This week we returned from the Thanksgiving break to see the final version of JavaFX 1.0 being released, a look at Silverlight 3, an intro to Flash Catalyst, improvement on ExtJS's AIR integration, Flash Player 10 on Android, and much more on the Weekly RIA RoundUp from InsideRIA.

FEATURED: JavaFX 1.0 Released

The much anticipated final release of JavaFX 1.0 occurred this week. The preview SDK was released at the end of July earlier this year, and many developers were eager to see what would be included in the 1.0 release. The initial 1.0 release includes support for Windows and Mac. Sun has stated that they are working on support for Linux and Solaris, but it is not currently available. In addition, this version includes a sneak peek at the mobile version of JavaFX. Here is a list of what was released this week (from Terrence Barr's blog):

• The JavaFX development environment including the FX Script compiler and runtime tools, graphics, media, web services, and rich text libraries
• NetBeans 6.5 with JavaFX
• The JavaFX Production Suite
• The JavaFX Desktop Runtime
• The JavaFX Mobile Runtime (in preview)

JavaFX
JavaFX 1.0 is Live
Terrence Barr (Sun): JavaFX 1.0 is here: On your desktop, in your browser, and on your mobile phone

Community Reaction

The initial reaction from the community has been mixed. Some developers have expressed joy at the final 1.0 release, but some are still frustrated that some features found in other RIA platforms are still not included JavaFX 1.0.

Redmonk: JavaFX 1.0 Arrives - What Now?
Create Digital Motion: JavaFX 1.0 API Arrives, but Vastly Incomplete
ZDNet: Three reasons you need JavaFX

Tutorials

Several tutorials have already been posted for JavaFX 1.0 (some from Sun and some from the community). These tutorials should help anyone get started building their first JavaFX application:

Sun: Building GUI Applications With JavaFX - Tutorial Overview
JRoller.com: Followup on JavaFX/Java/Groovy example (with binding)
James Weaver: JavaFX SDK 1.0 is Here! Let's Build an App Together!

Look at Silverlight 3

In a recent blog post Scott Guthrie, Corporate VP of Microsoft's Developer Division, game some information about the new version of Silverlight. First, Scott gave information on the media capabilities of Silverlight 3 which includes the previously announced h.264 support as well as 3D support and hardware acceleration. As expected, Scott also announced that there will be new controls in the next version as well as improving data binding support.

In addition to covering Silverlight 3, Scott also included information on the current version of Silverlight where he highlights many of the current uses of Silverlight 2.

Scott Guthrie (Microsoft): Update on Silverlight 2 - and a glimpse of Silverlight 3

Flash Player 10 on Android

One of the announcements from Adobe Max that we didn't cover in our Max RoundUp was Flash Player 10 (the full version - not Flash Lite) running on mobile devices. Kevin Lynch demoed this support on an Android mobile. Marco Casario provided a link to the YouTube video of the demo:

Marco Casario: Adobe Flash Player 10 running on Google Phone (T-Mobile G1 Android Phone)

Silverlight Install Experiences

Tim Heuer highlights the Silverlight installation process on Netflix. In doing so he highlights what constitutes a quality plug-in installation process. He highlights five specific areas that are key to an effective installer. Tim also gives information on how to implement this process in your Silverlight application.

Tim Heuer (Microsoft): Silverlight install experience best practices

Aviary Raven

The latest application in the online Flex-based Aviary suite is Aviary Raven, a vector image editor. Aviary posted a demo video of this application on the official Aviary blog. According to the site, Aviary Raven is currently in alpha release to Aviary Pro members.

Aviary Blog: Video of Raven in action

ExtJS Updates AIR Support

The support for Adobe AIR in ExtJS was improved this week. The Adobe AIR Team Blog highlighted four specific areas that it is improved: a new music player class designed for playing mp3's, a new notification class for showing user notifications, a new class for embedding flash video, and a new easier class for working with the clipboard.

ExtJS Blog: ExtPlayer - An MP3 Player developed with Adobe AIR and Ext JS
Adobe AIR Team Blog: Ext JS announces enhanced support for Adobe AIR
Ext.air Package Download

Zend Framework 1.7 with AMF Support

The AMF support within the Zend Framework for PHP is now out of beta and is included in version 1.7 of the popular framework. This makes it quite a bit easier to use PHP as the backend for Flash, Flex, and AIR applications using the open and lean AMF3 binary data transfer specification.

Flex Team Blog: Zend Releases Zend Framework 1.7 with AMF Support

Video Intro to Flash Catalyst

Juan Sanchez, from EffectiveUI and ScaleNine, recorded an introductory video to Adobe's RIA design tool, Flash Catalyst. The preview release of Flash Catalyst was only made available to Adobe Max 2008 attendees, so this may be the first time many developers have seen the actual workflow inside of Flash Catalyst.

ScaleNine: Screencast: Intro to Adobe Flash Catalyst

Read more from David Tucker.