Archives / Tag: Adobe

Adobe Fireworks is dead

I can’t say I’m surprised to see Adobe kill Fireworks, despite my continuous ranting and raving, despair and campaigning I still have fond memories of what was once a breakthrough application for web designers (back in the Macromedia days).

So what next? Is there a tool out there right now that can replace Fireworks? Not quite – but there ‘are’ some really promising indie apps which get real close. Go invest some of your hard earned cash in one, contribute by telling the developers what works and what doesn’t and bask in that warm feeling you get from using software produced by a company that cares about it’s customers.

We all know it… it’s been a common accepted fact for far too long. We’ve been talking about the lack of interest from app developers at a regular local meet-up and decided it was about time we did something positive about it.

Project Meteor is a campaign for the web design app we all need, if you agree that current tools don’t cut it – visit the site and add your voice to the campaign by tweeting for the cause.

As a one time evangelist of Flash it’s interesting to see new tools floating to the surface over the course of the past few months. As browsers become more capable of delivering animation and effects without the need for plug-ins like the Adobe Flash Player I think this market will become increasingly competitive.

I’ve not had a chance to sit down and look at any of these tools in earnest, indeed some of them are not even available to download yet but I thought it would be worth creating a brief list and adding to it as time goes by. For now at least here’s the current crop of HTML5/CSS3 animation tools which I’ve stumbled across:

• Animatable – http://animatable.com/
• Edge (from Adobe would you believe!) – http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/edge/
• Hype – http://tumultco.com/hype/
• Radi – http://radiapp.com/
• Sencha Animator – http://www.sencha.com/products/animator/

It will be interesting to see how these applications develop over the coming months and whether any on them particular gain traction with the community as the ‘go to’ tool for online animation, just as Flash did back in it’s glory days. Let me know if you’ve seen a tool that I’ve missed and I’ll add it to the list! :)

With the recent announcement that Adobe will not be providing support for Creative Suite 3 (CS3) in Snow Leopard and my waning belief in Adobe’s ability to resurrect Fireworks my interest in alternatives has again be piqued. Back when I wrote my open letter to developers asking for someone to step forward and provide us web designers with a current and solid alternative to Fireworks I looked at Pixelmator, Acorn and Gimp (DrawIt is also worth checking out).

Unfortunately right now none of these packages offer the blend of bitmap and vector tools which Fireworks has always excelled at but a little extra time spent with Pixelmator in particular has me confident that someone, somewhere is not far from providing us with a usable alternative. With the addition of some basic vector tools and the ability to draw and export web slices we’d be pretty much there.

The most recent blog post on the Pixelmator website relating to the upcoming 1.5 release inspires further confidence, the ‘Spider’ codename can only be a reference to web features right? However Saulius from Pixelmator is quick to point out that 1.5 will not include vector tools…

…please don’t expect vector tools in Spider…

Here’s hoping the Pixelmator team keep up the excellent work, if they maintain the development pace they’ve set thus far (4 full point releases in two years) then we might see a release with Vector tools before Fireworks CS5 rears it’s head.

Dear software developer.

This is an open letter which I am writing as a one time advocate of Adobe Fireworks. Fireworks is still, some 10 years after it’s conception, the only package out there which provides web designers with the tools they need to design for the web. At it’s core, a balanced blend of vector and bitmap tools, live effects and slicing with optimized export.

However over the years Adobe have lost their way with this product and it’s become bloated by marketing driven features.

Designers carry on using Fireworks only because there is no decent alternative. The latest release – Fireworks CS4 includes a poorly implemented version of the Adobe Type Engine which has brought with it a bug that quite literally effects all users. The bug is as of today (some 5 months after initial release) still not fixed yet it manifests itself in just about every layout a designer works on.

Personally I have lost faith in Adobe to deliver on the promise that Fireworks has as a product. They have been distracted by ‘rapid prototyping’ and integration with development tools like ‘Flex’ – nice to have features that have drawn focus away from the now neglected core function of the software.

We don’t want another new UI, XHTML and CSS export, a JavaScript pop-up menu generator or a new type engine. We just want a product that is 100% focused on allowing us to put down on the canvas what we are imagining in our heads and then slice up and export that for use in a hand coded layout. That’s it.

Right now there seems to be a huge void in the marketplace which developers are not filling. It’s my belief that if someone takes up the gauntlet and comes out with a product that fulfills the basic requirements of a web designer, they will steal a huge slice of business from Adobe.

If not then I’m resigned to hoping that Adobe wakes up and takes notice, puts the effort where it’s needed and waits until the software is really finished before unleashing it on it’s customers.

Kind regards

Nathan Pitman

Update: It seems Adobe are working on an updater for Fireworks CS4 to rectify the text shifting bug.

When we first met it was love at first sight, your combination of vector and bitmap tools, your web layer and slices… I just couldn’t resist.

For years we’ve worked hand in hand, side by side… you even changed your name and to begin with everything seemed ok, but then I started to feel like you weren’t really there for me anymore.

You started spending a lot of time changing your look, diluting your true self with ‘marketing features’ and half hearted improvements, hiding your real character and charm behind ‘rapid prototyping’ and ‘improved css export’.

That’s not who I fell in love with and I just can’t live with it anymore, I need to get out there and find someone who really understands my needs. I’m sorry but it’s over.

Update: An open letter to software developers RE Adobe Fireworks

Looks like they ‘just’ made the switch, swapping the old macromedia logo out for an adobe one and making some subtle design changes to the site.

Very strange to finally see things starting to happen, but kinda exciting at the same time.

Update: Even more interesting is some discussion of plans to integrate the PDF and SWF formats.

Maybe I’ve been doing something wrong, maybe I’m just thick but this morning I’ve had a total nightmare completing what should have been a simple task. Activating Studio 8.

I already own a fully licensed copy of Fireworks 8, but after my beta copies of Dreamweaver and Flash decided to time out I bit the bullet and purchased a Studio 8 upgrade from DABS. I have 2 boxed copies of ‘Studio MX 2004 Pro’, plus the boxed copy of ‘Fireworks 8’ so I assumed that I had more than was required to qualify for the upgrade as opposed to the full product version.

Studio 8 turned up on Saturday and this morning I got busy with uninstalling all previous versions of Dreamweaver, Flash, Fireworks etc.

With this done I ran the Studio 8 installer and then launched Flash first, studio serial number in hand, ready to get activation completed.

First I’m asked to enter my Flash 8 Serial Number, so obviously I just enter the Studio 8 serial, that’s all good. Then I get another dialog which asks me to provide my previous Flash version serial number from which I’m upgrading. 10 minutes later I re-emerge from the loft with my Studio MX 2004 Pro box, I enter the serial number as instructed… nothing. No green ‘tick’, nothing, nada, zip. So I try again but without the hyphens, again nothing.

Another 10 minutes later I’m back at the computer with my other Studio MX 2004 Pro box, I try this serial… again nothing.

Right, ok… time to give Macromedia Activation Support a call I think, so off I pop to Macromedia.com in search of a number… …there isn’t one. All support seems to be email based these days. Great, Fantastic. Just what I needed. That means that no doubt I’ll have to wait at least a day before I get a response to my query.

Right, I really need to get on and do some work now. I’ve paid for my software, whay can’t this be simple, I’ve checked, double and triple checked the numbers. They’re right.

Last resort, I do a quick search on google for ‘“PFD700”:http://www.google.com/search?q=PFD700’. It’s asking me for a Flash MX 2004 serial number, so I’ll give it one.

Success.

Not exactly the correct route, but in absence of any proper telephone support, it seemed the only logical option.

Update: Drew is indeed right, seems I was using serials from a NFR (Not for Resale) copy of Studio MX. However there are a bunch of other products you can upgrade from.

Macromedia have gone public on ‘“Studio 8”:http://www.macromedia.com/software/studio/’. The final installment perhaps before we see a combined effort from the Macromedia and Adobe software development teams.

In a less than unexpected move they have seen sense and dropped the pointless ‘MX’ tag and reverted back to a simple version numbering.

The Macromedia Fireworks development team are looking for candidates to beta test the next version of Macromedia Fireworks.

As a beta tester you will be expected to:

• Actively participate during the Fireworks beta program.
• Provide specific bug information when requested.
• Install the beta software and start testing beginning mid-April.
• Submit bug reports, suggestions and product testimonials at the beta program’s web site.
• Review the beta program’s web site regularly for updated versions and information.
• Participate in online beta program forums through August 2005.

If you think you can meet the above requirements and would like to apply, complete an online application for the beta programme.

“Volume 9”:http://www.macromedia.com/software/drk/productinfo/product\_overview/volume9/ delivers the latest functionality to your Macromedia MX 2004 tools with new Macromedia Flash MX 2004 components, Dreamweaver MX 2004 extensions, sample applications and utilities for ColdFusion MX, and Fireworks MX 2004 extensions.

Hmm… bit of a typo on the Macromedia site coz there certainly ain’t no Fireworks Extensions… shame.

Last month I was invited to become a member of the Team Macromedia programme for Fireworks.

Team Macromedia is a community based programme made up of Macromedia customers such as myself, who share their product expertise with the world-wide Macromedia community.

Our mission as Team Macromedia members is to provide high caliber peer-to-peer communication educating and improving the product skills of Macromedia customers worldwide.

I hope to contribute to Team Macromedia by continuing to foster interest amongst the community in the Extensibility of Macromedia Fireworks, and also in the continued development and ‘sharing’ of non-commercial Fireworks Extensions.

Check out my bio on the Team Macromedia pages and keep an eye out for me on the Fireworks forums.

The Macromedia Flash Video Kit is a set of extensions and resources to add Flash Video quickly and easily to your website. The Flash Video Kit contains the following items:

1. Flash Video Extension for Dreamweaver MX 2004: An extension for Dreamweaver MX 2004 that enables customers to add Flash Video quickly and easily to their websites.
2. Sorenson Squeeze 3.5 Lite for Flash MX: A special version of Sorenson Squeeze produced by Sorenson Media especially for the Flash Video Kit that converts (encodes) common video file formats into Flash Video format (FLV).
3. Flash Video Learner’s Guide: An introductory guide to using and deploying Flash Video.
4. Flash Video Stream Service Lite Trial powered by VitalStream: Purchasers of the Flash Video Kit are entitled to a free 15-day trial of the Flash Video Streaming Service Lite powered by VitalStream. This service allows them to harness all the power of streaming Flash Video without the need to install and maintain their own Flash Communication Servers.

Volume 8 of the Macromedia Devnet Resource Kit is now available.

I re-opened my Macromedia Contribute Auction on ebay as my winning bidder from last time round pulled out. :(

Starting price of �4.99 plus �2.00 postage. The auction ends on the 16th of July. Happy bidding. :)

Macromedia have made the very sensible decision to set up a bunch of ‘product’ RSS feeds to allow individuals to keep up to date with product related news. You can see the full list here.

So, I’m parting with a whole load of Macromedia related ‘stuff’ that I have collected, having decided it really is time for a clear out.

Today it’s my brushed steel ‘Macromedia Devnet Travel Mug’.

Seals in the steam and keeps your coffee fresh for longer! Grab it while you can.

Update: Sorry, this item has now been sold.

I have a copy of Macromedia Contribute up for auction on e-bay if anyone is interested. As new. I just never got round to using it, so I thought someone else may benefit from it.

Starting price of �10.00 plus �2.00 postage. The auction ends on the 16th of July. Happy bidding. :)

Update: This auction has ended, but has been re-opened here.

I finally got round to making the modifications to all of my Dreamweaver Extensions in order that they will install correctly for Dreamweaver MX 2004 users.

It was a hassle to edit 13 MXIs, re-package and test them. But at least now it’s done. Let’s just hope they don’t go and change it all again for the next release… :/

You can find the revised extensions with incremented version numbers on the extensions page.

Have fun and let me know if anything is still broke.

Ok, so I’m a bit slow on the uptake, but I thought I should report it here. Macromedia have released Volume 6 of the DevNet Resource Kit.

Volume 6 delivers a new set of Macromedia Flash MX 2004 components, Dreamweaver MX 2004 extensions, and a host of components, tags, and utilities for ColdFusion MX. The CD also contains sample applications and an archive of the last three months of articles on the Developer Center website.

For some time I’ve guessed that I might need to update my Dreamweaver Extensions to function correctly with Dreamweaver MX 2004. Today I found some time to take a little bit of a closer look at the subject.

It seems that Macromedia totally changed the way in which commands are inserted into the toolbars this time around.

Net result is that although my extensions will work ‘mostly’ (I think, let me know) with the latest release, the way they are inserted into the toolbar is all a bit Pete Tong.

Suffice to say I’m going to try and resolve this…

I just came across a post on John Dowdells blog RE a news item which has gone up too early on the Computerworld site. The subject: ‘Macromedia Director MX 2004’. It certainly makes an interesting read. Having used previous versions of Director earlier during my career I’ve always been of the opinion that Macromedia needed to do something pretty revolutionary with the software in order that it should keep one step ahead of the ever maturing Flash format.

Turns out that this release they’ve added support for a new programming language in addition to the nastyness that is Lingo, Director now provides support for JavaScript! Blimey! Now if they add support for Actionscript and such niceness as nested Movie Clips then some developers might return.

What this means for developers is that any site which you have built using ‘plug-in’ technology such as Flash, Windows Media Player, QuickTime or Real Player will act differently.

Every instance of plug-in content will prompt the user to click an ‘OK’ button in order that the plug-in can execute content. On some sites this will have a huge impact, other will not be affected.

Macromedia has identified some early workarounds, but these require significant changes to existing site code.

You can find out more about these solutions here: http://www.macromedia.com/devnet/activecontent/