Section A.3. Getting Help from Adobe | Flash Fox and Bono Bear (Chimps) (Chimps Series)

A.3. Getting Help from Adobe

Adobe offers a variety of technical support options, from free to for-a-fee. Since Adobe acquired Flash's original developer, Macromedia, you still see the Macromedia name on many of the Web pages described in this section, but expect that to change in the future.

Note: As of this writing, all "macromedia.com" URLs listed in this appendix still work, or at least take you to the relevant page on Adobe's Web site. To make sure you get to the most up-to-date support page, use the Help menu, described next , instead of typing in a URL.

A.3.1. Online Articles, FAQs, and Sample Code

Adobe maintains two different Web sites containing articles on Flash, as well as sample code and answers to frequently asked Flash- related questions. One of these sites is designed for a basic level of Flash skill (Help Flash Support Center); the other (Help Flash Developer Center) focuses on advanced topics.

If you're interested in creating animations that folks can play on mobile devices such as mobile phones and PDAs, check out the Mobile and Devices Developer Center at www.macromedia.com/devnet/devices/flashlite.html.

A.3.2. Forums

As of this writing, Adobe is continuing Macromedia's user-to- user forums , where anyone can ask a question about Flash and anyone can answer. User-to-user means that Adobe employees don't officially monitor the forums or answer any questions, so the feedback you get has no official sanction or guarantee of accuracy. Still, the best and fastest answers and advice often come from other folks in the trenches, so if you've worked your way through Macromedia Knowledge Base (online articles), FAQs, and documentation, these forums (Help Macromedia Online Forums) are definitely worth a look.

A.3.3. Direct Person-to-Person Help

Sometimes, nothing will do but asking a real, live technical support person for help. If you've purchased a supported copy of Flash (as opposed to a 30-day trial version), you get two freebie questions; after that, you have to pay Adobe's technical support staff $100 per question. (No, that's not a typo.)

To find out more or to sign up for for-fee technical support, select Help Flash Support Center, and then, from the Macromedia Flash Support Center Web site, click Contact Product Support.