I finally found a pretty good ActionScript Compiler-- something called HaXe-- sounds like Hex. This is the new software environment I have been researching-- that I have talked of recently in several Q's Wire posts.

In the late 90's and early century-- when I first turned my focus back to programming-- I was happy to start working with Java.

Initially, I did not have a private domain nor any type of server that supported JSP/Servlets/Beans-- so my initial focus with Java was mainly the Applet side- GUI. This actually the more complicated side-- however compared to x-windows and the c environment that I was used to-- this seemed like child's play.

The Java Applet was a natural for me in that I came from an x-windows, gui and c development background.

There are two types of Java Applets-- AWT and Swing. Swing is the later more robust offering from Sun [now Oracle]. That said, early on I focused on AWT mainly because I did not like the <object..> and <embed..> tags preferring the simpler <applet..> tag. Another big problem for me-- I was on dial up for a great many years and was always concerned with how large my program files were and how long they took to download. In my opinion-- code implementation in AWT is less complicated-- and therefore uses less.

That said, in 2001 or so when I developed the History Calendar-- I did not like the way the AWT calendar buttons looked in Mac browsers so I created a Swing version for that platform. I actually have worked with both applet types and still use the swing version online for WiredPages when visitors are using Mac browsers.

Over the years-- while researching for a new Java applet project, I have often said "I wish that was an AWT component". Last year I dabbled with the Java Media Framework [JMF], video record/playback functionality, and here again-- wanted to use many Swing only functions.

This morning while researching an email from a Java forum-- I noticed another Swing only supported function and asked myself-- "why am I not using Swing more?" I thought about my recent research with HaXe and said-- you know what-- I have to use the more complicated HTML embed/object tags with Flash too. I could have done some neat things with the JMF if I had used a Swing Applet, and I already know Java.

ActionScript is actually a front end for Java and I am still learning this scripting language. Why am I not just doing more with Java Swing applets? Plus I now have Verizon FiOS broadband [have finally moved into the new century in this regard] and can download larger files more quickly-- something I believe most have been doing for sometime now.

So I plan to start doing more with Java Swing Applets. These applications should be very rich-- and I am looking forward to doing some of the neat things I have been wishing I could do with AWT. I can't believe when I was working with JMF last year-- I did not see my mistake then and rethink sooner my avoidance of Java Swing Applets.

Who uses Java applets anyway? Youtube to name one- however it looks like a FlashPlayer. I know Java... why knock my head up against the wall trying to make ActionScript-- Java?