Hello to everyone

[drakkonblade]

I will ask what you've heard probably many times.
but first let me tell you i have no programming experience...0.

What i do know is inter-level 3d max and flash cs3. basicaly i can do graphics with patience and time :).

what i do want is to learn actionscript 3. why? to make a dream into a reality...i worked long enough with programmers and seen what theyve done and are amazed by it. Yes i can and did ask them for their opinion but due to fact their bias as they like to use c-sharp or java or.... to them actionscript is lame....(*^%(%^*%*().....:(

so i think i rather talk and hear (read) your opinion on the matter as you all know best or at least are more experienced in it.

why i want to learn it?
because i think that acs3 has potential of becoming something more and is also very graphic oriented so making a nice game I THINK is really possible...

what is the problem?
I have no clue on where or how to start to learn it..yes most things ive learned were self taught but i dont know why i think or feel i dont know how to go about it....

do i go pickup a book and which??? do i go to Lynda.com and learn it all from them from basics to ...??? do i pick a tutorial project even though i don't know what a variable is or a class...and try to understand via a project???

see my dillema basic and lame as it is to some i want a direction from those that were stuck somewhat in same position and how did they find it best to learn acs3 when they knew nothing of it..


thank you for responding:D

Drakkonblade

[evride]

they are prolly laughing because of the history actionscript has had. in AS1 days, it sucked. it looked stupid, worked badly and slowly, and was used by 14 year old kids to make extremely bad games.

AS2 made it better, and now AS3 is the shiznit. its a much more respectable language now but many ignorant people don't know. VERY nice apps can be made in AS3 and easily ported to any desktop - Windows, Linux, Mac - using AIR (but please do not give AIR a bad name by misusing it).

and tell that Java user to stfu. Flash is very much like Java now in sytax and structure. Java also seems to be a dying language while Flash is picking up steam.

Also, flash player 10 is in development and early demos have shown to be VERY promising with sweet features with better textboxes and built in 3D and sweet bitmap blend modes. so learn AS3 now (forget AS2 and AS1) and be on the fast moving bandwagon.

example of AS3 work (in Flex) - https://www.photoshop.com/express/index.html?bypass&wf=testdrive

[drakkonblade]

thanks for response and comforting words my new friend. maybe i can ask for your opinion on my other questions i've asked too??

QUOTE:
"....what is the problem?
I have no clue on where or how to start to learn it..yes most things ive learned were self taught but i dont know why i think or feel i dont know how to go about it....

do i go pickup a book and which??? do i go to Lynda.com and learn it all from them from basics to ...??? do i pick a tutorial project even though i don't know what a variable is or a class...and try to understand via a project???

see my dillema basic and lame as it is to some i want a direction from those that were stuck somewhat in same position and how did they find it best to learn acs3 when they knew nothing of it.."

thank you again everyone who responds

[evride]

and to learn AS3. i suggest just making a few conceptual apps or games. maybe get a book. just learn the basics. after you got that down you can just use Adobe Livedocs to learn everything you want to know.


best AS tutorial site is prolly www.gotoandlearn.com. the most recent (and AS3) tutorials are at the top. some of the video tutorials are in AS2.

main thing is to just keep playing with it.


And since you are a designer, you may want to take a look at Thermo in Adobe Labs. in demos it has shown to be very easy for a designer to create flex apps with.
Thermo demo (http://aralbalkan.com/1050)

[drakkonblade]

a question on your comment if i may....i want to know your opinion on some matters of learniong it....


i singed up to lynda.com do you think the course.. "ActionScript 3.0 in Flash CS3 Professional Essential Training.." is a good start to learn the basics of asc3...
and do i do the rest that are there to perfect my asc3 understanding....


or do i just need to do tutorials. the danger i worry i do not know what a class or variable or function or...is and ....

basicaly i feel i lack the basics or you think it aint essential and just start on the idea in my head and as time goes on with many tutorials i become better....

OR learn basics like from lynda.com and....

thank you again as can see i am indecisive

[evride]

um...
check my previous post, i edit them a lot after first posting.

anyways, the classes will be hard to remember at times since you don't use all of them as frequently. functions and vars you create so it won't be hard to remember.
i've never used lynda before.

here's some quick starter stuff.


here's how to create a var.

var dude:String = new String("Hi Dude");
var obj:Object = new Object();
var num:Number;

//the :Number strong-types that var to a Number object. that means it can ONLY be a number



here's how to create a function

function dude(){
trace("hey dude"); //the trace command prints out whatever was inside the trace command onto the output window.
}



here's how to create a listener

var num:Number = new Number();
stage.addEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, addToNum);
function addToNum(evt:Event){
num++;
}

//here, since an event listener is calling the function you have to have a Event passed to the function. so inside the () i have evt:Event. without it you would get an error.





last thing

var dude:Array = new Array("hello", "darn", "shiznizzle");

function flashtext(){
var hi:String = dude[1];
trace(hi); //would print "darn" without the quotes in the output window.
}
trace(hi); //you cannot use a var outside of a function if the variable was created inside the function. it is a local var only to that function.


planey = 10; //this would not work because you didnt create the var with the "var" before the variable name.

[drakkonblade]

i checked thermo; the video. it is interesting but as they talkin about flex and ....seems it will be beyond me for a bit but a thing to look into the future when making a game or....


i want to ask you if you have time to go to lynda.com site and state your opinion on their asc3 section.


the codes you stated were nice but alien to me for now.....hoping the future will make me understand it better as i learn it...

i will go to the site you mentioned too but if i understand your learning method is to do tutorials as much i can and as time advances i will be good enough and even better to know what and how to do things ...my only concern and danger in that is i will run into terms i do not know of or never heard of....


thanks again for patience and seeing my dillema in finding a best method to learn asc3....

i know not everyone learns the same but as i said i am a baby to this and i need the core basics like...."cant teach someone to run before walking":)


thanks again EVDOG:D

[ASWC]

Java also seems to be a dying language while Flash is picking up steam.

evdog, Java has never been so alive and is the back bone of Flexbuilder for example. It's used everywhere even maybe in your car!

[drakkonblade]

70 viewers and only one input.....

i am sure there others with opinion that i would love to hear from also and am greatfull to evdog taking the time to answer my questions.


thanks again :)

[BernzSed]

Yeah, Java is still used here and there.

The trend in computing has been shifting from low-level compiled languages like C++ to higher-level languages like c# and Java.
In fact, almost nobody uses C++ anymore outside of maintaining legacy systems. Low-level languages (like C) are often used in embedded systems, but never for anything with a user interface.

At the same time, ActionScript is becoming a more and more capable language, so it's been becoming more and more popular.

Learning Actionscript won't give you job security for the rest of your career; as with anything else, you always have to keep up with trends and have a broad knowledge. However, ActionScript is popular now, and is definitely not a bad beginner's language. I would definitely recommend learning Java at some point, though; it's the language that all other languages are compared to.

[ASWC]

almost nobody uses C++ anymore outside of maintaining legacy systems.
Well, game companies love C++ since it's nothing more than the fastest language around and it's also one of the most used for desktop application. It's anyway useless to compare actionscript with Java or C++ since even with AS4 on the way, actionscript will still be just a scripting language with a few classes to work with (I say a few since for Java or C++ you have thousands of classes to work with!).

[drakkonblade]

interesting but to know asc3 is a good start as it is a trend of the future and to make a career on it wont be hard depending on requirements.

well the question is if i understand asc3 well enough. will my understanding be better of other languages or need to learn the others and then asc3. or doesnt matter plainly what you learn as first language but depends how well you know it???

Also what things in acs3 comes easy that doesnt come in other languages if anyone would compare...or they all the same but as someone said asc3 in baby stages....

if someone told me to do an app or game...would it be the same as doing it in asc3 or java or csharp or......

basically is asc3 a new comfortable language that with growth has the potential to create and evolve or was it meant to be something basic even though the things ive seen people do with it or claim that can be done with it is limited by your imagination.....

my question is by learning asc3? Am i taking the right steps of learning a language and understanding it? so i can also work easier in the future on java which some say is similar in some ways ....

thanks also if people can tell me there learning methods of learning a new language was at first as i am a total newbie....

thanks to all those that responded.

[ASWC]

True, learning AS3 will make the learning of other language easier, especially Java since AS3 looks a lot like Java. Now one big difference to notice is that Flash technology is a web technology before all and now it's spreading on the desktop with AIR but still Java or C++ can offer a lot more in term of what you can create with Java being cross OS (more or less) but a lot slower than C++ which is not cross OS.

[BernzSed]

I'll second that.

It all boils down to this: What languages you know and how well you know them are not important. What really matters is how broad your knowledge is, how well you can adapt to new environments, and how much of what you know you can take with you. ActionScript is a good start, but a resumé that just has the word ACTIONSCRIPT printed in huge letters across an otherwise blank sheet of paper won't get you very far.

[drakkonblade]

i understand and thank you/......

i realized my error so to say....

my learning method was to read chapter in asc3 try memorize code instead of understanding concept..was told not to memorize the code but understand the concept and just know what is a variable but not try to memorize all of them but instead know where to look for them or what they for....

well back to basics any advice always welcomed


thanks again

[evride]

well first of, its AS3 not ASC3. lol. might help you find better books.