Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Event: RIA Unleashed in Boston - November 11-12, 2010 - CPAUG $25 discount on tickets

Use discount code "CPAUG" for $25 off
RIA Unleashed is the premier event for Adobe Flash, Flex, AIR, and ColdFusion developers in the New England area. This year the event has expanded to two days, November 11th and 12th. 


Day 1 is devoted to your choice of hands-on training in areas such as Flex, Flash, AIR, AIR for Android, and ColdFusion. Some highlights of day one include Scott Janousek covering AIR for Android, Mike Labriola teaching component development in Flex 4, and Bob Silverberg on ColdFusion 9 ORM.

Day 2 is the conference day, featuring 4 tracks and over 20 sessions on Adobe technologies and development. This is the best event to get all the scoop on the announcements and releases from Adobe MAX. Speakers from Adobe include Ryan Stewart, Adam Lehman, James Ward, Greg Wilson, Christophe Coenraets, and Terrence Ryan. RIA Unleashed also features some of the most well known and respected members of the Flash, Flex, and ColdFusion developer communities including Jesse Warden, Jesse Freeman, Raymond Camden, Charles Schulze, Brian Diette, Jeff Tapper, and Chuck Freedman among others.

Using our special discount code (CPAUG), registration is currently just $175 for both days--that includes the hands-on training, conference day, the Thursday night party, and lunch on both days. You can also just attend the conference day sessions for only $50. Tickets are limited at both prices, so get them before the price goes up. Also, the hands-on training has limited seating, so sign up soon before it fills up. 



Keep in mind, this event sold out early last year, so register soon!

Full details at: 
http://riaunleashed.com
Register at this link and $25 off your ticket from CPAUG: 
http://riaunleashed2010.eventbrite.com/?discount=CPAUG
Twitter: 
http://twitter.com/riaunleashed
Facebook: 
http://www.facebook.com/riaunleashed 

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Peachpit Photo Club Webinar TONIGHT with presenter Trey Ratcliff, author of "A World in HDR".


Peachpit Photo Club

On Tuesday, September 28, 2010 from 8 to 9 p.m. ET (5 to 6 p.m. PT) join Trey Ratcliff, author ofA World in HDR. High dynamic range (HDR) photography lets you capture the myriad colors and levels of light that you can see in the real world, and the results are amazing photographs that run the gamut from super real to surreal. Explore this fantastic realm of photography through the unique vision of renowned travel photographer Trey Ratcliff. Trey will share his phenomenal HDR photographs, as well as the backstory on the adventurous circumstances of their origin. He'll also reveal the techniques he used to get the final shot, and answer your burning questions!
To keep the creative juices flowing, Photo Club members will receive a fun assignment at the end of the session. Once completed, Photo Club members can upload their work to the Peachpit Photo Club Flickr Group, where Trey and the Peachpit crew will help critique your work. And of course, there will be a chance for prizes—a "Custom Photo Canvas" from artisticphotocanvas.com!

Arrow REGISTER NOW

5 Free Adobe iPhone apps you should try.

Adobe® Ideas 1.0 for iPhone
Adobe Ideas is your digital sketchbook, letting you capture and explore ideas anywhere you go. Adobe Ideas is an ideal companion for the professional design applications from Adobe, including Adobe Illustrator® and Adobe Photoshop® software.

Adobe Photoshop Express
Adobe Photoshop Express software lets you use simple gestures to quickly edit and share photos from your mobile device. Enjoy having your photo and video library right in your hand — without wasting your device's valuable storage space.

Adobe® Connect™ Mobile
Attend Adobe® Connect™ meetings using your iPhone™ or iPod™ touch. Download the FREE Adobe® Connect™ Mobile application, and enjoy immediate access to meetings anytime, anywhere. Watch and listen to live presentations including real-time presenter webcam video and screen sharing demonstrations. You can see who is in the meeting at any given time, and collaborate with others using live text chat. VoIP meeting audio will broadcast straight to your device over a WiFi or 3G connection, or the meeting host may give you the option to join a telephone conference call.

Adobe® LiveCycle® Workspace Mobile ES2
Need to approve a travel expense or a contract while you’re on the road, but don’t have the time to pull out your laptop, find a WiFi connection, and get onto the web? Now enterprise users can manage tasks using the iPhone! This mobile version of Adobe® LiveCycle® Workspace ES2 allows you to connect to your list of pending tasks and then view, approve or reject them, all directly from your iPhone.

Adobe LiveCycle Content Services Mobile
If you operate or use a content management system, you understand the challenges of accessing the content within while on the move. And with more workers accessing enterprise information and communicating with clients via smart phones, it’s all the more important to provide those workers with the documents and files they need to get the job done via those devices. Now Adobe makes this easier on the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad with the LiveCycle® Content Services® Mobile app. Simply log into to your LiveCycle Content Services (or other) system and browse directories, open files, save favorites, and even download and email files, directly from the app.

Central Penn Open Source Conference 2010: 21 Speakers, 3 Tracks, 1 Awesome Day




21 Speakers, 3 Tracks, 1 Awesome Day

CPOSC 2010 is shaping up to be their biggest and best conference yet! Where else can you see over twenty experts in the open source community, with sessions covering everything from system administration to coding and everything in between, all in one day?


The Central PA Open Source Conference (CPOSC) is an annual, one-day conference about all things Open Source. This year's conference will be held at Harrisburg University on October 16, 2010.
This year’s conference will be on Saturday, October 16, 2010 at Harrisburg University in downtown Harrisburg, PA.

Monday, September 27, 2010

New UG Library Book: 3D in Photoshop: The Ultimate Guide for Creative Professionals

Be the first to read our latest book in the CPAUG library, 3D in Photoshop: The Ultimate Guide for Creative Professionals from Focal Press. This book is available currently so if you're interested, please reserve it now by filling out our Library Book Request Form

Event: Maximum Adobe Photoshop Seminar Tour coming to Philadelphia, PA

Maximum Adobe Photoshop Seminar Tour coming to Philadelphia, PA



Join Dave Cross as he shows you how to maximize your creative potential, dramatically boost your productivity and skill, and discover how to get the most from Photoshop CS5's most powerful tools and features, including the hottest new Photoshop CS5 technology.


You'll learn extremely powerful yet often-overlooked Photoshop® functions such as Layer Comps, Apply Image, Advanced Blending, Tool Presets and more. Increase your productivity, enhance your workflow and realize new creative possibilities with these essential Adobe® Photoshop CS5 functions. Along the way you'll learn many small but incredibly useful changes that have been made to Photoshop CS5 that will have you wondering how you lived without them. more info »


Seating is limited! Register today at www.kelbytraininglive.com

$99 or $79 for NAPP members

Sunday, September 26, 2010

New UG Library Book: Photo Op: 52 Weekly Ideas for Creative Image-Making

Be the first to read our latest book in the CPAUG library, Photo Op: 52 Weekly Ideas for Creative Image-Making from Focal Press. This book is available currently so if you're interested, please reserve it now by filling out our Library Book Request Form

New UG Library Book: Killer Camera Rigs that you can Build

Be the first to read our latest book in the CPAUG library, Killer Camera Rigs That You Can Build, Third Edition: How to Build Your Own Camera Cranes, Car Mounts, Stabilizers, Dollies, and More! from Focal Press. This book is available currently so if you're interested, please reserve it now by filling out our Library Book Request Form

New UG Library Book: Adobe Dreamweaver CS5 with PHP Training from the Source

Be the first to read our latest book in the CPAUG library, Adobe Dreamweaver CS5 with PHP: Training from the Source from Peachpit Press (Adobe Press). This book is available currently so if you're interested, please reserve it now by filling out our Library Book Request Form

Monday, September 20, 2010

September Meeting: Lightroom - An Integrated Approach & Nik Software Plug-Ins


September Meeting: Lightroom - An Integrated Approach & Nik Software Plug-Ins

Date and Time:  September 20, 2010 from 6:00pm - 7:30pm
RSVP: http://bit.ly/bh0Hy6
Address: 
Kline Branch - Dauphin County Library
530 South 29th Street, Harrisburg, PA 17104
Speakers:
Don Uvick has been active in the arts for over 25 years. He has served as an officer for such photography/art organizations as the Harrisburg (PA) Camera Club and the Art Center School and Galleries. Currently, he is the President of the Harrisburg Camera Club. 

Don currently works for the Naval Inventory Control Point for the US Navy as an Operations Research Analyst.  I have worked with the Navy for almost 30 years.  "The Mission of the Naval Inventory Control Point is to provide Navy, Marine Corps, Joint and Allied Forces program and supply support for the weapons systems that keep our Naval forces mission ready."  

Agenda:
Lightroom - An Integrated Approach & Nik Software Plug-ins



It is all about the light for this presentation.   Lightroom 3 was released by Adobe in June 2010.  This RAW processing and Workflow tool gets better with each release.  
The focus of this presentation will be to show an integrated approach to using Lightroom 3 from a "tethered" photo capture to final presentation onto your website as a web gallery or as printed output.  The journey will highlight some of its new features and take you through the use of presets to establish specific styles, third party workflow plug-ins including one to Geoencode your photos with location information and external editing Plug-ins such as the Nik Software suite.  







The Nik software suite includes a set of solutions for every step of your workflow process.  This includes tools to reduce noise in your photos, the addition of over 250 effects to enhance your photos, the ability to control the color and light in the image, and feature to control the focus and detail of your final image.  The suite even provides a means to create a stellar black and white image by replicating the effects produced by your old-time favorite Black and White films.
Meetings are always free of charge and open to the public. Please note that this Library branch does not have free WiFi nor do they allow food or drink.

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Flash vs. HTML5: Adobe Weighs In


Flash vs. HTML5: Adobe Weighs In

Flash HTML5 Image

Much has been written about the next wave of web technologies, namely HTML5, JavaScript and CSS3. A big part of this conversation has surrounded the impact that these new technologies will have on older technologies like Adobe's Flash.

We've written a lot abut the HTML5 vs. Flash "war," primarily in the context of Flash's use in mobile and Flash as a video wrapper. I personally have taken the position that at least when it comes to mobile devices, Flash is at a disadva...


Friday, September 17, 2010

Free Webinar: What's New in InDesign CS5: Part 1

Our friends at webucator.com, who offer InDesign CS5 training, are offering a free webinar on InDesign CS5. You can sign up at http://webucator.com/webinars.


InDesign CS5 Webinar Overview:

This InDesign CS5 webinar will give a quick overview of the new tools that are unique to the latest edition of InDesign. Along with other tips, this webinar will demonstrate the new capabilities of the Selection Tool, uses of the Page Tool, and easy methods of grid placement.

The webinars currently available:
September 28, 1-1:30PM EST
September 30, 3-3:30PM EST

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Adobe Releases "Square" - Flash Player for Internet Explorer 9

 
 

Sent to you by Megan via Google Reader:

 
 

via The Road to Know Where on 9/15/10

 
Adobe Labs has released a test preview of their Square - Flash Player for Internet Explorer 9
The key new capabilities in the Flash Player "Square" preview are:
 
    • 64-bit support — Native support for 64-bit operating systems and 64-bit web browsers on Linux, Mac OS, and Windows.
    • Internet Explorer 9 hardware accelerated rendering support — Enhanced support for Internet Explorer 9 Beta. It takes advantage of hardware accelerated graphics in Internet Explorer 9 Beta, utilizing hardware rendering surfaces to improve graphics performance and enable seamless composition

 
 

Things you can do from here:

 
 

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Event: Web Design World, October 18-20 in Las Vegas

UPDATE (9-30-10):  EARLY BIRD SAVINGS EXTENDED!  Just register at http://bit.ly/WDWReg and enter the promo code USRGP. 


Web Design World (webdesignworld.com) is coming soon – October 18-20 in Las Vegas – and if you’ve never been before (or even if you have and want to attend this year), now is the time to register to save $200!

First of all, Web Design World has a great line-up of rock stars in design, UX, content management and more. Flash, JavaScript, CSS3, HTML5, and even mobile development will all be covered. You can check out the full conference agenda at 
http://bit.ly/WDWAgenda.

Hurry! The deadline for the Early Bird discount is this Wednesday, September 15! If you want to save $200 off any package, register today at 
http://bit.ly/WDWReg.


Thursday, September 9, 2010

Adobe will resume development of IOS Packager for future releases of Flash Pro

Ted Patrick (@__ted__)
9/9/10 10:14 PM
Adobe will resume development of IOS Packager for future releases of Flash Pro http://bit.ly/8Xdvsg

Adobe on Apple: Great news for Developers!

> http://blogs.adobe.com/conversations/2010/09/great-news-for-developers.html
>
> Great News for Developers
> Posted by Adobe Corporate Communications on September 9, 2010 5:03
> PM in Business Professionals, Developers
>
> Apple's announcement today that it has lifted restrictions on its th
> ird-party developer guidelines has direct implications for Adobe's P
> ackager for iPhone, a feature in the Flash Professional CS5 authorin
> g tool. This feature was created to enable Flash developers to quick
> ly and easily deliver applications for iOS devices. The feature is a
> vailable for developers to use today in Flash Professional CS5, and
> we will now resume development work on this feature for future relea
> ses.
>
> This is great news for developers and we're hearing from our develop
> er community that Packager apps are already being approved for the A
> pp Store. We do want to point out that Apple's restriction on Flash
> content running in the browser on iOS devices remains in place.
>
> Adobe will continue to work with key industry partners, including
> Google, RIM, Nokia, Motorola and Palm/HP to enable their device
> users to browse the full web through Flash Player 10.1 and run
> standalone applications on AIR. We are excited about the great
> progress our partners are making as they deliver the first
> smartphones to market with full Flash support.

Great News for Developers (Adobe Featured Blogs)

http://blogs.adobe.com/conversations/2010/09/great-news-for-developers.html

What Apple’s Guideline Changes Mean for Developers

 
 

Sent to you by Megan via Google Reader:

 
 

via Mashable | The Social Media Guide by Christina Warren on 9/9/10


Five months after declaring that iOS apps developed with a cross-compiler would not be accepted into the App Store, Apple has eased up on its policies and reversed course.

Beyond just being less stringent about what sorts of tools can be used to build apps, Apple has also published an App Store Review Guidelines that lay out, in black and white, some of the things that will prevent an app from getting into the App Store.

Both of these changes have big implications for iOS developers, and by extension, end users. We've spent some time talking to developers and companies who create iOS development tools to get their perspective on what this means for the future of iOS development.


A (Brief) Summary of Flash Fight '10


When Apple released the first SDK for the iPhone back in March of 2008, developers were quick to complain about the rigid set of standards and the stringent app review process.

When Apple released its SDK, it also made it clear that iPhone development was meant to take place on a Mac and inside Xcode. By encouraging programs to utilize Objective-C and the Cocoa Touch framework, Apple was able to build a strong level of consistency in its mobile applications.

Early on, many iPhone developers were also Mac developers, and the idea of using cross-platform tools wasn't as much of a concern. Fast forward a few years and the software development world is in a mobile gold rush, with much of that early activity fueled by the explosive growth of the App Store.

Thus, it wasn't surprising that third-party frameworks, toolkits and IDEs like Unity would come out to ease the development process. The Mono project, an open source implementation of C# and .NET released MonoTouch, an extension of its MonoDevelop IDE that was touted as a way for C# and .NET programmers to create apps for the iPhone.

In October, Adobe announced that it would be building iPhone support into Flash CS5, meaning that although native Flash content couldn't be played on the iPhone, the Flash program could be used to create an *.ipa that could then be uploaded to the App Store. Further more, this ability was built into the Windows and Mac versions of Flash CS5. In other words, Flash developers could use Windows to create an iPhone app and then just use a Mac to submit the file to the App Store.

Presumably, it was this development that spooked Apple. Just ahead of CS5's release, Apple updated the terms of its developer agreement to include the following:

"3.3.1 — Applications may only use Documented APIs in the manner prescribed by Apple and must not use or call any private APIs. Applications must be originally written in Objective-C, C, C++, or JavaScript as executed by the iPhone OS WebKit engine, and only code written in C, C++, and Objective-C may compile and directly link against the Documented APIs (e.g., Applications that link to Documented APIs through an intermediary translation or compatibility layer or tool are prohibited)."

In essence, this stipulation would preclude applications that were created with the use of a cross-compiler or compatibility layer to be admitted to the App Store. Steve Job defended this decision in his infamous "Thoughts on Flash" memo, noting that apps created using non-native toolkits are slower and can be buggier and less responsive than their native counterparts. In other words, this was a quality assurance move.

The outcry from this decision was loud, although very few actual iOS developers really seemed bothered. Hand-wringing and "big brother" remarks aside, it appeared that a very narrow group of potential developers would even be hurt by the provision (assuming it was limited solely to Flash and not to products like Unity or Appcelerator's Titanium): magazine publishers.

Adobe worked with Conde Nast to create the excellent Wired Magazine app for iPad, but had to spend time rewriting the app natively after the no-Flash IDE rule was put into effect.

Adobe soldiered on and worked on creating some iPad-friendly publishing tools within InDesign, but larger publishers had to seek alternatives for how to deliver interactive print content without using Flash-based development tools.

Five months later, Apple has reversed course. Presumably, this means that if Adobe wants to go back to working on the iPhone Creator for Flash CS5, it can. The company has since said it would target its efforts on other mobile platforms, but if customers demand the feature, we feel pretty confident Adobe will listen.

So, what does this all mean?


Developer Reactions: Excited


From a cross-compiler perspective, very few toolsets appear to have been actively blocked by Apple, even before this reversal.

Initially, there were fears that the provision would extend beyond just Flash CS5 and into products like Unity and Titanium. It's important to note that with respect to those two companies, the official position was that the new stipulations had no impact on what those development tools do or how they work.

As we noted yesterday, Appcelerator has seen explosive growth since the first SDK agreement announcement and saw no direct or indirect signs that Apple would be banning Titanium-based apps. Likewise, Unity remained confident of its status as an approved tool. Still, both companies are very happy that Apple has rescinded its prior changes.

In a statement, Nicholas Francis, Unity Technologies co-founder and chief creative officer told us, "At Unity we applaud this move by Apple – we are all about enabling people to work with the best tools for any given job. Apple have always been focused on providing superior products to end users, and Unity games have been continuously released throughout this period. However, we are very happy for all those devs who can now join the party!"

We also spoke to Scott Schwarzhoff, Appcelerator's VP of marketing. Schwarzhoff told us, "All of these [changes] fundamentally provide transparency for developers and ultimately that leads to developer innovation, reinforces Apple's strategic advantage and benefits consumers."

Beyond just cross-compilers, Apple also decided to nix a recent provision that could have potentially disallowed third-party ad providers like Google's AdMob from working with the App Store. Here at Mashable, we were always skeptical that Apple would ever directly or even indirectly ban AdMob from the App Store.

Fortunately for everyone, we no longer have to theorize, as Apple has made it clear that it will not ban other ad servers from the App Store, provided the developers and the ad protocol follow Apple's privacy and customer data guidelines.

On the Google Mobile Ads blog, Google notes, "These new terms ensure that Apple's developers have the choice of a variety of advertising solutions (including Google's and AdMob's) to earn money and fund their apps."


Houston, We Have Guidelines


Moving on from the developer agreement-related changes, Apple has also made clear moves to be more transparent and to better communicate with its developers. Beyond the new "living document" of App Review Guidelines, Apple has also instituted a new Apple Review Board that developers can use to appeal an app's rejection from the App Store.

We've spoken with literally dozens of developers that have had their apps rejected from the App Store for one reason or another. In many cases, the rejection was understood by both parties (use of a private API, a bug that needed to be fixed, improper branding), but in others, the reason cited seemed to be at odds with the developer's actual intent or interpretation. In these cases, figuring out how to get an app re-reviewed or even an opportunity to better explain what was actually going on was like pulling teeth.

Thus, the mere fact that a documented process now exists is a great move. When speaking with some veteran App Store developers about today's changes, the general feeling was that this is a great move in the right direction.

One developer told us that the ambiguity surrounding the app review process has been the most frustrating aspect of dealing with App Store. Not having any clear insight into Apple's thinking process made it hard for developers to know what to do. After all, it's hard to conform to a set of requirements if those requirements are locked up in a black box.

Still, despite these ambiguities, none of the developers we talked to were ever bothered enough to look seriously at other platforms. That isn't to say that hasn't been a concern for others — and there are a few famous examples of high-profile developers leaving the platform because of the black box approach to guidelines.

At this point, developers may not agree with every guideline, but at least they know what the guidelines are.


Is This Enough


Android continues to gain momentum, with more and more devices selling all over the world and a flurry of new devices coming out nearly every single day.

It's not unreasonable to view some of Apple's changes as a response to Android's growing strength. Android is sold as an "open" platform, and while the actual level of openness can be debated, at the very least, its garden is surrounded by a low-level fence if not a full wall.

Having said that, in our research and discussions with developers, we just haven't seen any proof of a migration from iOS to Android or any other platform. Yes, Android development is growing in importance and is now often at a higher priority or consideration before, but by and large, the iPhone is still the primary target for most developers and brands.

Regardless of the headaches, most developers we talk to wouldn't give up the ability to develop for iOS. That doesn't mean that every developer will develop for iOS exclusively, but the restrictions haven't pushed a large number of developers away.

Still, Apple clearly sees Android as a competitor. We think that by making the decision to relax some of the IDE restrictions, to be more clear about supporting third-party ad services, and to make review guidelines accessible, Apple is showing that it does listen to its users and developers.

As a company, Apple has a very strong vision and a very concentrated focus. Because of this, Apple is often viewed as a company that doesn't listen to others. Historically however, it's clear that when push comes to shove, Apple does listen to its customers.

As an example, two years ago, the very first aluminum unibody 13-inch MacBook (that shared the same stylings as the 15-inch unibody MacBook Pro) was released without FireWire support. This was a big deal because FireWire was a technology Apple helped standardize and really pushed in its accessories. The customer outcry was immediate and despite Steve Jobs's e-mailed responses that most people won't ever use FireWire and that new video cameras all use USB 2.0, when Apple brought out its new MacBooks six months later, the now re-christened 13-inch MacBook Pro sported the addition of FireWire 800.

For years, developers have been crying out to Apple for more transparency and openness in its app process. Today's announcements are a good way towards fulfilling those goals.

What do you think of Apple's latest changes? Do they make you more likely to continue to develop for iOS? If you have held off from developing for iOS, do these changes make a difference? Let us know.


Reviews: Android, App Store, Google, Mashable, Windows

More About: adobe, appcelerator, apple, Flash, iOS, iphone, iphone sdk, mobile development, unity

For more Apple coverage:


 
 

Things you can do from here:

 
 

Apple loosens its chokehold on app development

 
 

Sent to you by Megan via Google Reader:

 
 


Apple is loosening its grip on its app development for its mobile devices, announcing Thursday that it will drop restrictions on what programming tools developers can use to create iOS apps.

 
 

Things you can do from here:

 
 

FontPark

FontPark is a Searchable, Sortable Database of Over 70,000 Free Fonts http://lifehacker.com/5634062/

Google Mobile Ads Blog : An Update on Apple’s Terms of Service

Megan Fister has sent you a link to a blog:

Google's statement on Apple's change of terms regarding app development.

Blog: Google Mobile Ads Blog
Post: An Update on Apple’s Terms of Service
Link: http://googlemobileads.blogspot.com/2010/09/update-on-apples-terms-of-service.html

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Going to Flex360 in DC? Get a CPAUG discount!

CPAUG members - email Megan at cpaugmanager(AT)gmail(DOT)com to receive a 40% discount code on regular Flex 360 tickets.

Your email MUST be on the CPAUG email list to receive this discount all requests from others will be ignored.

Apple Says OK to Third Party iOS Dev Tools | News | The Mac Observer

http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/apple_says_ok_to_third_party_ios_dev_tools/

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

360Flex in DC


360|Flex is the first and still the best Adobe Flex developer conference in the world. We’re not a publishing company pushing books, or a media company selling subscriptions. We’re a conference company, focused on community. Our goal is to bring the best and brightest in the developer community together for 4 days of incredible sessions, awesome parties, good times, and learning. If you don’t leave Wednesday night, with more ideas than you know what to do with, we’re not doing our jobs!
This fall you can get your fill of Flex/AIR/ActionScript awesomeness in Washington DC! We’ll be bringing together the best of the Adobe Flex community . Join us!!
WHEN: September 19-22, 2010
WHERE: Hilton Washington DC North/Gaithersburg More information on the Hotel and Travel Page, including booking information.
In the meantime, check out the recordings from 360|Flex San Jose 2010.


CPAUG MEMBERS GET A 40% DISCOUNT!