Coder vs. Programmer

[Raphaela]

So i've never been aloud to say I "program" or that "I am a programmer". I was always a CODER because you code in HTML, CSS, even in JavaScript. These are all SCRIPTING languages.

My question is, since AS2.0 is OOP based and java-esque (it even says so in Traning from the Source) do I finally get to be an actually programmer now??

Raphaela

[mmm..pi..3.14..]

I suppose so, but in my opinion a programmer is someone who writes programs designed to work with the computer. Some might consider flash movies to be a "program", but I see programs as something that interacts with the actual computer that it's on. Of course, if you get something like Zinc to make flash interact with the computer, then flash movies could be considered programs, but a regular flash movie I think would just be considered an element in a website or something similar, since it doesn't really do anything to the users computer.

If you are however using some of the more popular scripting languages with flash (i.e. - PHP, ASP, CGI, PERL, etc...), then I suppose you are a programmer, since advanced scripting languages like those can do stuff with the computer, like create a text file and write to it.

Just my 2 cents :rolleyes: It's all a matter of opinion though...

Eric

[Gibberish]

I don't think there is an exact definition. Coder, Programmer, Scripter, Developer all seem to have the same qualifications, just different mediums.

I call myself an Interactive Developer or Interactive Media Consultant (official title I use for corporate clients paperwork). As I do not just deal with flash but server side scripting as well.

[red penguin]

I just tell people I'm a 'hacker'. That usually shuts them up.
(Flash is such a hack at times though, don't you think?)

I develop. I code. I program...

...I hack.

I was recently hanging with a bunch of SysAdmin types as well as C# .NET programmers. When asked what I do, I said I program.
Oh...like C# and .NET stuff?
No. I program Flash.

His response was:
Oh...you must be real smart then.

Either he was taking the piss out of me or paying a compliment. Either way...I didn't respond. I didn't care.

I make front end programs using Flash as the UI. Interaction with DB's, handling queries to/from said DB's and PERL, WebServices, Tracking, etc, etc... And I do it well.

It does get technical but when you tell people that you "program Flash", they tend to immediately think of Flash websites...bells and whistles.

I'm just fortunate to have found a place that sees the value in Flash as the frontend. Not for *all* business solutions, but for some of them, we do a damn fine job of handling mucho data.

[CyanBlue]

I'm just fortunate to have found a place that sees the value in Flash as the frontend. Not for *all* business solutions, but for some of them, we do a damn fine job of handling mucho data.
Ditto... and I call myself a slacker... :D

I don't really see a difference between all those terms... What's important is the logic behind your app not the title you have... The app can be a Flash standalone, or combination of all other softwares that you can think of... ;)

[Timmee_3Styler]

I just tell people I'm a 'hacker'. That usually shuts them up.
(Flash is such a hack at times though, don't you think?)

I develop. I code. I program...

...I hack.

I was recently hanging with a bunch of SysAdmin types as well as C# .NET programmers. When asked what I do, I said I program.
Oh...like C# and .NET stuff?
No. I program Flash.

His response was:
Oh...you must be real smart then.

Either he was taking the piss out of me or paying a compliment. Either way...I didn't respond. I didn't care.

I make front end programs using Flash as the UI. Interaction with DB's, handling queries to/from said DB's and PERL, WebServices, Tracking, etc, etc... And I do it well.

It does get technical but when you tell people that you "program Flash", they tend to immediately think of Flash websites...bells and whistles.

I'm just fortunate to have found a place that sees the value in Flash as the frontend. Not for *all* business solutions, but for some of them, we do a damn fine job of handling mucho data.

an entirely agree... the perception of flash is that it is all bells and whistles :(

[Cota]

I'm with CyanBlue on this one, I'm a slacker as well.

Its like this, I script, I program, DBA, and all that good jazz....Does anyone really care where "we' techinically fall in the spectrum? And for those that do, please, get over it. We do what we do cause we like it, not for a title.

And I agree, flash is just as good for handling data as the next technology.

[snapple]

His response was:
Oh...you must be real smart then.


I think he was taking the piss. I have to side with what a few people have said. The fact is that Actionscript is s truly awful language, it still hangs on to its ECMA roots which is stupid.

Flash has a gimmicky status, it's so high level, if only Adobe would take it down, slightly closer to the operating system, make it s fully fledged OO language (it is, despite any 'manuals', not really a strictly typed object oriented language. I dare not mention Flash to any senior software engineers at university, why? Because they laugh, laugh, then laugh a little bit more. Mis-guided or not (yes, i'm 23 & still in education).

btw, my own definition of languages is that, the higher level it is, the more it is a scripting language. I mean, let's face it, in Flash, you have to do absolutely ****-all, no garbage collection, no 'segmentation-fault' errors, no array out of bounds, no linker or object code errors - PHP, AS, etc etc, in my opinion are scripting languages. Assembly, C, Miranda are programming languages. I wouldn't consider CSS etc as coding, they are all subets of HTML, therefore are simply mark-up langauges.

Regards, snapple

[CyanBlue]

I wouldn't consider CSS etc as coding, they are all subets of HTML, therefore are simply mark-up langauges.
I find those MLs whole lot harder than ActionScript... :(

[tg]

I find those MLs whole lot harder than ActionScript... :(


only because your not used to working with them... they're really quite easy.... i'm still working on getting my head wrapped around xslt. it makes my head hurt sometimes.

[Gibberish]

I would think trying to wrap your head around anything would result in some pain ;)

[tg]

I would think trying to wrap your head around anything would result in some pain ;)

indeed!
along with quite a bit of bruising and blood.

[CyanBlue]

only because your not used to working with them... they're really quite easy.... i'm still working on getting my head wrapped around xslt. it makes my head hurt sometimes.
Yeah... It's easy for you to say that... I automatically get headache whenever I hear something like XML or HTML or Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx... :(

[Raphaela]

Yeah... It's easy for you to say that... I automatically get headache whenever I hear something like XML or HTML or Xxx :( Maybe its TOO easy? Like, uber smart people that can't tie their shoelaces? You're just too smart for a dumb little scripting language.

[Timmee_3Styler]

I think that is the reason right there but it depends on the scope that Cyanblue is puzzled about. The general idea of XML is not too hard to understand but you need to know alot before you can be a guru imo

[CyanBlue]

Well... I have many reasons but this is the biggest reason why I generally say that HTML is whole lot harder than ActionScript...

Doing the HTML itself is not really the hard part... BUT, it requires understanding of many other elements to incorporate them into the HTML page such as Flash, video, graphics, sound not to mention other technologies such as JavaScript, XML to name a few...

But, you only need to know how to embed the Flash movie into the HTML page or/and XML and Server side script interaction if your main job is a Flasher... Know where I am getting at??? That's all... ;)