Rating: 
Summary: Something for everyone
Review: I' m having a lovely time with this book. As a web developer and long-time Flash user, I already own lots of Flash books, but hardly any of the material in this book is wasted duplication of information for me. I'm learning all about the new MX features, clearly explained and demonstrated; plus all sorts of other information that's new to me. As a teacher, I'm also happy recommending the book to my students, because of its inclusion of "simple" basics like the concept of modular programming, blank buttons, coordinate systems, etc. This one's definitely a keeper.
Rating:
Summary: So far.... Hum... Excellent!!!
Review: I'm reading the book right now. I just finished page 181. This review is to confirm you that this book is great. Simply because it really explains programming knowledge in everyday words. The author spends enough pages on a topic until you really get it.To help you decide if this book is for you, let me give you my background. I am a Web Designer. I like doing interfaces and lots of Photoshop. I also like building pages in HTML. With time, I learned a bit of Javascript too. But I don't know any other languages. I must admit that even though I've been introduced to Flash when it was in version 2, I haven't worked with it a lot. Mainly because I don't like to create animation. I prefer static images. I'm more a technical designer than a "conceptual" one. With Flash now a strong standard, I wanted to put more time on it and the release of Flash MX gave me the kick to start learning. ActionScript is now so well built that with Javascript knowledge in my pocket, it became affordable for me. Now i'm more excited than ever to start programming in such a graphical environnement. :-) So, is this book for you? I'd say that it's a must for any "Web Designer" + "Web Integrator" around. And the fact that there isn't many images in the book isn't flaw. It is so well written that you see the text become images only after a few pages! Very easy to read and very interesting!! Excellent knowledge for all people connected to Flash development. Buy it without any doubts!!! Now, if you excuse me, i must start chapter 8... :-)
Rating:
Summary: Useful Foundation Book on ActionScripting in MX
Review: If you'd been confused by or just been muddling through ActionScript and would like to learn how to program properly this is definitely the book for you. Phillip lays a foundation with key concepts and methods such as prototyping, separating code from data and de-bugging procedures and more then moves on to explain in plain English how to apply scripts and syntax so you can build Flash movies that go beyond just animation or hardwired features. It's obvious Phillip's taught Flash in the real world because he specifically addresses issues that often confuse new users, he doesn't fall back on the "remember when you took that programming course" mentality, instead takes the time to explain points that are unfamiliar to someone who hasn't had a great deal of experience scripting. You might not even know what you don't know until you dive into this very thorough book. Use it as a foundation to put to use the more technical reference books on ActionScripting or to dissect conceptual Flash books like Flash to the Core or Flash deConsruction so you use the examples to customize effects and features you find interesting on your own. I've done a fair amount of ActionScripting in Flash 5 and use Phillip's book as a guide to the new features of MX and to break myself of some bad habits I've picked up along the way. I share space with an experienced programmer who doesn't work with Flash on a regular basis and I've caught him using this book as a quick reference for syntax or features when the need arises to use ActionScript, so it's verbose enough to be useful to more than the intermediate user. If you're a designer who needs help with programming or someone familiar with OOP and need a guide to MX this is definitely a good choice that you'll use often.
Rating: 
Summary: the book lacks something, oh say form?
Review: like mr. kerman, i shall fashion my comment into 2 parts, the negative and positive.
NEGATIVES:
I dunno about you people who gave this book a big 5 star "yipee", it just ain't the same for me. I'm a Comsci grad and i've been using flash since version 5. Yeah, i've mastered the basic animation tools like tweening and some basic AS along the way. but it makes me cry whenever i read the book and think that i spent $27 for something that i've already learned. Yes, the book tackles programming basics and the like w/c is very good for the novice flash user who didn't take up a 4 year computer science course w/c is being accustomed to the "foundations" of programming. but it all boils down to LEARNING ACTIONSCRIPT. yeah the book teaches AS but you only get to touch AS after reading 18 chapters of foundation AS. sure there are code snippets for the user to try out...only to find out how the heck are they supposed to implement the code?! an example would be the debugging chapter w/c started to infuriate my learning curve and tested my very looooong patience. the code required me to associate the dynamic string to a variable. how the heck am i supposed to associate the string to var when kerman didn't even show me what a var looks like and where i can find it!!!! HE ONLY TELLS IT 3 CHAPTERS AFTER! if i didn't scour the book for much needed answers to the book, i would've burned the book to motion tweening oblivion.
which draws me to points when buying a book:
- always search for negative reviews before buying a book. negative reviews contain 100% more truth than those 5 star reviews.
- if you're new to some application, find a book w/c suits your learning style, unfortunately for me...i needed more diagrams rather than lengthy text for me to understand what kerman was talkin' bouts.
- always look for a book w/c poses samples and exercises at the end of the chapter. heck, i just wanted to learn the AS syntax, but kerman decides to teach theories on AS and not the actual exercise.
- never buy a book w/c CONSTANTLY REFERS TO OTHER CHAPTERS. trust me, if you need to learn it, it should be taught NOW.
- this book is not for people who wanna read long chapters and try snippets of unclear code to understand what the author's talkin' bout then go back to readin' sum more boring chapters.
in closing, i am giving this book 1 star to alert potential buyers of this book that o'reilly books are the best. even though i haven't read one.
POSITIVE:
there are some cool sample w/c you won't understand, although its still cool though, like the instant replay thingy.
Rating:
Summary: Pathetic, verbose, almost completely useless.
Review: No stars. The text is too verbose, poorly organized and very confusing and downright cryptic. This is more on 'theory of programming' than hands-on work. The examples are non-existant, and the workshops hardly justify the price tag for this book. The author constantly refers to unintroduced topics and assumes reader knowledge for topics that are not even addressed till later in the book. For example, we have to get to chapter 10 before we actually set text in a text variable. This is advanced? The method of explaining is very confusing, very boring and very vague. I am up to chapter 12 now and I still cannot make head or tail of where the text is headed. Save you money. Don't buy this book.
I will return it...
Rating:
Summary: Beginning ActionScript the Right Way
Review: One of the first things you will notice in Phillip Kerman's book is a good deal of solid text. You will also find diagrams, step-by-step projects, listings, and graphics, but the amount of text is what impressed me because in that text you will find solid explanations of what's going on. Leading beginners in ActionScript through a set of steps without much substance helps very little, even for "visual learners." Within this volume you will find the first two-thirds of the book (about 455 pages)has lots of good explanations, rich with concepts and explanation of those concepts. The book is not encylcopedic, but it is not meant to be. Kerman touches on every important aspect of Flash and adds a few non-documented items as well. Readers are led through the basics of variables to a sampling of XML and how Flash parses it. What the readers learn, they learn well because Kerman takes the time to explain things, not rushing through them. So if you're interested in learning ActionScript, and learn it well, this book is definitely the place to start.
Rating:
Summary: what i love about this book is....
Review: That Phillip Kerman talks in plain english and explains things that most actionscript books skip. For instance, one of the first screen shots in the book explains how Flash's coordinate system has point 0,0 on the top left hand side. Why is this important? Because most coordinate systems have 0,0 at the bottom left. If you use actionscript to change the position of something on the stage and didn't know about this strange thing, your object will be in a totally different position. Okay, so that is totally minor, but it is SO important for beginners. I could keep on going on and on about this book. His explanation on invisible buttons, the different types of frames... these all are critical for the beginning flash developer. But this book isn't just for beginners. By the end of this book you are adapting components, using the new local shared object, and in a flashback to high school, learning the pythagorian theorem again to calculate distance. Don't just buy Colin Moock's Actionscript book -- use that as a reference and LEARN actionscript by buying this book.
Rating:
Summary: Now even improved! The BEST actionscript book I've read!
Review: The first book I read by Mr Kerman was the previous version of this book. I'm now a Philip Kerman fan! I would recommend both Kerman and New Riders Publishing when You need to sharpen Your programming skills! This book gives You everything You need to know about actionscripting! As usual very easy to read and it really does not only cover actionscripting - it gives You a visual and very educational lesson in object oriented programing. This Flash MX upgrade from the previous Flash 5 version is, of course, necessary for Your future work. The classy waxed cover will fit well on Your shelf.
Rating:
Summary: 18 Chapters of Flashing goodness!
Review: This book covers the gamut from novice to expert, but it shows real strength in getting basic Flash users into some serious programming. Phillip Kerman starts off assuming knowledge of fundamental tools and animation, and moves right into building familiarity with ActionScript programming concepts. Throughout, Kerman walks the line between general good practices and AS specifics. All of this is done in a conversational tone, with clear explanations and very applicable examples. One gets the feeling that Mr. Kerman is in the room, helping you along your journey to truly interactive, deep Flash experiences. The first half of ActionScripting in Flash MX is devoted to getting a solid base for building projects on your own. Some highlights here are the chapters on Functions and arrays, two very misunderstood areas for new developers. Kerman's efforts in Part 1 make his book worthwhile on thier own merit. Just to make sure you are completely satisified, however, there is an entire additional workshop section that lets you roll up your sleeves and play under the hood. It is important to note that ActionScripting in Flash MX is not intended as a reference, but as a learning text. As such, Kerman's style and focus will make sure this book stays close at hand.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent MX ActionScript Resource!
Review: This book does not disappoint. It's amazing. If you want to learn about MX ActionScript, this is a must-have book. It starts out easy, and builds itself up to some advanced concepts and scripting. Plenty of examples to learn from. The coverage of components is perfect... plenty of information to pour through. Phillip tackles debugging, scripted masks, adapting components, creating timers, working with external data, homemade objects, programming structures, etc. Excellent all the way through!!
| 
