For a newbie, ActionScript 2.0 or 3.0?

[Zomis]

I was wondering which ActionScript version you recommend me to start learning, is 2.0 still usable or is 3.0 the only way to go?
Is one of them much easier to learn than the other?
How much more powerful is 3.0?

[GrndMasterFlash]

I was wondering which ActionScript version you recommend me to start learning, is 2.0 still usable or is 3.0 the only way to go?
Is one of them much easier to learn than the other?
How much more powerful is 3.0?

i would go with AS3 because that is the future, plus AS3 works faster, i personally think AS2 is easier, because there are so many ways to do different things, but if your going to learn one, learn the one that is up in comming not the one that will be a dead scripting language in 5 yrs:pir:

[VectoredPixel]

I would have to second that. AS2 is great if your looking to just do some simple stuff. the basics and of course more advanced stuff , however, AS3 is the latest version, thus more features have been added, however the hurdle I'm currently tackling is the AS2 -> 3 change over. I would look into AS3 and then take a look at some AS2. AS3 for backed development is the future however you will still find many AS2 Developers working in the industry.

[irrationalistic]

In my opinion, AS3 forces you to be more strict and specific in your coding. Therefore, as a newbie, it would probably be better to jump into as3 as opposed to learning as2, only to have to learn as3 later...

Plus, there are a ton of new cool commands and such that come with as3 :D

[Zomis]

Thank you for all your replies, I've decided to learn AS3. I have however found many examples which uses AS2 (or even AS1!!) and so I was wondering, is there any reference table somewhere about the main differences between the versions? It would really be handy for a newbie like me...

[devonair]

For someone just learning AS3 with no AS background, these are my recommendations - you can take 'em or leave 'em..

1. Learn to use the help file. Reading through many AS forums, I've come to the conclusion that very many people either don't know that Flash comes with a help file or they're afraid of it for some reason, or they think it's somehow demeaning to use it (like a guy stopping to ask for directions). Those are misconceptions though. The help file is there, it's actually very helpful, and there's no shame in using it. In fact it comes with a complete book oddly enough called "Programming Actionscript 3.0" that will walk you through most everything you'll need to get started. Then there's the language reference section which breaks down AS3 language elements by class and package and has some appendixes which explain error messages (and also has, surprise, a reference table showing the main differences between AS2 and AS3). This section may not be immediately helpful, but it would be good to skim through it and see how it's structured so when you start to find yourself using it, you'll be comfortable with it. It also has bijillions of well written code examples. Some days when I'm bored and feeling like a smart aleck, I like to go through forum questions and see how many I can answer by simply copying and pasting examples from the help file. Nearly all. :) There's also a great search function in the help file, and check out how you can display only sections you want (like just AS3 or just AS2, etc). This is a good thing especially when doing searches, so you don't accidentally search through the AS2 section when all you want is AS3.

2. Use forums. Kirupa is a really good AS forum.. Go through the stickies in the AS3 section. Senocular has one of the most useful AS3 sources on the web ("AS3 tip of the day") stickied there. There are also links to other resources and tutorials stickied there as well. Also browse through the "Source/Experiments" section. You can find some good examples of how AS3 is written/structured in there. Also try some searches. Asking basic questions is never a bad thing - asking basic questions that have been asked and answered several times can get rather annoying though.

3. Use Adobe.com. You'll find all sorts of tutorials and video there to help you get started, though it may take some digging to find them.

4. Get books. Colin Moock's Essential AS3 is a great start. It's more basic than his Essential AS2 so it should be good for people just getting started. And if you browse through his blog, you'll find several chapters right online. There are several other good AS3 books out as well, though I can't think of any other beginner ones off the top of my head..

My 2 cents, anyway...

[Zomis]

Thank you very much for your recommendations!
I have been searching for a lot in the help file, and it has helped me numerous times. I haven't noticed much the reference table before, but I've found it useful. AS3 really seems the way to go. I'm learning the interface of the Help more and more, so it becomes more and more useful to me.