For those who don’t know, Nimbus is a Flex MVC framework (or micro-architecture for the technically-inclined). Sponsored by Rain, we develop it primarily for use on our applications but make it available for public use and encourage the community to contribute.

Nimbus pulls core concepts from Cairngorm but is meant to cut out a lot of the plumbing developers groan about when they hear “Cairngorm.” It’s light, but it’s not fluffy. Baked in are those rare and tasty flavor morsels you thought only existed in those Funfetti cupcakes your grandmother bakes with love on your birthday.

Until the end of 2008, Nimbus had been shaped, re-shaped, patched, and plugged. A complete re-write was merited so that’s what we did. And really, what makes for a better Christmas than sitting down with your stocking stuffed with jelly beans and re-writing an MVC framework. A few months later, the code is settling down along with the sugar and we’re ready for action.

Here are some features of Nimbus:

• Notification system of command completion so portions of the application can know when a command has finished executing.
• Nestable “macro” commands. Think “I want commands A and B to run in parallel, then C, then D and E in parallel, but inside D I want F and G to run sequentially…”
• Undo/Redo functionality.
• Progress feedback system. You as a developer can associate a processing message with each command or macro command to provide feedback to users.
• Interaction blocking system. While commands are executing, easily disable user interaction to protect your service calls.
• Combinable commands. Ensure that similar command instances can be grouped appropriately in the undo/redo history.

Nimbus may not be right for everyone. Call your system administrator if your scalability problem worsens or is not better within 7 to 10 days. This may mean that there is another condition causing your RTE problems. Do not take Nimbus with alcohol. Call your system administrator right away if after taking Nimbus you are unable to walk, drive, eat, or engage in other activities. In rare cases, severe allergic reactions can occur. Most MVC frameworks carry some risk of dependency. Do not use MVC frameworks for extended periods without first talking to your system administrator. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of Nimbus. Visit http://code.google.com/p/nimbus-as3 for more information.