Flex Enhancement and Drawback

Well today flex and flash reach to every personal desk and enterprise desk. As per daily usage of flex and flash, I found many features which are require making flex more robust and CIO’s favorite choice in terms of enterprise development and truly “Flash”.

1) Application file size:

Current flex applications having file size likely above 200kb. If you use RSL also then it might be coming around 50kb. While if you compare it will MXML file size it merely 5kb to 10kb maximum.

2) RSL class updates:

This might be next drawback. RSL should be update/compatible with every flex application it running. If user has old RSL or latest RSL in player which is not compatible then it will end up in running limited application functionalities.

3) Flash player detection:

Latest flash player 10 beta cause problem in player detection which recommends upgrading player to 9 versions.

5) Skins codes are too much:

Skinning can be nice feature if it is independent. With lots of skinning codes in all UI components ends up in heavy file size. Result is poor performance, heavy process usage and rendering. Although it will bind skins file (made by designers or programmer classes) at runtime, which will reduce file size much. If flex give choice to use skins in terms of designer friendly and also eliminates code from UI classes then it will be biggest improvement. (Flash actually stands for designer and truly rich and creative).

6) Programmer can’t be designer:

This is de-facto standard. Might be few are exceptions in it. Well frankly speaking when any programmer makes skins for application it will be just color/properties changes. They can’t be good creative. Many end up in poor UI designs and usability performance too. Designer can do improvement but again it will end up in mash up as designer is geek who always gives good designs but lack in terms of its practical implementation specifically make lots of codes changes to programmer and compatibility issue too.

7) Lack of unique looks:

Luxury hotel and ordinary hotel give same coffee. But major difference feels in terms of environment and services. Same applicable for application which has grey scale and total new fresh looks. It change application appearance and also give it brand looks. Many enterprise application providers argue on it.

They often says

Why we require rich looks and feel ?

Customer is more sensible to indentity and has less time to search for things. They want good appearance application they are paying for usage. Learning curve must be less. "Always we like to see business people in good outfits". I think application also must have same status as it give good earnings to enterprise.

8) Runtime interpreter at client side:

This is seems crazy but thinking in deep by following facts it seems reasonable:

1) Servers are too busy in today world as everything goes on web.

2) Client gets more power in terms of PC and mobile devices.

3) HTML files are having less size and rendering at client at runtime.

4) Browser client gets faster day by day latest example is Google's "chrome".

5) Transferring more data and less codes between server and client will reduce bandwidth usage, make faster processing.

By above fact if flash player can render MXML at client will give boost to application size and performance. Yet require more security to provide this feature, but it better then current "open formatted swf". As current format can be decompile and can be capture easily.