Macromedia Flash MX vs. Macromedia Flash MX 2004 Professional

Flash MX 2004 Professional sux! Sux big time! It’s close to the mind that with every newer version of a given software application suit, the usability of it will be moved user-centered and will be targeted to save more and more of the user’s time and efforts. It should be. But obviously the guys from Macromedia don’t think that way.

It’s true that the Flash MX 2004 Professional has a zillion new features (some quite useful as the video import option, the new workspaces, etc. etc.) However, a small minor detail, which I was a great fan of while I was using the previous version – the Flash MX – was that in the actionscript window there were many predefined functions so that with a few mouseclicks I can define the actions I want for a given symbol. In Flash MX 2004 Professional I have to write all this manually!!! What’s the point? Moreover, in the new version the „Actions“ item on the menu when you click a symbol (for instance a button that you have created and placed it on the stage) is gone for good!

All these „innovations“ in the new Flash MX 2004 Professional costed me today a whole afternoon of inspecting what to do and finally forcing me back to work with the old version. What’s the point of having new versions anyway?