Rating: 
Summary: Not Much New
Review: Although I much appriciate the revamped layout, which is infinately more user-friendly, there really isn't much new option-wise in this newest version of Flash.It really disappointed me that there were not more improvements and additions to Flash. I would suggest sticking with the previous version of Flash unless you can easily afford MX, or you use it more regularly that I do (which is not that much these days).
Rating: 
Summary: Not a programmer? Stay away from MX 2004
Review: Caution: MX2004 is out. Personally I prefer flash 5. It was intuitive and you didn't need two monitors to use it effectively, but I guess Macromedia have to make a buck somehow and are following the Microsoft/Norton software release model. (MX2004 PRO, MX 2004). The only thing the MX2004 software release in 2003 confirms is that MX wasn't that mature.
Rating: 
Summary: Best Web Software EVER
Review: Developers: Get this software.
This is probably far and away the best and biggest advance in web development out there today. The jump from Flash 5 to MX is enormous. Flash MX has broad capabilities. From static movie based websites to Forms and data entry, to full applciations created with backend Java/ASP/JSP integration. If you have flash 5, you'll never look back when you see this software package. If you're new to Flash all together this is the place to start. Create web applications using templates and 'pre-written' code allowing you to move through your development in half the time. I may also add that although the price tag is hefty, the program is more than worth it. The future of the web is in my opinion focused in and around flash. Macromedia just purchased Jrun (some months ago) and that alone shows that they're serious about creating and making real world applications.
Support for the product is great too. Lots of forums for help.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent! What an improvement over other versions.
Review: Flash MX is a big improvement over previous versions by adding predesigned components for scrollbars, check box, and radio buttons. Macromedia took out the headache out of learning actionscript code to do these basic functions. Plus the way the interface looks with its docked panels and acts more like other Macromedia programs (the properties panel in particular) make it much more comfortable and easier to use. Flash MX is a definte winner!
Rating:
Summary: Swish is better
Review: Flash MX is a very good, detailed Flash making software. But it is also very advanced. For those of you with less than perfect flash making abilities, i recommend a program called "Swish". It's cheaper, and much much easier to use.
Rating:
Summary: MX ROCKS!!!
Review: Flash MX is one of the most powerful development programs for web appliactions, web sites, web games, web cartoons, etc. The XML intergration (esp. XMLSocket) can be used to do everything from multiplayer games (like Jungle War.com and the ones on ElectroTank.com) to shopping carts to 3D model data. I am a Flash guru, game developer, and Mac user.
Rating:
Summary: Great program with great options though worth the moeny?
Review: For huge designers this may be a program for you. Otherwise I'd suggest Macromedia Flash 5. Cheaper, more user friendly, easier options, and easier to do actual animations. I am a flash specialist and I can work with Flash MX well. Though overall if I am doing long animations or splash pages I'd well vote for Flash 5 to do my dirty work. They are both great programs that will completely help you with your animating career!
Rating:
Summary: Amazing leaps and bounds above Flash 5.0 a true must have
Review: For those of you do not know, Flash is the standard tool for creating multi-media presentations for the Internet (using motion, graphics, music, sound and vectors). I was not pleased at all with Flash 5.0, but I love Flash MX for its upgraded features, new and useful functions that will make Flash production efficient. The most noticeable and efficient new feature is the template feature, so that way, you make a Flash template, then reuse it constantly having to only fill in different text, images and sound. Then if you decide to change your Flash animation, you only have to adjust the template and everything that uses the template would be adjusted (there are even pre made templates). The second noticeable thing is that this is a duel purpose tool: to design and to develop web-based applications. Flash works with layers, each layer should have a different object on it (you can click and drag layers easily), so it can move, with Flash MX, there are now layer directories! You can also transform objects with skew, rotate, wave and distortion. There is a nice new break text feature, you type text then use the break function to make each letter of text a different layer (extremely useful)! Something else useful are click and drag HTML functions which before only experts could use, such as forms, submit buttons, scrollbars and so on. The workspace looks very cramped, however the workspace is customizable to every degree.
Rating:
Summary: Another hyped Macromedia product.
Review: Gave it 1 star out of disgust for the hype. It does do the job, but it's not easy to learn by far, and the price is ridiculous considering there's other software that will add impact to your site without gouging you. There's a product named "Swish" which creates Flash files, and does it much easier and for about $. Me, I like using Adobe LiveMotion and Swish to spruce up a site. You're probably wondering why does Swish cost so little while claming to be such a good software. Better question to ask is why does Macromedia charge so much. I'm at the point where I woke up to Macromedia. All the money I put in, only to spend countless hours reading more than one book just to get decent results on a site. And along comes Swish for the same $, and gives me the results I want with less reading and more money for me to spend. Then I read some negative reviews on Adobe LiveMotion and fell for it. But I took a chance one day and picked up LiveMotion...and was I happy. You still have some reading to do to get you going, but not to the extent of Flash. And no matter how you cut it, if you want a good Flash site, it's going to be a slow page for people on 56k modems to view. And most people do not want to wait minutes for a page to download, so they're off to another site and you've either lost a customer or the spreading of your information. At least with LiveMotion you can add interest to your site and have the Web page open quickly. Livemotion 2 costs a little less than Flash, not much, though; but if you already own an Adobe title you'll find they give discounts. Macromedia, on the other hand, doesn't care if you own all their other titles: you're going to pay. And even though Livemotion is close to pricing with Flash, Adobe doesn't come out with as many versions of their software as Macromedia does, so you'll definitely save money in the long run. One final point, what good is software if you don't know how to use it? A few years ago Macromedia let an outside publisher, Peachpit, write the guides foe their software. And Peachpit was doing some fine work by producing books that were unlike the books Macromedia was producing: you cold understand them. Well when I got Flash MX, I opened the book and was puzzled: it looked like one of Macromedia's old books. Sure enough, I looked at the copyright and found out Macromedia wrote it. Ughhh. Macromedia doesn't know how to write books. There books look like they're printed from the help files of the software: few graphics, lots of code and dull reading. Most of my friends who've bought software from Macromedia usually throw the books to the side, and order a third-party book from Amazon. Unfortunately, instead of putting Peachpit's "Macromedia Flash MX" in with the software, you have to purchase it separately. And believe me, you don't know what dull is until you've read a Macromedia book. Makes you wonder about a company who could've made the learning of the software easier by adding an interesting book, but instead chooses to have you go into your pocket for a few more dollars. At this pace one day you'll have to pay for tech support, and trust me, you'll wind up calling like I did.
Rating:
Summary: Important: you can buy it for 100$ acad version
Review: I agree, the price tag is a little big if you are not an expert commercial buisness animator person, but it is a great product. It is not as hard to learn as everybody says, the interface is great. IMPORTANT: IF YOU ARE ANY STUDENT/TEACHER/MEMBER OF A ELM., MIDDLE SCHOOL, HIGH SCHOOL, OR COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY, YOU CAN BUY THIS PRODUCT FOR ONLY 100$. This is a lot less, 300$. Good Luck.
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