Our favorite number is 1 (or 0)
Here at Automata we use Agile development particularly the Scrum methodology. Scrum is rife with contention and brings out the inner fanboy in software developers and project managers, with rants and raves abounding out there on the web. We are ravers, with caveats.
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Recently I had the opportunity to utilize the new ServerSocket class in Adobe Air 2.0. It was a relatively straight forward process but being less familiar with data packets than my teammates, there was a veiled mystery about how it worked. This new feature opens up a lot of possibilities for communicating with external entities as you might with ExternalInterface or SharedObjects. ServerSockets, however, allow you to do so across the wire. That’s an oversimplification to be sure but this article will demonstrate the basics of establishing and communicating with such a connection.
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When it comes to consuming web services, especially in Flash, most developers don’t think about using any other HTTP methods besides GET and POST. In fact, I’m guilty of assuming that GET and POST are always the right way to go, and that other HTTP methods are just fluff for programmers with way too much time on their hands. This narrow view of consuming data over HTTP even extends to the platforms we develop against, as evident by the fact that as of Flash Player 10.1, there is still no native support for proper communication with true RESTful web services (though all plugins suffer from this).
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Like many small business owners I find I need to wear many different hats. One day I’m a developer, the next day I’m a system administrator, and back when we were based out of my garage I had to play the role of landscaper every few weeks. I actually enjoy the fact that I do so many different things if for no other reason than because it forces me to learn new things almost constantly. That being said, when I find tools that are useful across the many roles I play here at Automata, it makes me very happy.
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