The greatest advantage of Flash 5 over earlier versions is the inclusion of ActionScript, a built-in scripting language. The disciplines of design and programming are quite different. This site is aimed at graphic designers and I, as a designer, am no exception when it comes to favoured brain sides. I am totally hopeless with numbers and my spelling leaves a lot to be desired, but I like to think that I have a fairly logical mind. Where I failed miserably at algebra, calculus, trigonometry and all that abstract stuff, I had very few problems with geometry.
Geometry is beautifully visual in concept - and logic.
If you break down programming into small logical steps, and use visual metaphors instead of abstract concepts, everything starts to fall into place. As I was writing games and needed the raw speed and power of 'machine code', there was no option. The secret of programming 'for designers' is to break the whole thing down into small, digestible chunks, and to use a language with a fairly 'English-like' structure. A page of tips and FAQs about using pixel fonts and cross-platform screen resolution. This is surely the most comprehensive list of Web design links anywhere.