Mikel
Download AIR Bible
下载 AIR 圣经
RIAbook Rank：★★★★
简介 Book Description:
Adobe Integrated Runtime, or AIR, enables developers to create desktop applications using HTML,JavaScript, and ActionScript. These applications are able to run on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux systems, meaning that Web developers will be able to use familiar languages and tools to easily create desktop software.
A Web application can look the same to every user, on any computer, because the same code is being executed to create the interface. The browser application itself handles the differences between operating systems, which allows code to execute in the same way on a wide variety of machines. A desktop application, on the other hand, starts up quickly because it is run directly from the user’s computer, accesses data quickly because it can store data locally, does not require an Internet connection to run, and is not constrained by the browser window.
Consider the current market of e-mail applications. If you use a Web application for your e-mail,you will be able to access the interface from any computer, and possibly even some mobile devices.
These applications have become very popular as a result, but there are still drawbacks to using a Web application over a desktop application. For example, if you want to find an e-mail you received last week or last month, you often need to page through old messages to find the right place in a Web application. This is a necessity because the data is stored remotely, so the amount of data passed to the browser must be constrained. In a desktop application, messages can be stored locally, and you can easily scroll down to find an older message.
Clearly there are uses for both Web applications and desktop applications. With AIR, there is now a way to use the same interface in both environments. While there may need to be some differences between a Web implementation and a desktop implementation in order to take full advantage of those environments, there is a lot to be gained from not having to create an entirely new application for each environment. AIR, along with other recent developments that enable Web applications to run on the desktop, blurs the line between Web and desktop applications, and it will raise user expectations on both.
One of the most powerful features of Web development languages is that they are high-level scripting languages designed for developing presentation layers. HTML isn’t able to manage memory or access low-level operating system APIs; it was never intended to do such things. Instead, a browser interprets HTML, and the developers of that browser’s engine focus on those things. This allows developers of the higher-level language to focus their efforts on the user experience and the business logic of an application.
In the world of desktop applications, C, C++, Cocoa, Java, and .NET are considered high-level languages.
There is no question that scripting languages like ActionScript and JavaScript are less powerful than these traditional desktop languages. At the same time, Web-scripting languages are also much more focused on user experience and allow for much quicker development. AIR opens up the door to this world and allows the Web development community to prove that user experience is the key to a great application.
Put simply, this is the direction that application development is heading. Users and businesses should not have to wait for developers of lower-level programming languages to reinvent the wheel for every application when the same application could be developed far more quickly using a scripting language interpreted by a low-level framework. Add to that the fact that these same scripting languages can be interpreted by Web browsers and mobile devices, and it’s clear that this is going to create a real shift in the world of application development. AIR is the future of application development, and this is the book to get you on your feet.
目录 Summary of Contents
Part I: Introduction to AIR
Chapter 1: Clearing the AIR
Chapter 2: Setting Up Your Development Environment
Chapter 3: Building Your First AIR Application
Part II: Programming for AIR Essentials
Chapter 4: Crash Course in AIR Programming
Chapter 5: Development Essentials
Chapter 6: Debugging and Profiling
Part III: AIR API
Chapter 7: Communicating with the Local Machine
Chapter 8: Using the Filesystem
Chapter 9: Using the Clipboard
Chapter 10: Dragging and Dropping
Chapter 11: SQLite Databases
Chapter 12: Using Native Operating System Windows
Chapter 13: HTML Content
Part IV: Building an Application
Chapter 14: Preparing to Build a Large-Scale Application
Chapter 15: Building a Reusable Config Class
Chapter 16: Application Design Best Practices
Chapter 17: SDK Development
Chapter 18: Sample Application: LogReader
Chapter 19: Polishing a Finished Application
Part V: Testing and Deploying
Chapter 20: Deployment Workflow
Chapter 21: Leveraging Ant to Automate the Build Process
Chapter 22: Installation and Distribution
Index
关于作者 About the Author
Benjamin Gorton has been developing software for the desktop and the Web for over 10 years. For the
past seven years, he has been working in Flash and ActionScript, doing projects for such companies as
Disney, MTV, Neopets, and Sandisk. He currently resides in Los Angeles, where he works as a Senior
Software Developer for Schematic.
Ryan Taylor is an award-winning artist and programmer specializing in object-oriented architecture,
CGI mathematics/programming, as well as both static and motion design. Ryan, 25, has already landed
his name in the credits of the #1 and #5 all-time best selling video game titles, written for multiple
books, and established himself as an all-around leader in the digital arts community. Currently, Ryan
serves as a senior developer on the Multimedia Platforms Group at Schematic. He also works as an independent
contractor, offering his expertise to top companies and agencies all over the world.
Jeff Yamada lives with his wife AmyLynn and son Jackson in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he is currently
a Senior Interactive Developer at the award-winning RED Interactive Agency. Jeff specializes in the
architecture and development of immersive branded Flash experiences, rich Internet applications, and of
course, AIR applications. As both a designer and developer, Jeff has spent the last ten years freelancing,
consulting, and working for the University of Washington, Microsoft, Avenue A | Razorfish, Schematic,
and Nintendo. Jeff contributes to the open-source community and shares his thoughts and ideas with
the world at http://blog.jeffyamada.com.
http download
From rapidshare : AIR Bible
