[CoLoCo] Is creating something in flash == programming?

[Paul Hummer]

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Jim Hutchinson wrote:
> I am a judge of our computer showcase competition and my category
> is computer programming. I received two projects and both are done
> in Flash. According to the rules, the code is to be entered "one
> character at a time on a keyboard" and they can't use an authoring
> tool. I have two flash project that have some code in the (if this
> then jump to this frame kind of thing). Based on my understanding
> of Flash, it doesn't qualify as a program but then I really don't
> understand flash.
>
> Can anyone clarify Flash's standing in the programming world?
Flash itself isn't programming.  It's more design.  The
if...then...else that you're seeing is Actionscript.  Actionscript is
almost identical to Javascript, with a few extra idioms (like classes
and the like for OOP), however, both Javascript and Actionscript
conform to the ECMAScript spec (or closely conform...)

I would say it's a toss up, and probably left to your discretion.  How
much of the interaction in Flash is based on the Actionscript, and how
much is generated by setting up the stages and making jump points,
etc.  If most of the work was done in the Flash UI, and Actionscript
is only there as support to the actual Flash animation stuff, I
wouldn't give it to them (I would say it counts as an authoring
tool).  If Actionscript is used heavily, it's programming.

However, I also think it's rather important to be encouraging.  If the
rules weren't clear, maybe they should be clearer next year, and you
should disqualify no one (but then again, I'm not at all an educator).

Thanks,
Paul
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