As a Web developer, trainer, and conference speaker, the question I am asked most frequently is, "Where is this industry going?" My answer is one simple word: Flash!!!

In my opinion, client-side technologies, such as HTML and related scripts, have run their course and are relics of a past state of technological evolution. Even many of today's dynamic technologies are just trying to use these past concepts in brand new ways. However, the results are often far from satisfactory. If you think about it, the results of most of these technologies are just freshly written static HTML pages.

The emergence of Flash MX 2004 was a major leap forward in Web design. No longer is Flash a program for novelty and eye-catching animations; it is now, in my opinion, the most powerful and forward-looking Web design tool on the market today. I can say with assurance that Flash MX 2004 is only the beginning; as I look down the road I see a lot of exciting things happening over the next year.

This does not mean we should abandon existing technologies. As technology professionals, we must keep a firm eye on the future because that future could have a very real impact on how we develop today. We want to develop today's technological projects so they can easily adapt to that future. As author Tom Green recently said, "We must first define what we mean by the word dynamic." This is certainly a word that is now in transition.

It is in this light that I take over as editor-in-chief of this publication.

I see MX Developer's Journal as a powerful tool to help you achieve that goal. Therefore, you will be seeing more articles that focus on where we are going instead of rehashing where we have been. I also want to present more articles showing how many of these diverse technologies fit together.

Because of Flash's embrace of object-oriented concepts, we are now seeing the emergence of a potentially large third-party market. I will encourage our contributors to not only review these products, but to show you how to incorporate them into your present workflow.

Finally, it is my goal that MXDJ be a teaching magazine. I would like to develop coordinated articles that could serve as mini-courses. I will personally be starting a series that will discuss ActionScript 2 right from the beginning. Each month, I will build on the previous month's article.

Finally, this is not my magazine; this is not SYS-CON's magazine, this is not Macromedia's magazine: this is your magazine. You, the readers, are the ones on the front line and only you know what your needs are. To that end, my e-mail door is always open. Please feel free to contact me at charles@sys-con.com at any time to express your thoughts. You have my promise that I will listen.

With this edition, I would like to welcome three new editors to MXDJ.

Brian Eubanks will be our new Flash editor. Brian is the founder of Eu Technologies, Inc., a consulting and training firm based in Northern Virginia. Eu Technologies currently provides Java, XML, and Flash consulting and training services to clients in the Mid-Atlantic region. Recent clients have included the New York Stock Exchange, government agencies, and public and private firms. Brian holds a Master of Science degree in computer science from George Mason University.

Our new Fireworks editor is Joyce J. Evans. Joyce is a training veteran with over 10 years of experience in educational teaching, tutorial development, and Web design. She has been asked to speak at conferences such as Macromedia MAX 2003 and TODCON. Joyce has received Editors Choice Awards for her book Fireworks 4 F/X and Design and has authored several computer books including Dreamweaver MX Complete Course, Web Design Complete Course, and Fireworks MX: Zero to Hero.

Joyce is a Team Macromedia Volunteer and her work is also featured in the Macromedia Design/Developer center and MXDJ (Volume 2, issue 2). Her clients include Century 21, a prominent college in Florida, a subcontractor for a local service provider, along with actively teaching new students how to use the Macromedia Studio products.

Andrew M. Phelps will be heading up the Director section. Andrew is an assistant professor in the B. Thomas Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences at the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, NY (http://andysgi.rit.edu/>http://andysgi.rit.edu).  He has an academic background in information technology, as well as in traditional fine arts and computer animation. His work using Director has been featured at the Director-Online User's Group (DOUG), as well as the DevNet Center at Macromedia. He regularly teaches coursework in multimedia programming, game programming, and simulation/visualization.

We live in an exciting time because we are about to see the realization of nearly 25 years of promise. I firmly believe that this journal will be your guide to that future.

I look forward to hearing from each and every one of you.

And now on to the future!