Rating: 
Summary: If you?re looking for it, it?s probably in here.
Review: With Flash's newest iteration, Flash MX, Macromedia has finally created a tool accessible and interesting to coders and designers alike. Likewise, Jody Keating has succeeded in crafting a book that will appeal to both old-school Flash designers looking to deepen their skills and flex MX's new muscle, as well as traditional coders who are eager to take advantage of MX's improved capabilities to connect with back end applications. As a coder, I've always been lured by Flash's ability to create compelling interfaces, but frustrated by the relative difficulty it had conversing with the "outside world". This has changed with MX, and a wider audience is now paying attention to this great tool. Keating's book is an excellent, thorough, and clear explanation of MX's capabilities, both simple and complex. Keating's trump card is the breadth of information she covers. Not just glossed over, either - this is a big book, and there's a lot of information in it. Anything you're curious about in Flash, there's probably a chapter on it. From exploring Flash's interface and drawing tools (perfect for newbies like me) to taking advantage of MX's Flash Remoting capabilities and XML sockets, Keating offers the same clear examples and thorough explanations. While the sheer volume covered by this book sometimes prevents going as deeply as I would have liked for some subjects, each chapter is enough to thoroughly whet one's appetite for just what Flash MX is capable of.
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