Robert and I built this Flex app in two weeks: www.searchcoders.com/flex, then we converted it to an Apollo app in about 5 minutes, then we spent about 5 weeks getting to this point: the SearchCoders/Dashboard (screencast). Easy.
So, why is it hard to go from Apollo back to Flex? First, using a crappy HTML frame to display message content and blog posts in our Flex app is just so 1997. Being able to integrate HTML directly into our app is an Apollo feature that you’d have to pry from our cold, dead hands. And we’re not about to resort to hacks to display HTML in a div on top of our app, especially since we use Safari. Second, I can’t imagine giving up chromeless windows. The browser’s chrome and UI become largely irrelevant in the context of an RIA. In fact, the back button becomes downright problematic. So why would I want to go back to browser-based Flex when I can have so much more control in Apollo?
Apollo, meet Chat. Chat, meet Apollo
May 20th, 2007
The latest version of the SearchCoders/Dashboard now has chat, in addition to major improvements to the UI and a bunch of new features. Check out the screencast demo.
What’s the SearchCoders/Dashboard you ask?:
“The SearchCoders/Dashboard is an Apollo application that provides a resource where Flex developers can find information and share their knowledge with others. Developers can search the entire FlexCoders mail archive, read Flex-related RSS feeds, create notes, save favorite messages and blogs, and chat with other developers. An advanced search feature allows users to build complex queries and save those queries for reuse. The Dashboard makes extensive use of Apollo’s filesystem API and the new HTMLControl for rendering complete web pages within the application.”
