Adobe Flex Builder Linux Public Alpha

Follow these steps to begin experiencing the Flex Builder Linux alpha:

1. Download the Flex Builder Linux alpha

2. Run the installer either marking it as executable (chmod +x) or by using a shell to execute it (sh flexbuilder_linux_install_a4_081408.bin).

   When prompted, specify whether to install Flash Player 9 (note that this is an updated version of Flash Player 9 and that Flex Builder Linux will work with earlier versions of Flash Player 9 for Linux). This is the debug version of Flash Player 9, which is required for debugging support and exception display.

3. Read the release notes

4. Start Eclipse

   Note: You must create a new workspace before beginning. Select File > Switch Workspace from the menu bar and enter a new folder name. If the folder doesn't exist, Eclipse creates it.

5. Ask questions and share your feedback in the Labs forum for Flex Builder Linux.

   Please note that your submission of comments, ideas, feature requests and techniques on this and other Adobe maintained forums, as well as Adobe's right to use such materials, is governed by the Terms of Use.

Below you'll find references and links to help you participate in the Flex Builder Linux user community.

Online Forum

Ask questions, discuss, and share feedback with other users in the online forums.

• Visit the Labs forum for Flex Builder Linux

Please note that your submission of comments, ideas, feature requests and techniques on this and other Adobe maintained forums, as well as Adobe's right to use such materials, is governed by the Terms of Use.

Resources

If you want to learn more about releases on Labs as well as other Adobe technologies, visiting a user group or connecting with an Adobe Community Expert is a great place to start.

• Find a user group
• Find an Adobe Community Expert

• Documentation
• FAQ
• System Requirements
• Release Notes

Documentation

You can reference the Flex Builder 3 beta 3 documentation to help you with an overall understanding of the features included with the Flex Builder Linux alpha release. Please remember that not all features in Flex Builder 3 are included in the Flex Builder Linux product. The most up-to-date documentation is available from the online Help system.

The following additional resources will help you learn and understand Flex Builder:

• Flex Developer's Guide
• Building and Deploying Flex Applications
• Creating and Extending Flex Components
• Flex 3 Backwards Compatibility

FAQ

Is Flex Builder for Linux the same as Flex Builder 3?

No. Adobe is developing the Linux product in parallel with Flex 3. Many of the Flex 3 features are also included in the Linux version, however the Linux product is a separate project and is on its own schedule.

Are all of the Flex Builder 3 features included in the Linux release?

No. Although many of the features in Flex 3 are included in the Linux release, there are several features that are not yet included. Our main goal is to get the base features in place and then to solicit user feedback and their priorities for additional features, such as the profiler or design view. For a list of the features currently included in the alpha release, please read the release notes.

When will Flex Builder for Linux be fully released?

Adobe has not yet announced a release date for the Flex Builder Linux product. In part, this will be determined by user feedback on the required features, so if you have requests be sure to file them in the bug database.

Where can I download the Flex Builder Linux alpha?

You can download the public alpha from Adobe Labs.

Will you be charging for Flex Builder Linux at some point?

We hope to add official support for Linux in a future release of Flex Builder, but we have not yet finalized our packaging for the Flex Builder Linux product.

How do I get Data Visualization Charting Components for Linux?

While the Data Visualization and Charting components are not part of the Flex Builder Linux Alpha, it is possible to purchase a Flex Builder 3 Professional license (either Mac or Win) – and move the licensed datavisualization.swc file over to your Linux installation. This process has been explained by various users in our forums and is acceptable under the terms of your Flex Builder 3 license.

Does Flex Builder Linux support 64-bit Linux desktops?

While our early testing has primarly been on 32-bit Linux Desktops – some of our early testers reported success on 64-bit installations. Please let us know about your experience.

What about Gentoo, or Debian, or other distributions?

At this point in time, Flex Builder Linux has only been tested on the following distributions, however we are evaluating additional platforms, so please be sure to send us your feedback: SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 10; RedHat Enterprise Linux WS 4: Ubuntu 7.0.4 (Feisty).

System Requirements

Linux has various distributions and flavors. This release of Flex Builder Linux requires Sun JRE 1.5.x (or newer) and Eclipse 3.3.x and supports the following distributions:

• SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 (x86 32-bit version)
• RedHat Enterprise Linux WS 4 (x86 32-bit version)
• Ubuntu 7.0.4 (Feisty) (x86 32-bit version)
• Fedora Core 8 (x86 32-bit version)

Flex Builder Linux Alpha only supports Firefox (all versions).

Flex Builder Linux requires the debug version of Flash Player (Linux) to support debugging applications from within Flex Builder Linux Alpha.

See the release notes for more detailed system requirements.

Release Notes

This release of Flex Builder Linux is prerelease software and is designed for evaluation purposes only. The software contained within the installer is not yet complete; but, many additions to the product are fully implemented and ready for you to try and discuss.

See the full Release Notes