Filed under: Design, Developer, Windows, Macintosh, Adobe, Commercial, Beta, Windows x64
Adobe releases trio of Labs goodies for designers, developers
The Flex SDK has reached version 4, and Flex Builder has been re-branded as Flash Builder. The new version delivers loads of new functionality and focuses on three keys: developer productivity, designer-developer workflow, and data-centric development.
Since Flash Builder just hit labs, that means there's a free download for you. You'll need an Adobe account, but once registered you're free to download the Flash Builder 4 30-day beta (existing Flex 3 licensees will receive a serial number via email to extend the trial), the Eclipse plugin, a component kit for Flash Pro, and an HP QuickTest plugin.
On the workflow front, they have released Flash Catalyst, a tool which allows interfaces designed in Photoshop and Illustrator to be easily converted to SWF. The beta is available for download, and serial numbers are provided to extend your tryout beyond 30 days.
For a look at what's new in the Flex SDK, check out the post from Adobe's Matt Chotin and read up on the differences between version 3 and 4.
With Halloween fast approaching, it's a great time to get in some practice defending your territory against zombies. In Graveyard Shift, you take aim at zombies and other creepy-crawlies, blasting them into splatters of cartoony green guts. It's a casual first-person shooter, and it's very easy to get the hang of - use the mouse to aim, click to fire. Graveyard Shift has at least 15 levels, and it might even have some secret stages I haven't unlocked yet.
They key to getting good at Graveyard Shift is learning to use ...

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Csaba said 1:51PM on 6-26-2009
I don't think so far that catalyst will really do what it's suppose to. I got pretty much disappointed of it. Two much code generated, I cannot see the link between the developer and the designer on deeper problems (like modifying something again after a developer reshaped a fxg created buy the catalyst). It looks like another flash toy. I might give another chance working with it,but so far I rather write my skins and components from the developer perspective (using layout and not absolutism)... And it's eating a lots of lots of memory...
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