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Summary: Excellent book
Review: Book has all the essential information for a beginner in Actionscript to get up and running. Also an excellent reference book for the bookshelf.
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Summary: An essential reference book for Flash developers
Review: When Flash 5 came out, I think myself and many people in the Flash developer community were impressed with how much the written documentation had improved over previous releases of Flash. However, Macromedia's ActionScript Reference Guide is still not perfect, and sometimes it's examples are a little obscure (and sometimes there's just outright mistakes).That's where Colin Moock's book comes in. Moock has been very well respected in the Flash community for quite a while now, and has really helped push both innovation in coding and innovation in providing source files and tutorials to the Flash development community. In other words, he's a person that not only has the knowledge, he makes a very professional effort to share it, as well. This book is no exception. One caveat, however: As the title states, this is the definitive guide to ActionScipt--not to how to use Flash itself. It presumes that you have a basic to intermediate level of knowledge working within Flash itself, and that you are minimally proficient with fundamental programming ideas (and ideals!). There is no CD-ROM included with the book, as Moock has made a section of his website (...) available as a "code depot", with source .FLAs available for download there. And there aren't glossy, full-color pictures showing your wack-a-mole game (or whatever) go from idea to fruition, as in some of the other Flash books. But if you're seriously considering buying this book, you don't really care about the things mentioned in the above paragraph. This book does one thing and does it well--it helps you understand and write better ActionScript. And that's what makes it worth every penny, in my opinion.
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Summary: Cut to the Chase!
Review: This is THE book to keep handy while you are learning ActionScript. Every little wierd question you have about anything ActionScript seems to be answered in this book. This is the book that should come with Flash in the first place. Definitive is the word here. You don't have to read something and wonder if and when it will work. I have about 20 Flash books and as far as ActionScript goes, this is NUMBER 1 in for learning and reference. This is the centerpiece ActionScript book. The literature is very straight forward and enlightening. The author does not waste words talking about his influences, philosophies, his family, his dog and so on. Love it. I would have gladdly paid $100 bucks for it. I dought you will see a used one too often.
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Summary: No interface-timeWaste-junk (EXCELLENT!)
Review: I was looking for a book that went straight into Actionscript. And this one IS IT! Colin doesn't waste your time by filling 10 chapters with "Flash interface" descriptions. I mean, I knew how to work the "time-line", I knew how to create a "movie-clip", I knew how to manage "key-framing". I needed a non-programmer's guide to Actionscript. COLIN... THANK YOU!!! If you're an artist, a "rightBrainer", GET THIS BOOK!
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Summary: Sounds like the Herb Schildt of Flash!
Review: Based on reviews, sounds like the Herb Shildt of Flash! The definitive, reference-quality tome that other Flash writers will turn to is the one to own. Herbert Schildt is the master of C and C++ programming books, with a careful style and thoroughness in every single function. It seems like Colin Moock may be a master in his own right.
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Summary: The source for all Action Script
Review: I loved this book, there really is everything in it you need to know about As for Flash 5, I hope this book will be updated for every major change in As. Not only to learn , but to look up someting fast, I use it daily and every other page is dog-eared.
Saved me a lot of time already.
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Summary: Two Words: Boo Yah
Review: This book is fantastic. A lot of people have been knocking O'Reilly lately, but this book should prove any of them wrong. Its coverage of Actionscript goes above and beyond anything I have seen and it has become my most important resource. The book is written mainly for programmers. There are no examples that show you how to make a dog's tail wag or anything like that. Any examples that refer directly to Flash movies are based around balls or other simple shapes. I personally prefer this as you are then able to dig into the nuts and bolts of the system instead of having to wade through a bunch of fluff. The book assumes that you know what Flash is and have done some creation with it. It doesn't provide step by step instructions on how to draw a square and what not. It sticks to Actionscript and shows you how to do all the commands that a lot of people would do through menus, through object oriented programming. I don't know how well this book will fair with those out there that are strictly graphic designers. Another book, Foundation Actionscript, might be a better introduction for designers into the world of methods, properties, and objects. I have an extensive background in CGI scripting and had to slow down a lot in the sections that dealt with object oriented programming as these are somewhat unfamiliar material to me. Suffice to say, if you are willing to take it and slow and not skim this book, you will get through it and understand what Moock is explaining no matter who you are.
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Summary: A Book From the God of ActionScript
Review: No need to say more thing: This is a book from the god of ActionScript. Especially, flash-quiz works are very impressive. Also, do not forget to mention its accomplishment in teaching XML, ASP and JavaScript applications in ActionScript for the new beginners.
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Summary: Buy this book
Review: It is great to have a book written by a person who actually knows what they are talking about. I had bought this book knowing only a little bit about actionscript. Now I can actually say that I know a lot about the more complex things in actionscript like clipEvents and stuff like that. One thing is though you have to be dedicated and knowing a prior computer language is a plus.
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Summary: A great book for all interactive multimedia designers
Review: The Definitive Guide is amazing! It offers complicated information in a simple manner. Combined with Moock's quick wit and great sense of humor, it is easy to fly through this book with a great wealth of information. One must have the basic skills of Flash before reading this book. But once simple tweens and such are understood, this book is a breeze. Two thumbs up!
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