Futurex 2004, held at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg on 18 - 21 May 2004, will be the showcase in which South African Macromedia distributor and Web-enablement specialist, Dax Data, provides live demonstrations of Macromedia solutions.

"From developing to scripting, graphics to sound, this is where developers will find the Macromedia tools, servers, presentations, and solutions they need," says Jeremy Matthews, Dax Data MD.

A key theme of the Dax Data demonstrations will be "Experience Matters," Matthews explains.

"We will specifically focus," he continues, "on the use of Macromedia Flash as a client technology and on how developers, using Macromedia Flex, can create rich client applications in scenarios where traditional page-based HTML applications are inadequate."

"The Flex framework supports open tooling allowing developers to use their text editor or IDE of choice to create applications that run on the Flex presentation server," he says.

South Africans will learn how Macromedia Flex is a new presentation server and application framework that enables enterprise development teams to put more effective interfaces on critical business applications, says Matthews. "Flex offers a standards-based, declarative programming methodology and server runtime services for delivering rich, intelligent user interfaces with the ubiquitous cross-platform, cross-device Macromedia Flash client," he adds. 

What about Breeze? It will be on display too, Mathews assures us.

"Macromedia Breeze is a Web communications system that enables more than 400 million Web users to immediately engage in online meetings and experience rich content without downloading special plug-ins or media players. It enables users to share and view PowerPoint presentations and conduct online training and business meetings using integrated voice software. This allows businesses to train staff or communicate with employees online. Results and research material can be published directly to the Web or intranet."

Matthews is very excited about Futurex 2004, and about the new offerings in general.

"Macromedia is empowering a whole host of new users," he says. "Contribute, for instance, allows user with no previous training to work with Web pages. Using an intuitive interface, employees can add content and images to existing templates and publish their news in HTML on their Web sites."