In November 2011 Adobe made two big announcements:
1. they are abandoning the Flash Plugin on Mobile Devices
2. they are contributing Flex to the Apache Foundation
Basically this means Adobe is moving away from Flash and towards HTML5. This was supported by the following statement from Adobe:
“In the long-term, we believe HTML5 will be the best technology for enterprise application development”
This decision was no surprise to Reignite. Since Steve Jobs effectively banned Flash from the iPhone in early 2010 we have been developing our expertise in HTML5.
Many organisations that have significant investments in their Flex solutions now need a path to migrate their solutions away from Flex. There is the talk of “conversion” tools that will translate Flex to another language in a one-off process and then there are the “re-compilers” that will take flex code and build it into other run time environments. No tools exist yet to do this for larger flex applications and if they do eventually become available
they will probably need significant reworking of the original Flex code to get a result.
Reignite has seen the rise and fall of many technologies and has migrated various applications from one technology to the next. The challenge when migrating code is to ensure that it is done in a way that will leave the code base in a developer friendly and usable state ready for the next feature to be built. Conversion tools typically generate machine code which is usually not human readable, this is ok if you never plan to enhance that application again but this is rarely the case. Re-compilers will typically produce compromised non-native solutions and the developers who maintain the application have to remain skilled in a “dying” technology. The larger the Flex application the less likely it is that either conversion or re-compiling will actually work without significant manual intervention.
The best way to convert an application from Flex to HTML5 is to use the Reignite team who have over seven years experience with Flex and strong skills in HTML5 to redevelop the application using the legacy Flex application as a “specification” for the new HTML5 application. With Reignite’s Flex skills we can determine quickly and accurately how each feature of your application has been developed and then rewrite an equivalent feature in HTML5.
Reignite has developed a technique using Flex and Google Web Tool Kit (GWT) where we can migrate your applications one feature at a time. Rather than replacing your entire application with HTML5 we can build a hybrid solution where the new HTML5 code can co-exist with the legacy Flex code. Using this technique, Reignite can reduce the risks and costs of conversion significantly. With Reignite’s GWT AMF Client we can connect a new HTML5 client-side application to your existing BlazeDS or LiveCycle server-side applications without having to change a line of code on the server.
Reignite’s conversion service from Flex to HTML5 will keep your investment in your applications profitable and your application compatible with multiple online devices.
Reignite’s software conversion service offers you the following benefits:
• Ease of mind migrations and HTML5 re-deployments
• Meets or exceeds the desired quality of the platform
• Your platform is converted to the industry leading standard (HTML5)
• Broader compatibility with multiple platforms and devices
• A standard HTML5 code base to easily further enhance your application
Engage Reignite to convert your legacy Flex application to a state-of-the-art HTML5 application.
Click here to contact us today!
