text: For cartoons, Flash is the pre-eminent application.  You can also write programs with Flash utilizing the ActionScript framework.  However, these are online programs.  Adobe will be releasing the Apollo runtime engine in January to developers and publicly in mid-2007.  This runtime will allow for deployment of Rich Internet Applications to the desktop for both offline and online utility.  Flex is an enterprise grade version of Flash.\nhttp://www.adobe.com/go/apollo\nhttp://www.adobe.com/flex\n\nAs far as programs, the tool/language really depends on what you are attempting to accomplish and on what systems it will be deployed.  Visual Basic is probably the largest development platform for Windows.  Java is cross-platform.  C++ is common application language but is very complex.\n\nGood luck.