Learning as2, waste of time with as3 coming?

[flyingpickle]

as3 will be much different? Will I need to start learning everything over again?

particulary wondering if scripting Classes, Methods, Interfaces, Inheritance, Importing Interfaces, and xml interaction will change .

If it's months away, I'll stick with as2

I'm understanding as2, but it's a challenge.:eek:

[bombsledder]

actually as2 is the first step into oop for flash soo..learning as2 will actually help prepare your for as3 and if you know what i mean really the major differnece between as2 and as3 is the fact that you have to import almost all of the classes...i hope this clears it up for ya

[senocular]

A lot is different between AS2 and AS3. AS3 is a "new" language. AS2 is just a different syntax of AS1. As a result, you kind of have this bastard child of AS (talking about AS2 here) that wants to be what AS3 is but is restricted by the fact that is is just AS1.

The thing is, just because AS3 is coming, it doesnt mean it will be put to practical use any time soon. Since AS2 is just AS1, it can publish to Flash Player 6+. AS3 will only work for FP 8.5+.

Nevertheless, if classes and interfaces and whatnot are new to you, AS2 can get you started with that. Many of their behaviors will change in AS3, though. It will be different enough to be different but still be similar.

[hangalot]

as2 is a soft introduction to a lot of the as3 stuff as both the other two posters has said. i think what you also need to realise here is that you have not wasted your time learning as2, the jump from 1 to 3 is going to be difficult for most people innitially if they don't come from a programming background, but in enterprise enviroments as2 has been used as the defacto standard now for more than 2 years and knowing as2 is going to be considered a plus for a couple more years

[flyingpickle]

I'm a designer-type and the hottest places to work need the as2 kung-fu.

peace
:D

[hangalot]

yeah they do at the moment. 2 years ago if you knew as2 you could work for banks or simmiliary sized institutes now you can work for anybody. in a couple of years it will be the as3 kung fu... for everybody, but larger companies that do enterprise level work are already spending money on AS3 development

[phudy]

as far as i now know is as3 only available with flex2beta. but when will it be released for flash? when can i actually use it?

[Scottae]

Flash 9

[quikbot]

related question: is AS3 forcing the issue of exteranl .as files and class based development or will you still be able to have code i the fla file?

[senocular]

AS3 will be heavily class based and will still use external AS files. Classes in a package, however, can use the same AS file instead of being spread across many.

[hangalot]

back in he day when AS3 was still part of flash 8 you could not add behaviours to buttons and the like in the fla using AS3. now this was january last year so they might have solved this issue who knows.
you can load AS2 based movies into AS3 and it will work including your functions and the like

[Incrue]

you can load AS2 based movies into AS3 and it will work including your functions and the like
Would they work faster ?
And also, if in the beginning of every AS3 code i import all the classes, and not just the ones i will need, do i lose speed?

[hangalot]

imports do work differently for AS3 , since they actually mean something other than a location directive, so i would imagine you will loose spead, but i am not certain about this at the minute