Adobe has made the beta release of Flex 4 available, but surprise, surprise...it's no longer named "Flex". "Flash Builder 4" is now the official name of the product. The name change will either clarify some people's confusion over what Flex actually did or it will create more confusion as people who have never used the product try to figure out the difference between Adobe Flash CS4 and Flash Builder (aka "Flex").
Here is our humble effort to clarify the issue:
Flash (the traditional version, known officially now as Adobe Flash CS4) started out as a drawing program, then animation was added to it, then interactivity with Actionscript was added to it. The method by which you construct a Flash production is with the "timeline" the interface element in Flash which allows you to construct your presentation over time using a frames-based interface. The timeline is good for producing animations over time...not as good for programmers striving to create interactive Flash productions and applications using Flash for the web. They (programmers) had no experience with using a timeline, it is a totally new and unusual interface element outside the realm of their programming experience.
The solution to the programmer's conundrum with Flash was Flex: a product designed largely for "developers" (aka programmers) using an interface they were already familiar with. Both Flash and Flex output .swf files, the Flash file format that is supported by the Flash Player (the plug-in that needs to be installed in your browser so it can play back a .swf file).
Flex (aka "Flash Builder") doesn't allow you to create animations as does Flash, though you can take an animation created in Flash and play it back in your Flex (Flash Builder) production. Flex (Flash Builder) is optimized for creating highly interactive applications for the web, much of the same functionality can be found in Flash but with Flash you have to deal with that darn timelime and you don't have as many built-in components to help you create an interface for your Flash/Flex-based web application.
Got it? If not, email me and I'll try to clarify further: kdurso@multigroup.com
