Simultaneous Multiple Users (Interaction)

[jbailey]

I've searched google and here. I've seen it done.

I want to learn how to develop a Drawing app (flash based) that will allow multiple users to interact with each other. Thus allowing users to interact with each other in real-time. Granted I'm not just wanting to know how to do this with the Drawing API; I just thought this would be a good place to start learning simultaneous user interactions.

[Breen]

Lookup the Flash Media Server, from adobe. That will be the only (easy) way to do simultaneous user interaction. When you have that installed and up and running (do some tutorials maybe), come back here, and post. I'll subscribe to this thread.

[jbailey]

Breen, yeah :) that is definitely one way to do it. Alas, I do not have the money or the server rights for such an application.

I've been researching (yes more complicated) alternative methods. This posses as a great learning experience.

[Breen]

I'm sorry to dissapoint you, but if you don't have the rights to setup any application server, you'll not be able to do it to any usefull result. Alternative methods that only leverage supported technology's on basic hosting accounts are probably limited to a remoting or xml based method. Which is not scalable for more than 5 or maybe 10 simultanious users. As such, as a learning experience that is pretty useless, you won't ever need to build such a solution in a professional environment.

What I suggest you do:

- Download the developer edition of Flash Media Server (limited to 10 connected users).
- Install it on your local machine, maybe even make it world facing (so you and your friends can use your machine as a server, setting that up will be a learning experience as well.
- Build your application on a small scale, but at least using the technology in a way you'll really need it someday.

If you need any help, don't be afraid to post here! Good luck ;).

[gvozden]

any socket server would be fine,
Perl or Java based is my recommendation
there are many free examples on internet and how to run it on server
after setting it up, you should send drawing information through sockets to all connected users (points and lines information)

you can look at Red5, it's free java based solution alternative of FMS but simple Perl based can also be of help and do the job

[Breen]

gvozden. I'm familiar with Red5, and I do believe, for someone's first experience, with making Flash go multiuser, that Red5 is far from a suitable solution. Jbailey's first and foremost concern should be the client code, you and I know Red5 is not easy to work with, if you are not used to configuration xml files, Java compiling, Ant scripts and so on.

I'm not promoting FMS, Red5 is just a step you should only take after being properly familiar with all required knowledge on the client side of this task.

[mathew.er]

IMHO its better to spend the extra time on learning something to get an alternative to FMS working, rather than earning those $4,500 to get a license for FMS ;)

When I did my first (and only) experiment with sockets, I didn't have any experience with Java or whatsoever and it took 2 days to get familiar with its ways to modify a simple socket server example to work how supposed. If you add the similarity of AS3 to Java, it seems like a better option to me.

[Breen]

You are right, alternative environments ARE a good thing to look at. On the other hand, this person is taking his very first steps into the Flash Multi user world, and (to absolutely not offend you, jbailey) some other parts of the Flash world.

Why should he spend 2 days trying to get the server to run, when setting up Flash Media Server is a 5 minute job. Allowing him to focus on what is currently most important, getting his application to work.

[mathew.er]

Of course, sorry, I didn't notice the free developer edition on Adobe website.

[Dazzer]

another option you can look at is instead of having the data being pushed to the client, have the client query data at intervals.

This means any common server technology will work.