SPAS 3.0 Open Source Initiative
Last update: May 26, 2010
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About SPAS 3.0
SPAS 3.0 (Swing Package for ActionScript 3.0) provides a set of "lightweight" classes for building Rich Internet Applications (RIA) and Graphic User Interfaces (GUI) with the Flash® Platform.
SPAS 3.0 is fully compatible with:
- Flash CS3, Flash CS4, Flash CS5
- Flex 2, Flex 3 and Flash Builder
- The free Flex SDK,
- FDT, Eclipse and FlashDevelop.
Why SPAS 3.0 is going Open Source?
The aim of SPAS 3.0 is to give Flash developers an extensive set of free tools to let them be creative without limitations.
Without limitations means that SPAS 3.0 allows you to create tools you need, and not "tools they want you to use".
There are so many developers around the world that are frustrated because they are not listened to. So now, you can be an actor instead of being a constrained passive spectator.
And SPAS 3.0 will offer you more!
Go from RIAs to SaaS!
From now on, you won't hear these statements anymore:
"You're not a real developer! ...
You must learn another language to publish your application on our mobile platform! ..."
By combining SPAS 3.0 API and the free ONYX SDK, you will finally have the opportunity to financially profit from your Flash Developer skills. Is there a better way to do so other than using Open Source tools?
Who can participate?
It is important to understand what "Open Source" really means.
Everyone can participate in an Open Source project, but only a few can decide to modify the source code. The reason is quite simple:
"Huge projects need a well framed structure to prevent an over-diversification in coding processes and the division of the community."
This is the golden rule for all Open Source projects. Accepting it is the guarantee to find its own place inside an Open Source initiative.
See Principles of open collaboration...
Each of us has a role to play. Whether you are a Flash Designer, a Java, Flex or AS3 developer, you probably have something interesting to share. You could write core codes or tutorials, track bugs, improve documentation, translate or simply promote SPAS 3.0...
Keep Informed
Allow us to keep you informed!
Simply fill in the following form. We will keep you informed on anything that happens, such as the start of the open source project, or any other relevant information.
Get more information
You can visit the SPAS 3.0 Website for more background information about the project.
The SPAS 3.0 Open Source Initiative will be articulated around three main APIs:
- the swing package, for creating unlimited GUIs,
- the gdata package, for creating flexible 2D and 3D graphs,
- the fade package, which will provide a drawing engine to manipulate images.
Principles of open collaboration
Open source is said to be based on the principle of meritocracy. We have found that the principle of meritocracy is used as an umbrella term for the following three more specific principles of open source:
- Egalitarian. Everyone can contribute, because open source projects are accessible on the Internet and the project community is typically inclusive to anyone who wants to help.
- Meritocratic. Contributions are judged transparently and based on their merits. All decisions are discussed publicly on mailing lists and can be looked up for reference.
- Self-organizing. There is typically no defined process imposed from the outside so the project community itself determines how to go about its work.
We call these principles the principles of open (source) collaboration.
From: Software Research and the Industry, Bringing Open Source Best Practices into Corporations using a Software Forge.
