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Adobe Joins Linux Foundation, Develops AIR For Linux
2muchcoffeeman writes "Adobe announced Monday that it is joining the Linux Foundation and alpha-released a Linux version of its new Adobe Internet Runtime environment, which allows Internet-enabled applications to run on Windows and Mac OS desktops, for Linux. According to Adobe, the alpha version lacks some key features that will be available in the final product and only runs with Sun Java, not GNU Java. Adobe also released an alpha of Flex Builder for Linux Monday."
... "You think that's AIR you're breathing?"
"Quote me as saying I was mis-quoted." -Groucho Marx
Not meant as a troll, but it is hard to find an objective explanation of how AIR is going to fill a huge need or bake better bread.
I once saw an elephant mother grieving over her dead calf. The calf had died due to thirst on the savannah and though the herd moved on to newer pastures, the mother elephant stayed with the dead calf until the mother too died of thirst, and I suppose sadness.
It was a terrible thing to watch. The emotional stress that the mother elephant went through was so tangible and human-like that I was really moved.
Kinda like I am with Adobe fans.
What is GNU Java? GCJ?
Yea, they really dropped the ball on coreutils, huh?
So ... any known application that uses this?
I had to look it up on google to fid out what exactly adobe AIR is. How big is this?
Tie two birds together: although they have four wings, they cannot fly. (The blind man)
64-bit Flash!
Does that mean there is a chance I can finally watch YouTube video on my Ubuntu-powered iMac G4?
Res publica non dominetur
For those of you who don't drink the Adobe kool-aid, a quick explanation.
AIR is a desktop runtime environment. You can run either Html/Javascript or Flash based applications inside it. AIR provides a few interesting features beyond HTML/Flash including:
1) File I/O
2) SQLLite Support
3) An integrated web browser (based on WebKit) that you can use inside applications.
4) A fairly good distribution mechanism
5) Desktop integration (OSX Dock icons, Win32 systray support, etc.)
It's a great technology if you're using Adobe products to make web applications and you want to branch into making desktop apps.
It's a great technology if you want to make a desktop app that may later become a web app and you want to share most of the code.
It's a horrible technology if you're a desktop developer who's looking for a different technology.
It's way more write-once run-anywhere than Java ever was.
It does not pick up the system's native UI widgets.
This is excellent news. We've never had the resources to port our panoramic image stitcher to Linux, but as it's now an AIR app, this means we get it for free. I can finally use my own app on Ubuntu! Anyone who hasn't taken a look at AIR yet should seriously check it out, especially now that Flex is open source.
Does anyone not see it... Now you can buy AIR... virtual AIR, but none the less... someone has found a way for you to purchase AIR
Wow, something that is written in Java, runs on Linux. *CHEER*
Oh, well, it isn't compatible with GNU Java, but it runs on Linux *duh*
Shouldn't it be default that something written in Java runs on ALL platforms which got a JRE?
Patents Drive Free Software as Hurricanes Drive Construction Industry
Yeah... that Java JRE that doesn't run anything correctly. It's been nothing but troubles for me, at least. YMMV.
If I mod you up, it doesn't necessarily mean I agree with what you've said, sorry.
AIR doesn't come preinstalled, so it's just another piece of software people can choose to use, not an existing platform to target with content.
Meanwhile, the GNU implementation of SWF is GNASH, which just released a new version. GNASH is also not preinstalled, but it's in some ways superior to Adobe's Flash, while remaining compatible (with practically all features found in the wild, and adding the rest) - and free, including not adding DRM you don't want. And GNASH was announced to be part of the new KDE, so it will in fact be preinstalled on lots of Linux machines.
--
make install -not war
I kinda wish adobe would make a decent pdf viewer for linux, or at least make the pdf format open ... The current viewer they have sucks as I have to keep agreeing to the license every time I open a document up and each document is opened in an opera-esque parent application (not individually). It's not really pleasant to use the other linux viewers either, as you can't do selection in a dual column document all that well. The flash support for linux, on the other hand seems pretty functional and having vibrant webapps isn't all that critical to me. I just wish Adobe would do a decent job at supporting their core applications on linux, e.g. Acrobat and Photoshop, but maybe that's just me. : /
It may actually be possible to create a PDF viewer using AIR. It has some native support for the format, which means you may be able to create a lighter-weight app which uses this. Significantly, Adobe have said that they plan to move their apps gradually over to AIR, so this could mean that Photoshop and others may finally be available for Linux.
In other words, "We'll let you play in our sandbox, but don't try to figure out how we built our sandbox so you can build your own sandbox that looks just like our sandbox."
Prevent Windows piracy. Use Linux instead.
Your "Linux License" may never see fruitation - Thorvalds has said he doesn't foresee the need to move on to Linux 2.8 or 3.0
I'm starting to think GNU is the problem with "GNU/Linux" these days.
Hey buddy, wanna buy some...air?
I'm not selling the bottle, just what's in it!
Adobe doesn't know how to make a good UI; just look at Adobe Acrobat Reader or Photoshop. Historically, their Linux versions are even worse than their Windows and Mac software.
In order to get a decent version of AIR for Linux, we'll have to write an open source version ourselves.
> "Adobe also released an alpha of Flex Builder for Linux Monday."
Is GNU gonna be sued because of the name "flex"?
Colorless green Cthulhu waits dreaming furiously.
Well, time to move to Haiku.
Please, you stop, OK? It's just annoying.
I'm still not sure why Sun lets GCJ enthusiasts get away with calling it 'java'. Whether it's the default packaging, or the distros that do it (redhat/fedora/etc) having a program on your system called 'java' which is so half-assed compatible like the GCJ stuff is just gives Java a bad name. It's far *less* compatible than the MS Java of years ago was with 'mainstream' Java at that time, yet Sun throws a fit over MS, but leaves GCJ enthusiasts alone. I don't get it.
creation science book
GNASH also includes a FOSS version of Adobe's proprietary FLEX media streaming server, that's compatible with Adobe's Flash players. Now that is a FOSS product that doesn't suffer from the "not preinstalled" problem, because it uses the preinstalled Adobe Flash players as its target installed base. You can just install it on your server instead of installing FLEX.
But I haven't heard how good it is. Is it fully compatible with Adobe's Flash? Feature-competitive with FLEX? Have you heard anything?
--
make install -not war
First all the tangoing with Microsoft was bad enough. But if the Linux Foundation is taking Adobe, it loses Linux users. We know exactly what's going on. The same organization can't be a Jewish rights advocate and accept Hitler as a member.
BSD is just as free, just as open, works just as well, and doesn't have a million buzzards trying to eat it like Linux does.
As someone who in the last 6 weeks has been currently developing a flex app for both AIR and the web... dont get too excited.
I am finding the Flex3 framework to be buggy as hell.
* I have been having constant crashes from Flex Builder (It is built on eclipse)
* The ui components are coded like dogshit. (i ended up coding custom elements in flash which are the tenth of the size, and work as intended)
* Some documented features dont work.
* I have spent alot of time figuring out work arounds/undocumented features.
sorry for the rant.. but the claim that it is easy to develop flex apps is bullshit.
I have been using flash since it was called FutureSplash, so after over 10 years of day in day out
developing and making bread with this tech, I think I can speak with some authority.
It seems to me that Adobe is glorifying their steps into open source.
I just have a funny feeling that it is not as good willed, as intended,
but just as a way to get their shit coded/fixed for free,then reimplemented
in their closed source upscale/addon technologies.
Which I might add, allows adobe to compete directly against the very developers
that buy into their software.
From the SWF and FLV File Format Specification and License
-- This license does not permit the usage of the specification to create software which supports SWF file playback.
That's pathetic. Adobe is explicitly trying to control the _format_, while trying to convince (and confuse) people by releasing the runtime and SDK as open source. Which means they still retail all the control of closed-source software, without many people even being aware of it. Once (hopefully not) AIR or Flash becomes a widely accepted platform for applications, Adobe can easily ask people to pay up or do whatever.
These days, I get frustrated by the number of people who mention that Adobe is a major supported of open source, and get excited about it. Java may suck, but it sure is not a lock in.
Life is just a conviction.
Ok, who the hell let Tom Cruise near an Ubuntu live cd?
This is my sig. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
Adobe seems to want to jump on the OSS bandwagon, which might make a lot of people smile... although, ....
.0 known bug that plainly doesn't launch when executed without a fix from their website)
- Flash isn't OSS
- The Linux Flash binary-only plugin is still WAY behind the Windows version in quality and stability (remember how long we had to wait for Flash 9.x on Linux??)
- Shockwave Director isn't OSS (and isn't even ported to Linux in a binary-only format, despite the 29511 signatures in the online petition that's been going on forever). Not a peep from Adobe on if this will ever even happen, even though revisions are still being made and it being widely used
- No intention of porting Flash to x86-64 platforms, on Linux -or- Windows (at least AFAIK)
- Just in my experience alone, COUNTLESS other buggy applications (like the other week, installing a version of Acrobat with a
I agree Adobe has a LOT of momentum behind them with the Internet community. With this, however, comes great responsibility. If they want to play in the OSS playground, I think they need to share all of their toys like the others do.
It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
Try it this way: Most projects produce terrible code. That'ld be correct. The license is an insignificant contribution...and I can't even tell in which direction, so it may not matter at all.
I think that I tend to produce very good code...but it takes me a long time compared to many others. Possibly there's a tradeoff here.
The nice thing about FOSS projects is that it lets you get SOMETHING out there fast, and then if there's a need, it will be continually improved. I do believe that commercially sponsored projects can develop large applications to a decent level of reliability more quickly. For this purpose ANY FOSS license will work....any that's accepted by the community, and I believe that GPL3 readily qualifies here. It may well be, however, that GPL3 projects are less likely to attract commercial sponsors. OK. They aren't allowed to fork the code into a closed tree. That makes it less attractive to them. But more attractive to me.
Over time I believe that the FOSS projects will provide the higher quality code that fit better with the need of both the developers and the end-users. This doesn't mean that it will happen as quickly with FOSS code as it would with commercial code. But it will be more usable, and more tailored to the "customers" desires. (And, naturally, also more tailored to the desires of the developers.) Over time.
Anecdotally the use of MOST FOSS licenses is increasing. (Not all. Artistic seems on the decline, as does the GNAT variant of the GPL. I'd say the same about the Eiffel variant, but it never was popular enough to estimate. And about most I don't have even enough anecdotal evidence to make a guess.)
P.S.: I *do* count gcc. That may have been a hostile fork, as you say, but it was one specifically allowed by the license. I also count X Window, for the same reason. That's a part of how FOSS operates.
I think we've pushed this "anyone can grow up to be president" thing too far.
Glad to see Adobe has their priorities strait.
Your "Linux License" may never see fruitation
...?
Ummm, fruition
Maybe people who can spell (or use a spellchecker? I don't think IE has one yet) have a different opinion.
It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
The problem for Adobe and users of this is that by linking your applications to proprietary things like flash, the customer base is limited and there are no compatible alternatives to switch to.
Now if it was based on Gnash, Swfdec or the yet to be released OpenFlash from Adobe, then perhaps it would be worth considering...
It's hard to move to proprietary solutions when you are accustomed to open ones.
For Linux, or for RedHat on x86? Sad to see even Slashdot has fallen to the low of just pasting press releases instead of questioning these nonsensical claims.
TO BUY A NEW CAR WOULD MAKE YOU SEXUALLY ATTRACTIVE.
you're no good, missunderstood, AIR.
To be clear, this is only related to the SDK and NOT the runtime. More specifically, it's related to the debugger (ADT) and it's listed as a "known issue", which seems to imply that it's something they're looking to fix by the time it's released.
This is probably a test, and based on how many will use this AIR, they may decide to (or decide against) releasing other Adobe products for Linux.
McCain/Palin '08. Now THAT's hope and change!
- i'm tired of resetting my system's date/time back to the Dot-Bomb era! :-)
Is it Free?
Or, maybe people actually pay attention to Linus. And I'm typing this using lynx for the record, not Internet Exploder.
I'm starting to think GNU is the problem with "GNU/Linux" these days.
Cool Developers who are AIRheads?
Would that be an OXY-Moron?
Would BAD developers be NOT worth the AIR they breathe?
Previously: "Linux... Toward the Sunrise..." Now: "Linux... Toward the-- No, now, part of Every Sunrise"
April Fools is tomorrow.
Les Miserables Volume 1 now up with my reading of
I see no source code. They're not joining the free software community, they're selling to it.
The best projects are ones that are developed by a small group or company, without interference.
Actually, that is typically how GNU projects work. They are not known for an "open" development process.
Call it a pipe dream, but could this (a while down the road of course) mean we'll be seeing some ports of commercial Adobe apps for Linux?
Hello there,
I've just posted a review and a comment at my site (translation) where I point that Adobe makes an amateur mistake, by installing all AIR files as the user who launched the installer, despite the fact that it asks for root access via gksu (a graphic sudo replacement). This makes the user owner of the files "AIR root", letting him able to compromise AIR Apps to all users of the system (either voluntarily or by a virus for example). This goes against all security policies I've ever seen. System wide programs must be read only to every one, except for root, which is a user that "is just meant not to be used".
I also pointed at my site to at least two packaging mistakes: broken dependencies and garbage after uninstall.
I wonder: why in hell they have to make that annoying Windows-like installer, more vulnerable to this sort of error, than simply give a package and a software repository? Or at least give direct access to a "traditional" RPM or Debian package... Doesn't they know the KISS rule?
Hope this sort of stuff does not happen when it comes to be final.