Advantage of Flash:

• swf output file is supported on web and desktop, even on mobile environment
• swf can be further converted into “.app”, “.exe”
• swf can be further converted into AIR package, which supported on Win, Mac, Linux and web
• Flash has actionscript (coding) and rich-interface components, good for fast easy UI app creation
• swf can be created used open source app with xml files
• swf can be dynamically generated on web, like using PHP
• swf can read and write other media formats like video, sound, text,
• swf can handle database and xml data

Disadvantage:

• It is flash, like Java, not fast, small, native enough
• It is controlled and owned by Adobe

Dev tool:

• free tool but not for freedom: Adobe Flash Builder (IDE) (link for free RIA IDE: Flash Builder non-commercial, Note: you need to wait for Adobe's check and approve, can be considered that as non-free option)
• free tool and for freedom: xml2swf SWFmill MiniBuilder FlashDevelop
• best free option (mxml to swf compiler) (so-called Flex) free Flex SDK from Adobe open-source

1. create object in runtime from library

   var c:Node = new Node(); 
   addChild(c); 

2. get and set Object property

   c.x=graph_x;
   c.y=graph_y;

3. function definition

   function drawNode(){
    trace("hello");	
   }
    
   drawNode();

4. array

   var newPos:Array = new Array(2);
   newPos=getPos(c);

5. global variable

   // as long as in the same page, all accessible

• MiniBuilder online: http://code.google.com/p/minibuilder/
• FlashDevelop: http://www.flashdevelop.org/wikidocs/index.php

• Flash based 3D engine
  • Alternative Platform: http://alternativaplatform.com/en/support/setup/
    • demo http://alternativaplatform.com/swf/demos/mobilephone/mobilephone.swf