Sencha has launched a program to try to get Adobe Flex developers to move to HTML5 development using Sencha's tools and frameworks.
Sencha, a
maker of application frameworks, tools and cloud services for developers, has
launched a new fast-track
program for Adobe Flex developers looking to develop HTML5 applications.
The new
program provides Flex developers a variety of ways to become familiar with the
Sencha suite of professional tools, which include Sencha Designer, an
application builder for mobile and desktop Web applications, and Sencha Touch, a JavaScript
framework for developing HTML5 Web apps and mobile-packaged applications.
Adobe Flex is
an open-source software development kit (SDK) for developing cross-platform
rich Internet applications based on the Adobe Flash platform. Flex applications
can be written using Adobe Flash Builder or by using the freely available Flex
compiler from Adobe. Flex, a powerful, open-source application framework,
enables developers to build mobile applications for iOS, Android and BlackBerry
Tablet OS devices, as well as traditional applications for browser and desktop
using the same programming model, tool and code base.
Ted Patrick,
Senchas director of developer relations, said the companys technology is a
great fit for Flex developers who want to reach the rapidly growing market for
HTML5 applications.
Developing
with Sencha frameworks enables Flex developers to leverage their core skills
and build apps from classes, components and JavaScript that deliver
pixel-perfect rendering across all popular mobile and desktop platforms,
Patrick said in a statement. In addition to our professional-grade tools,
Sencha offers the training, support and documentation that Flex developers need
to tackle serious development projects.
In a blog post,
Patrick added:
Having worked
on Flex at Adobe, I have a deep respect for Flex as a technology and ecosystem.
Flex is great technology but the foundational dependency on Flash Player is
forcing many projects to re-architect towards HTML5. Within this disruption, I
believe there is a great opportunity for Flex developers to learn a new
technology, leverage existing knowledge and deliver great application
experiences with Sencha. I also believe that Flex developers have the
opportunity to define and lead the movement toward HTML5 applications as they
bring years of experience building world-class applications with components,
classes, MVC and a futuristic version of ECMAScript.
Sencha offers
Flex developers a fast path to getting productive with HTML5, Patrick said.
Similar to Flex, Sencha frameworks are object-oriented and component-based, and
offer a rich set of UI widgets, layouts and animations, with object lifecycle
management and event handling. For more rapid development, Flex developers can
use Sencha Designer, a visual application builder for creating complex user
interfaces, data models and controllers. Sencha toolsets and frameworks also
are backed by the companys technical support, services and training.
Sencha is our
vendor of choice for JavaScript frameworks, said Yakov Fain, managing
director and partner of Farata Systems, in a statement. Ext JS and Sencha
Touch are well-architected, cleanly extensible and offer a solid foundation for
any serious JavaScript development.
To help Flex
developers ramp up fast with new HTML5 technologies, Sencha has developed an
educational curriculum and tools designed specifically for Flex developers. The
Sencha initiative kicks off with a free
webinar: Moving from Flex to HTML5 and Sencha. Along with the webinar, Sencha is
delivering a series of HTML5 applications to road show training events over
the coming months, and has published a white
paper: "The Development Managers Quick Guide to HTML5." In
addition, Sencha is developing new features for its products to make it easier
to connect to SOAP and SOA-based back-ends, and is implementing support for
Adobe Action Message Format (AMF) to make it easier for developers to leverage
existing back-ends while migrating their user interfaces to Sencha-based
technology.
Sencha
frameworks provide a solid transition for Flex developers who want to
get productive with HTML5, said Brett Cortese, president and CEO of
Universal Mind, in a statement. Were excited by the speed and efficiency
weve gained by using Ext JS and Sencha Touch for our clients projects.
Sencha Touch
is built from the ground up to leverage HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript, enabling us
to build rich Web applications that look and feel native right out of the box,
Craig Walker, CTO of Xero, said in a statement. Relying on the extensive set
of UI widgets, layouts and animations, we were able to start building features
immediately from day one rather than worrying about the underlying
architecture. Plus, we were able to leverage our existing skills and use open
Web technologies.
Sencha
frameworks provide a component layer and solid structure to ensure our large
dev teams stay in sync when we create intricate components for our
clients multilayer enterprise apps, said Michael Labriola, senior consultant
and founding partner of Digital Primates.
Darryl K. Taft covers the development tools and developer-related issues beat from his office in Baltimore. He has more than 10 years of experience in the business and is always looking for the next scoop. Taft is a member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and was named 'one of the most active middleware reporters in the world' by The Middleware Co. He also has his own card in the 'Who's Who in Enterprise Java' deck.
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