From Nicolas Cannasse (creator of MTASC) on the OSFlash list:
As announced at OFLA today MTASC will unlikely support ActionScript3.
The reason is quite simple. MTASC supporting AS3 + AVM2 will be very comparable to Macromedia Compiler provided with FlexBuilder2. And only having the “opensource” difference is not enough.My proposal is then a new language (name still unknown) that will support several platform :
– the Flash platform of course, with in the beginning current FlashVM and later AVM2.
the new language will try to make it easy to port your existing AS2 code to it (or at least as much difficult as porting your AS2 to AS3).– the Brower platform, by allowing Javascript code generation. So you can write all your DHTML and AJAX *strongly-typed* with this language, and interact seemlessly with Flash.
– the Server platform, since it will be able to run on the NekoVM, and then you can write *web pages* and *standalone executable* using this language.
It’s also great since you’ll be able to have to communicate with the same-language from client to server, and you can access all the NekoVM libraries (sockets, databases, file system, ….)So it’s really one language, which syntax will be near AS2 and Java but still different and more flexible (more powerful also) and which evolution will be driven by the community. By you.
An interesting decision. One of the biggest pulls for using MTASC currently is that it is a command line compiler, which you can integrate with the IDE of your choice. You are not limited to the Flash IDE. Also, the compile times are orders of magnitude faster, and it has much stricter error checking.
With Flex Builder 2 shipping with its own command line compiler that potentially has more options than MTASC, “what becomes of MTASC?” is a valid question.
Is the fact that it is open source and free enough to justify its existence? Apparently Nicolas doesn’t think so. Actually, I’m not sure the “free” part is even a big issue. MTASC is now free, which theoretically means you don’t need to go out and spend money buying Flash 8 to create SWFs. But I bet there aren’t many (if any) MTASC users who don’t also have a copy of Flash installed.
It’s not so much about the price as the flexibility, and the fact that in many ways, MTASC is a better tool for creating Flash RIAs than the Flash IDE.
So assuming that most serious AS3 developers will likely have a copy of Flex Builder 2 with the command line compiler installed (not all, but most), what advantage would an AS3 MTASC offer? If you are one of those who believes that open source will change the world, I guess that’s enough for you, but religious issues aside, I think I kind of agree with Nicoloas that that differnce is not enough to invest the huge amount of development time into.
While I’m sad to see MTASC as we know it go, I’m not too excited about the idea of it becoming a new language tool. At this point we have AS1, AS2, AS3, MXML, Flex 2 MXML, Xamlon, NeoSwiff, Laszlo, and several other language options for creating SWFs. It’s already impossible to keep up with them. Creating this new language might be cool, and I am sure it will have some great features. But while learning this new thing might be fun, I highly doubt it’s something that I’m going to invest much time or energy in.
Most projects I do are as part of a team. A team of other Flash designers and developers working with Flash and standard ActionScript. One of the greatest things about MTASC as it exists is that it uses, for the most part, standard AS2. Actually, it’s probably “more standard” than MM’s compiler. In other words, I can use MTASC, but pass off my .as files to someone else using Flash, and they can still compile them. A new language might have some nifty features for a one-off, one-man project, or if you are lucky enough and brave enough to get your whole team using it, that’s great. But I think the majority of large development projects will continue to walk hand-in-hand with the standards defined by Macromedia.
Just for me, the only important problem with the lost of MTASC is that the Flex and Flash 9 compiler will probably very slow.
I just want to use MTASC because it is very faster.
For every day work it is a pleasure.
Agreed, it is quite depressing. As soon as FlexBuilder 2 is released, I’ll stop using my FAME setup.
The silver lining is that MTASC will enabled additional projects to create SWF’s in addition to those you listed (NeoSwiff, Laszlo, etc.).
I think the saddest part of it all is Claus Wahler’s announcement that if there is no open-source AS3 compiler, then DENG is pretty much dead. Too bad, it’s a great project.
About Nicolas’ new language, it seems like the world does not need yet another Java/C#/Ecma4 alike, there are already tons. Since Nicloas has already built the server-side NekoVM which can run an intermediary language of sorts, and apparently it can work with an ECMA-like language, why not do the opposite and offer AS3 compiling to other platforms like the command-line, javascript, or the server. That would enable us to re-use AS3 elsewhere and that would definitely be a novel idea. Otherwise the portability across platforms of the new language is pretty useless as there are no libraries for it yet and I doubt that there will be any time soon considering the rather inconclusive warning on the osFlash list. I don’t think anyone in the community has the ability to continue the project in that way either, I mean where are we going to find OCaml programmers with an interest in AS3 bytecode?
Of course you can’t be offended by the creator of MTASC wanted to choose directions that interest them. As the saying goes, to each their own. However, in doing so the main point of it’s success is ignored. It’s not to say that Macromedia is not good at what they do, as I believe they are wonderful at what they do, but the point is options. MTASC is currently a better option in some cases. It also gives you options of modifying it to suit your needs. If you feel like the compiler doesn’t live up to your needs, you change it. If you are working on Linux, feel free to develop Flash. MTASC fit a specific need and it didn’t negate MM’s Flash it came in to be it’s companion in about all production use cases. It’s like saying that because Microsoft has their own standalone compiler that there is no reason for the gcc. Moving MTASC in the direction of a completely different language doesn’t fit the needs of the community it serves and will probably take it to more novel realm. Like I said, you can’t blame the creator for wanting to be creative, but it’s not appealing to those that use it. It’s sad to see MTASC go in a different direction, it’s great to see Flex2 come on the scene. However,with the rise in Flash’s popularity, I guarantee that you will see all kinds of opensource compilers emerge. I can imagine a AS3 one, a C# to swf, VB to SWF, etc.etc. Best of luck to MTASC, it was fun while it lasted.
No, can’t be offended at all. I have nothing but the greatest respect for Nicolas and what he has managed to accomplish. I respect his decision and hope the new project goes well. Perhaps when I learn more about it I’ll give it a whirl.
re Patrick: The final decision about DENG 2.0’s future has not yet been made. We still have the option to develop using Macromedia tools only and hope for some other open source AS3 compiler to emerge somewhen, somewhere (or Macromedia releasing their commandline compiler for no charge, what’s imho unlikely to happen, though).
i totally agree with the previous posters. On the one side respect to Nicolas for all his achievments,on the other side its a sad sad decission.
Sure,the new concept may attract different developers but yeah,me too thinks that very probably those won?t be the same developers who used MTASS before. I used MTASC with FDT and i?ve just never been able to code such clean code in such short time and in such releaxed manner like by using that combo.
Yeah,with the Flex Compiler one may do that,too,then again like someone else said i strongly doubt that it reaches the error tracking and compiling time strength MTASC had.
I still hope Nicolas changes his mind and does an AS3 MTASC some day.