O’Reilly: Inside RIA

As we have previously mentioned, Flex 3 makes use of ActionScript 3.0, a powerful object-oriented programming language. Before we dive into the specific syntax used in ActionScript, let's take a look at what makes a language object-oriented in the first place, and the benefits to using and object-oriented language versus a procedural language.

In this post we take a deeper look at what Flex is and what it can do. Our goal is to provide a clear picture of the environment in which you use Flex to create Rich Internet Applications (RIAs). Fist, let's have a quick discussion about the nature of RIAs so that we can understand why we would want to use Flex in the first place.

The "Learning Flex From Scratch" series written by Adam Flater and Scott Sheridan, aims to help not only a Flex novice, but also a programming novice jump into the world of creating Rich Internet Applications using Flex. The installments of the series will cover everything from installing the Flex Builder I.D.E., to some background information on object-oriented programming. You'll even get to learn about advanced topics like source control and design patterns (a la Cairngorm) from the perspective of a beginner.