I just started messing around with the as3localelib library in a project I'm working on which needs to be localized to several languages.  I found a few code samples around the web and both use the following two lines of code to implement the library:

var sortedLocales:Array = LocaleUtil.sortLanguagesByPreference(['en_US', 'zh_CN', 'zh_TW'], flash.system.Capabilities.languages, "en_US");
ResourceManager.getInstance().localeChain = sortedLocales;

In AIR, this produced the desired result.  However, running this code in a normal Flex app will bomb out.  One quick look at the ActionScript 3 documentation reveals the issue:  The languages property is available only in AIR.  The language property is available in Flex and AIR.  I ended up modifying my code to look like this:

if(Capabilities.playerType == "Desktop")
{
var sortedLocales:Array = LocaleUtil.sortLanguagesByPreference(['en_US', 'zh_CN', 'zh_TW'], flash.system.Capabilities.languages, "en_US");
ResourceManager.getInstance().localeChain = sortedLocales;
}
else
{
sortedLocales = LocaleUtil.sortLanguagesByPreference(['en_US', 'zh_CN', 'zh_TW'], [flash.system.Capabilities.language], "en_US");
ResourceManager.getInstance().localeChain = sortedLocales;
}

Now, it works as expected. Damn those AIR only properties

It seems lately that the cool thing to do on teh internets is proclaim the death of Flash and the rise of HTML 5 like a phoenix from Adobe's plugin's ashes.  Before I buy into the hype, I want someone to answer these questions for me.

1. Where are all of the bad ass sites built in HTML 5 taking advantage of Flash-crushing awesomeness?  YouTube is not a valid answer.  I want to see something showing the full mind numbing array of HTML 5's glorious capabilities.
2. Where are the development tools for me to create said bad ass sites / experiences / apps?  TextMate doesn't count.  Nor does Notepad, or any other app that has the words text, note or word in its name.
3. Ogg Vorbis?

I'm honestly looking for answers.  The cool kids on teh internets are telling me Flash is dead and I need to move on.  If I'm going to start building a kick ass RIA for my client next week, how will I build it?  I don't want to be out of a job and I don't want to be uncool.  Should I tell my clients Flash died?  Please help.

Dear Flex 4 / Flash Builder,

I just wanted to tell you that I think you're amazing.  I know we just recently met, but I can't stop thinking about you.  You're not like the others (Flex 2 and Flex 3).  There's something different about you.  Your component model is brilliant.  Your implementation of declarative drawing is beautiful.  Your data service wizards are exquisite.  Your inline documentation is ingenious.  I could go on and on, but it suffices me to say I LOVE YOU.  I can't imagine my (work) life without you.  I would be lost without you.  Please be mine forever.

Sincerely,

Bryan

I just downloaded and implemented Squiggly, Adobe's new(ish) spell checking library, in one of my apps and it couldn't have been any easier to implement. Be sure to check it out at http://ping.fm/7QDcN

After upgrading my MacBook Pro to Snow Leopard I noticed that Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection would no longer allow me to connect to my machine running Windows Vista.  My first reaction was to do what every self-respecting interweb guru does when something goes awry—hit up Google.  After spending about 5 hours trying every potential solution I could find and still having issues, I was ready to throw in the towel.  On a whim, I decided I would make one last ditch effort before considering wiping both machines clean and starting over.  I decided that I would clear the domain field on the login dialog when trying to connect.  Surprisingly enough, that did the trick.  I had always been able to connect to the machine in Leopard with the domain field filled in, but it seems Snow Leopard likes it to be blank.  Hopefully this will benefit any others running into the same issue.

The result of my recent 24 hour iPhone app challenge is now live on iTunes. It's free, so check it out and let me know what you think.

After getting my feet wet with iPhone and Objective-C development, I decided early Tuesday morning to issue myself the following challenge: Create an iPhone application and submit it to Apple in 24 hours or less. The result of this challenge is Inferno.

Inferno

The screen should be self explanatory. I thought I'd layout a general timeline of the process in case anyone is interested.

Tuesday 12:30 a.m. - I decide to put myself to the test. I need an idea. It comes to me after doing my daily Bloomberg update.

Tuesday 1:00 a.m. - I've created my project in Xcode and done a simple UI mockup in Photoshop.  Drop mockup into Interface Builder and drop my UI components over the mockup.  Now I need live data.

Tuesday 1:30 a.m. - After searching around for live GDP data, I resign myself to the fact that I'll only be able to get quarterly update from the US Government at bea.gov and will have to manually update the data.  Not ideal, but at least I'll have an excuse to update the app at least once a quarter.

Tuesday 2:00 a.m. - After almost giving up on finding a "real-time" data source for the US National debt, I remember the very cool NationalDebt Twitter account that I follow gives me daily updates.  Obvious question is, "How am I going to get that data without having to port the Twitter API over to Objective-C?", which surely would cause me to miss my deadline.

Tuesday 2:05 a.m. - Decide to go to bed and at least get some sleep.

Wednesday 11:00 a.m. - After getting seriously derailed by Subversion issues, I'm back on the Bottom Line (as it was called at that point in time) grind.  After a bit of searching I find the very awesome MGTwitterEngine by Matt Gemmell.  It's an Objective-C port of the Twitter API and would turn out to be exactly what I needed.

Wednesday 3:00 p.m. - Have a few troubles with getting MGTwitterEngine up and running, but once I do, it's smooth sailing.  Have to learn how to parse strings and convert back and forth between date objects in Objective-C.  A little bit of reading of the ol' documentation has me on my way.

Wednesday 5:00 p.m. - I've got my application displaying updated debt data and now I need to read and write plist files so I can save the new data to a file and open and display it on the next run.  Luckily, my buddy has exactly what I need.  With a few minor modifications to his code, I'm reading and writing plists like there's no tomorrow.

Wednesday 5:30 p.m. - Get stopped cold in my development tracks by some other work and personal stuff I have to take care of.

Wednesday 6:00 p.m. - I have to go home to watch my kids because my wife has a meeting.  This means I'm done for the night and will miss by deadline.  Damn!

Thursday 1:00 p.m. - I pick up where I left off on Wednesday and put the finishing touches on Bottom Line.  I've now decided that I want a different name.  After kicking a few names around I settle on Inferno.  Now I need to update the UI to make it reflective of the name.

Thursday 3:00 p.m. - Inferno is finished and ready for submission to the App Store.  Now I just need to write some copy and create the screen shots for inclusion on the app's download page.

Thursday 3:30 p.m. - Inferno has been submitted to the App Store for approval!

I missed my self-imposed deadline of 24 hours with the project spanning about 39 hours.  However, total time spend working on the project was about 12 hours, which was right in line with what I was hoping when I originally started the challenge.  The fact that I was able to create an application that will be exposed to tens of millions of people in a day and a half underscores, in my mind, the awesomeness that is the App Store.  Apple has given developers a very approachable platform and coupled it with a ground-breaking model of distribution, which ends up making a very compelling proposition for people like me.

I really enjoyed making Inferno and I'll probably do this again, maybe even with some regularity.  I'd also be interested in potentially joining forces with other developers physically or virtually to see what we can bash out in a day.  If you'd be interested, let me know.

Yesterday marked the release of my first iPhone application—Rusty Trombone.  Although I've kept the application and my experience on the platform mostly under wraps, I plan to write about my experiences now that the app is public.  More posts to follow soon.  In the mean time, check out the Rusty Trombone home page or get it at the App Store.

Rusty Trombone

I was really excited when I first heard about gaforflash, becuase I thought I'd be able to track events within my AIR applications.  Sadly, this is not the case...yet (the team has AIR integration on the roadmap).  The obvious question, then, is are there any solutions out there for using Google Analytics with AIR applications?  Please leave a comment if you know of one.

Today I'm releasing a public beta of JawJack, a desktop client for the Rejaw social communication service built on Adobe AIR.  Although it's still got a ways to go, I feel comfortable enough with its progress to open it up the public.  One of the best things about JawJack is that is uses the awesome as3pingfm API to optionally send shouts (Rejaw's term for public post; think Tweet on Twitter) to Ping.fm so your updated can be sent to all of your social networks.  If you haven't already, head on over to Rejaw and sign up for an account and start using JawJack.  As always, feedback is welcome.