Rating: 
Summary: This is the guy!!!!
Review: a genious! This guy knows ActionScript, and not only that, also knows how to teach you! Believe me this is the most complete book i've read about foundations on actionscript, I give a 6 to all books from Friends of ED!
Rating: 
Summary: Average book. Does not really gell together very well.
Review: Being new to Flash 5 Action Scripting I needed a book that explained quickly and easily the concepts behind Flash 5 Action Scripting. Sham's books, although making the reader aware of many of the fundamental concepts does not really gel the whole idea of Action Scripting together. I am still having difficulty in understanding the concept of assigning variables and functions, etc. I am currently searching for another book on basic action scripting because I am still not confident in developing predominantly action-script based flash sites. I' m afraid to say it's one of those nice looking books that does not deliver.
Rating: 
Summary: Good for Designers, But Comes up Short for Coders
Review: Both myself and a co-worker bought this book. I happened to read it first and since I am a coder at work, I was looking for the aspects of the book that would be most helpful for me in created Flash swfs. Honestly, this book is a great introduction. For someone who is learning Flash for the first time and has no programming background, it would be great. For me though, I found it lacking. I am an experienced web programmer and I while I liked the introductions to Action Script, I was a little bothered by the fact that the book didn't get indepth, leaving me to seek info in other books.
Rating:
Summary: Needs a bit more
Review: Every now and then this book leaves you hanging. Towards the middle of the book the author start to show you code with out much explanation or practice. Also at times you will build an exercise where he tells you what else you could possibly add to the script, but dose not actually do it and he dose not give enough information for you to actually perform the task on your owen. Example in chapter 8 controlling a soundObject, Sham will tell you that you can also add buttons to control the soundObject in order to stop the sound and then restart it. He dose not explain how or bother to tell you that there is more than just adding the script he gives you (which is lacking a few lines to ...resetting the variable and linking the sound file in the library). Lucky, I had Russell Chun's "Flash Advanced VQG" (ISBN 0201726246) book to help me figure it out. Also some of the naming codes that are written in this chapter are wrong.However, I still say it's a good book... just keep working it!
Rating:
Summary: excellent actionscript primer
Review: from a non-programmers perspective i found this book an incredibly useful way of understanding the concepts of actionscript which had eluded me when working with other books and the products tutorials.
very well structured with excellent examples which can be immediately applied to your own projects, in contrast to other reviewers i found the level of this book to be very high, as i already had an understanding of actionscript, i couldnt have asked to be taken higher in the available space. time dedicated to working through this book will be well rewarded.
Rating:
Summary: Flash from a different perspective.
Review: Great book but you will need to read it all to get the maximum benefit. You get good depth on actionscript but you will also learn how to structure your thinking from an actionscript based perspective vs. an artwork one. Good insite into bandwidth issues and how code driven behavior can openup a whole new world for a flash user. I am a designer who has dabbled in coding on and off and I was able to finish an game for a client in maybe 20 hours while I was learning ActionScript. Great place to start once you have had some time with flash's art tools.
Rating:
Summary: too fundamental; not even close to leaving you confident
Review: having found FOUNDATION FLASH 5 a remarkable learning material, i took a chance at this. in the end, i didn't feel "actionscript complete," as if i hadn't really finished learning actionscript... i can say this b/c i'm very aware of the flash scope and it's fullest potential(referring to flash animation and incorporation of actionscript technology to it). it's a wishy washy feeling that doesn't compare to what i gained from foundation flash. Please don't get me wrong; I'm not saying it's a totally bad book, but it needs more. It has nothing to with an individual's reading style.. After you finish this you'll demand more... but why bother? Be wise and save your time. Skip this book and get ActionScripting in Flash, which I think is the best way to learn ActionScript... even better than the O'Reilly ActionScript book. ActionScripting in Flash combines info as well as SOLID tutorials... New Masters of Flash is highly recommended thereafter.
Rating:
Summary: too fundamental; not even close to leaving you confident
Review: having found FOUNDATION FLASH 5 a remarkable learning material, i took a chance at this. in the end, i didn't feel "actionscript complete," as if i hadn't really finished learning actionscript... i can say this b/c i'm very aware of the flash scope and it's fullest potential(referring to flash animation and incorporation of actionscript technology to it). it's a wishy washy feeling that doesn't compare to what i gained from foundation flash. Please don't get me wrong; I'm not saying it's a totally bad book, but it needs more. It has nothing to with an individual's reading style.. After you finish this you'll demand more... but why bother? Be wise and save your time. Skip this book and get ActionScripting in Flash, which I think is the best way to learn ActionScript... even better than the O'Reilly ActionScript book. ActionScripting in Flash combines info as well as SOLID tutorials... New Masters of Flash is highly recommended thereafter.
Rating:
Summary: Very good primer.
Review: Having programmed in PHP, ASP, Javascript, vb, etc I was already familiar with the structure of action script. However, I thought they did a great job not being too technical for the average person to get their feet wet. The title was right on, "Foundation". I liked this book a lot and proceeded to purchase the rest of the series. After reading this book I was so excited and filled with ideas. I was filled with ideas before this book but I now actually know how to do them. I used to try and learn off sites. This was the best $30 I spent. Can't wait to read the rest of the series.
Rating:
Summary: Not just the HOW, but the WHY, WHAT, WHERE, AND WHEN
Review: I am a designer who has known a little flash for a long time; meaning i have done a lot of animation and understand the basics of flash, yet was in dire need of rolling my sleeves up and embarking on the path of actionscript guru-ship. I am the type of person who wants to know not only the HOW, but the why, where, when, and what... before i feel I completely understand something and can really get creative with it. On the flipside, I have no patience for books written for the totally ignorant user; I understand the basics and don't want to have to go through 5 chapters of "go to insert and click 'add key frame'"-type material. At no point in this book did i feel i was wasting my time in this way. What I believe most valuable about this book in comparison to others i have read is that Sham creates a complete understanding for the not-yet-programmer of HOW TO THINK in code. This is to be distinguished from other books I have read which simply explain the components of actionscript and how they work. Each topic in "Foundation Actionscript" is preceded by analogic explanations which create and build a bird's eye understanding of how this funky language works. In the end, you are left with a solid foundation for the ability to use actionscript creatively and knowingly, having absorbed Sham's recommendations on coding best practices and professional application. To boot, his writing style is casual, entertaining, and very clear... making the trudge through learning quite pleasurable. For someone with a short attention span, this too is invaluable: I completed the book in just a few days.
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