Amazing. That is my one-word description for working with the DiaDraw team. Not only have they impressed me technically with doing what no others could, and I wasn’t even sure possible (i.e., developing an Adobe Native Extension [ANE] for recording videos from my Flash/AIR app), but also they have demonstrated that they care about my project and my success.
The Screencast ANE they developed has worked flawlessly, and I am certain it is an important factor in my customers’ satisfaction with our app on iOS. The DiaDraw team took my ideas and expanded upon them intelligently, giving me options I didn’t expect could exist. DiaDraw’s communication was always very prompt, professional, and right to the point. After deploying my app with Screencast on the App Store, we discovered a problem with the ANE on iOS 5.1 and before. Working through crash logs and second-hand reports I gave them, the team (Radoslava and Hristo) solved the problem within 48 hours, on a weekend, in vastly different time zones, and when they also had other immediate project commitments. I have had zero problems since that time, with thousands of uses. While there are many talented people in the technology field, I have found it is a rare trait to be so committed to my (the client’s) success as what the DiaDraw team demonstrated.
Now, for the background. My company developed the world’s first mobile app, called SimsUshare (http://simsushare.com), that enables virtually anyone to create training simulations for helping fire officers and emergency responders practice managing incidents. Since much of the training world in the Fire Service is embracing the iOS ecosystem, particularly the iPad, we have had a great reception in the training community. While it is very easy to create simulations with our software, it was difficult for our customers to deploy those simulations beyond running them on the customer’s device. The most frequently-asked question was whether we could export a simulation as a video.
Up until we met the DiaDraw team, our answer was, unfortunately, ‘no’. Being on the Adobe Flash/AIR platform had given us several advantages regarding cross-platform development of SimsUshare, but not having the ability to export video was a very big gap in the feature set. My research on how to solve this problem had hit a dead end, and I had almost given up on expecting it was even possible.
Then two serendipitous events occurred. First, I came across the DiaDraw team’s work on the Dropbox ANE, and their upcoming (now released) books on developing ANE’s. Second, I had discovered the solution would likely be in connecting to the iOS AV Foundation, but I could not find anyone who had made an ANE to access the Foundation. I therefore reached out to DiaDraw regarding whether they could build an ANE for me. Radoslava answered me quickly and straightforwardly. This is the mark of a true professional: she laid out the challenges in an objective but hopeful way. She had a working prototype 1-2 months before I was ready to integrate it into my app.
While the Screencast ANE has been a huge success for my app, the biggest win for me and my company was discovering and working with the DiaDraw team, who I am eager to engage in the future. I am confident that everything they produce is high quality, and backed by a committed team of professionals.
Jonathan Kaye, PhD
President, CommandSim
