Posted 07/22/09 at 10:01:14 AM by Paul Lilly

Adobe this week anounced two open-source initiatives designed to help media companies and publishers build better Flash applications.

The first is the Open Source Media Framework (OSMF), which paves the way for more sophisticated media players to run Adobe Flash content. Formerly known as Strobe, the OSMF offers advanced playback and navigation controls, as well as plug-ins for advertising and tracking. It can also work with any kind of Flash content.

The other open-source project is the Text Layout Framework (TLF), which will help developers add advanced typography and font layouts to their Flash applications. When combined with the new text engine in Flash Player 10, TLF makes possible vertical and bidirectional text, flowing text around images, and multiple language support.

As Microsoft's Silverlight continues to gain traction and HTML 5 adding another dimension to the Web 2.0 war, don't be surprised to see an even bigger push from Adobe in expanding upon Flash's capabilities.

Read More

Posted 06/25/09 at 09:43:30 AM by Paul Lilly

Much has been made recently over HTML 5, the next major revision of the web's core language and what some refer to as the second coming of the web. But will HTML 5 be the the death knell for rich Internet application (RIA) technologies like Adobe's Flash? Not happening, says Adobe.

"I think the challenge for HTML 5 will continue to be how do you get a consistent display of HTML 5 across browsers. And when you think about when the rollout plans that are currently being talked about, they feel like it might be a decade before HTML 5 sees standardization across the number of browsers that are going to be out there," Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen said during a quarterly financial call.

Not only does Adobe feel HTML 5 is a decade away from having any kind of real impact, but Adobe says HTML 5 will benefit Flash, just as "Silverlight's launch helped to boost the popularity of Flash." According to Adobe, the recent publicity surrounding HTML 5 brings RIA technologies to the forefront of everyone's mind, putting Adobe's Flash in a position to "deliver on those heightened expectations."

Read more of what Adobe has to say here.

Read More