity3d, Flash or whatever, not to break established UI metaphors, but that doesn’t mean you cant brand your mobile app with your own look-n-feel. I’d be willing to bet that nearly 8 out of 10 apps on the iTunes Store aren’t using the default look-n-feel but instead are using custom graphics. Adobe’s mobile framework is just their look-n-feel for their light-weight controls. A button will still be a button, a scrollbar still a scrollbar, etc. It’s important to remember that Apple’s HIG are guidelines, and just that.. “guides”, not steadfast rules. When doing UI work, there are times you need to stay within the lines and sometimes, there are times you can color outside the lines.