On January 14th, 2010 at 7pm, the Michigan Flex Users Group will be having a meeting about the Data Centric Application Development model in Flash Builder 4 and Flex 4.  We will be showing some of the new features being introduced into the upcoming IDE.  We will show how you can integrate your applications using XML, Web Services, or directly with PHP or ColdFusion.  Copies of the latest version of Flash Builder 4 will be available at the meeting, and those that choose to install it can follow along with us.

This meeting will be broadcast via Adobe Connect -- Click here to join.

For our December meeting, we are partnering up with a few other local user groups like the Greater Lansing .NET Users Group and the Mid-Michigan ColdFusion Users Group to bring you Lansing's first DemoCamp!  This DemoCamp is sponsored by TechSmith and will feature YOUR projects that you want to show the rest of the community.  Have something cool that you want to show, or just want to bounce ideas off the rest of the community?  This is the place!

Info:  December 15th, 2009 @ Harpers Brew Pub in Downtown Lansing

Cost: FREE!  (Thanks to TechSmith!)

Registration is required (so we know how many people are coming), but it is free.  You can pick up your ticket here :http://democamplansing.eventbrite.com/.  More information about the event can be found here : http://barcamp.org/DemoCampLansing1.

On Thursday, October 8th, 2009 we are proud to host Michelle Bagur, an Accessability and Useability expert from Effective UI.  We will be meeting in Room 161, Communication Arts and Sciences Building on the Campus of MSU.  The meeting will start at 7pm.

Ever been tasked with building an RIA that was accessible? Then you know what Michelle’s talking about. Accessibility and Flex don’t go hand in hand, despite what you might have heard.

Accessibility is getting pretty hot these days, RIAs need be accessible if they’re gonna continue to be viable. Knowing the tricks and gotchas is going to be invaluable for any Flex Developer.

After lingering under the radar for years, accessibility is now becoming a necessary consideration in application and Web site development. Recent events and increased public focus, combined with the maturation of the Flash platform, create an environment that almost demands that accessibility be built into applications. Knowledge of accessibility methodology will soon become vital to every serious Flex developer or designer’s resume.

Despite the important role accessibility plays in applications, it is still difficult to implement well in Flex. In this session, we will examine the ways Flex is and is not useful for creating accessible applications. We will discuss Adobe’s basic accessible components and accessibility methodologies, along with the importance of accessibility considerations in initial design and architecture. We will also discuss the bugs that exist in Flex which preclude accessibility. The session will highlight lessons learned in an attempt to implement accessibility late in the development cycle of an application, and offer experiential advice on how to minimize frustrations of creating accessible applications. Finally, we will look at how the accessibility implementation is slated to change with the release of Flex 4.

On Thursday Sept 10th, 2009, The Michigan Flex Users Group will be hosting a meeting called "Cool Projects in Flex."  We will be showcasing some of the common demos that are used to promote Flex like the Graphics Libraries, 3D (Papervision 3D), Audio Toolkits and much more!  We will be showing you how to create basic apps with these frameworks so you can make your own eye-poping demos!

We will be meeting in, or near room 161 in the Communications Arts and Sciences building at 7pm.  This meeting will not be broadcast live.