tryunion.com

Trying Union yourself is as easy as compiling these three lines of code:

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import net.user1.reactor.Reactor;
var reactor:Reactor = new Reactor();
reactor.connect("tryunion.com", 80);

The server name "tryunion.com" on line 3 is our public Union server. It's freely available for testing and experimentation by anyone who wants to use it, courtesy of (mt) MediaTemple.

There's nothing to buy. Nothing to install. No server ports to configure. No command lines, no shell scripts. It doesn't time out. You don't have to register. We don't want your email. We want you to build multiuser apps.

Go ahead. You can try it now, like this:

  1. Download Reactor, Union's ActionScript 3.0 framework.
  2. Add reactor.swc to your favourite ActionScript editor's Library Path.
  3. Enter the preceding three lines of code into your editor (put the code on the timeline of a .fla file in Flash, or in a class if you're using a pure code editor, such as Flex Builder).
  4. Compile and run your .swf file.

You'll now see Union's connection-log in your Output window (or Console). It's that easy to get started.

You can learn lots more about building multiuser applications at Your First Union Application.

From Try Union to My Union

Once you're ready to move from tryunion.com to a real-world deployment, you'll need a Union licence and a good host. That's why we've partnered with (mt) MediaTemple, who have been serving up good hosting for over a decade. We host tryunion.com at (mt) MediaTemple, and you will soon be able to host your applications there too. When Union 1.0 ships, (mt) MediaTemple will begin offering Union hosting plans with the Union server preinstalled and ready for use. You'll be able to seamlessly migrate to a production (mt) MediaTemple server by changing just a single line of code. Your own server will be an exact clone of our battle-tested tryunion.com.

(mt) MediaTemple