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fauxtoon Thoughts on Image Processing in JavaScript?

Is it possible that you are referring to Java rather than JavaScript?

fauxtoon Thoughts on Image Processing in JavaScript?

Image processing is not possible with JavaScript.

fauxtoon Is Flex/Actionscript a real programming language? Can it do what Java does? (work offline, write files, networking etc.)

Touche.

fauxtoon Is Flex/Actionscript a real programming language? Can it do what Java does? (work offline, write files, networking etc.)

http://flexblog.faratasystems.com/?p=115

The answer to the initial question, "Is Actionscript 3 a 'real' programming language?" depends entirely on who you're asking.

1) Flex application run in a sandbox, much as Java applets do. Locally, and currently, Flex applications can open files for parsing, but can not write to them. This is remedied with Apollo which is in alpha. Apollo is essentially a Flex application wrapper that provides a file system API, among other things.

2) This really becomes a question of whether or not someone is inclined enough to write the necessary Actionscript 3 as it supports binary sockets and byte arrays currently. Someone has already created a ZIP library.

3) Again, when Apollo launches, then yes. Although, a Flex application can run offline should it not require file system access, and even then files can be opened, just not written to.

Actionscript runs in a VM just as Java does, which is irrelevant given that the questions you're asking are entirely arbitrary. The answers to which only tangentially, and tenuously, provide support in defining whether or not a programming language is 'real'.

In the interests of providing my own answer... I would say no, it's not quite a 'real' programming language.