DIGG IT! Here is an update to the MS Avalon post regarding size. Seems that I had incuded some developer libraries and SDK's in my count. These numbers have been checked in triplicate and confirmed:
6MB* for Avalon.msi
26Mb* for the .NET 2.0 runtime
32MB* total to run Avalon or XAML applications.
*Totals could rize or fall prior to final release
Cheers,
Ted ;)
PS: Thanks to Robert Penner for the comments, happy to correct.
Cheers. =)
There is still surely a huge gap between consumers comfortably running these apps and said apps posing any commercial competition to The Flash Player. However, since 2001 I have evolved from having to watch every meg I used in resources to installing anything I want without even thinking about it.
Now, as dumb as it may be, people will love all the useless graphical bells and whistles. Shiny sparkly things mesmerize humans.
Still might be a crappy useless platform, but at the rate us rednecks are getting big fat broadband lines, getting it out there wont be a problem for them.
I haven't been able to try Avalon, as I don't have access to the right kind of hardware. Any other impressions? What was the speed and quality of the animation like compared to the Flash 8 sneak-peeks?. How fast does it execute script? Faster than ActionScript in Flash 7 one would imagine, but again this looks likely to improve in Flash 8.
I still think Flash and Central have so many advantages.
1. Such a large resource of games and applications already written.
2. The ubiquitous flash player. Runs on Mac, Linux, Palm PC 2000, Mobile phone...
3. The efficiency of .swf. Despite broadband, the ability to squeeze a quart into a pint-pot will always be an advantage.
4. Macromedia have the established lead.
5. It's not Micro$oft.
I appreciate the study and the writing, Ted, others.
For what it's worth, I myself think that both technologies will likely be useful -- sure, they'll go head to head for some subset of jobs, but the audience needs and the depth of the task will help show whether to use a platform-neutral or a platform-specific approach in each case.
jd/mm
That's fair enough John. As long as Macromedia hasn't lost the fire in its belly that was apparent when Central and Flex first appeared on the scene. At the time there was some tough talking from Macromedia employees, which was exciting and inspirational.
Not so many tough words recently. Maybe the two companies have sat down and agreed on their borders. Where not to compete. That's fine, provided developers have been kept in the picture.
One advantage of Avalon over Central is that developers are clearer about what it will run on, and who will use it.