Comments for Adobe AIR Makes Its Way to Linux

Adobe AIR Makes Its Way to Linux

2008-03-31T04:01:01Z

The Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR), which allows developers to take web applications to the desktop and store data offline, is finally coming to Linux. Adobe announced today that the pre-release alpha version of AIR for Linux is available immediately on the Adobe Labs site. Adobe shipped the 1.0 version of AIR for Windows and Mac last month but was forced to delay the Linux release. According to a FAQ on the Adobe site, the reason for the delay was that the AIR team had to "wait on the core Flash Player's support for Linux to be finalized."

]]> "RIAs in the browser and desktop are an increasingly core part of today's computing experience and the Linux community plays a big part in innovating the future of RIAs," said Randy Linnell, business development manager at Canonical, commercial sponsor of Ubuntu, in a press release issued by Adobe.

Adobe is also releasing an updated alpha version of the Flex Builder 3 for Linux to include support for AIR applications.

In addition to AIR and Flex releases for Linux, Adobe announced that it had joined the Linux Foundation in an effort to help "accelerate the growth of RIA technologies on the Linux platform."

AIR for Linux has been promised by Adobe "in upcoming releases" for a few months, and though Linux support won't provide AIR with a huge bump in users, it does help Adobe to demonstrate their commitment to the open source community. Google's Gears is probably the chief competitor to AIR -- though it's not a one-to-one comparison since Gears apps still live in the browser -- and already supports Firefox on Linux.

Comment from sikantis on 2008-03-30

2008-03-31T04:17:07Z

Real growth of technology we achieve when different knowledge come together, join their power in mutual esteem and respect.

Comment from Webmaster Tips on 2008-03-31

2008-03-31T10:26:07Z

Is it open sourced? Hate to see the Web taken over by more proprietary crap.

Comment from Leo F. Swiontek on 2008-03-31

2008-03-31T10:48:53Z

AIR makes way to linux is a great news.eagerly waiting 4 the release.

Comment from Josh Catone on 2008-03-31

2008-03-31T15:46:04Z

@Webmaster Tips: AIR itself isn't open source, but many of its components are (e.g., SQLite). Flex and Flex Builder are open source, I believe.

Comment from moxie on 2008-03-31

2008-03-31T16:29:17Z

It's big move from Adobe. There are many competitors on Windows platform. On Linux, Microsoft by default is out of the game. That gives Adobe AIR a huge up hand competes with C/C++ based app dev and Java based dev. In ether case, AIR seems a winning contender, at least on UI side of application development.

Comment from rico on 2008-03-31

2008-03-31T17:27:36Z

Great ... yet another way for bad guys to screw up our computers is coming to linux too!
;-)

Comment from alicia on 2008-03-31

2008-03-31T19:09:19Z

Finally!

Comment from Michael on 2008-03-31

2008-03-31T20:23:15Z

I've been using Flex and AIR for the past couple of weeks. I'm totally impressed with it. Flex Builder is still a totally buggy piece of sh!@ but the API and runtime are beautiful.

Comment from Adb on 2008-03-31

2008-03-31T22:06:03Z

Adobe AIR being ported to GNU/Linux is something that the users of GNU/Linux and the appreciators of freedom of software shouldn't cheer about. This is another proprietary software, whose final result is another proprietary closed standard format of 'swf'.

Flex Builder is not free software, only Flex SDK is licensed under Mozilla Public License.

this seems as another huge plan for fulfilling some of their business model plans, cause if they cared about the users, now the GNU/Linux users would use more of their tools and most of them as free software.

Comment from Josh Catone on 2008-03-31

2008-03-31T22:39:22Z

@Adb ... I'm actually not sure how Flex Builder isn't open source, since it is Eclipse-based (according to the Flex Builder site on Adobe) and Eclipse is open source. That said, I'm not really familiar with the Eclipse Public License at all.

Comment from Jen Hawkins on 2008-03-31

2008-04-01T00:29:15Z

@Michael ... Considering you have use Flexbuilder for a few weeks that really make you a pro. Flexbuilder is much more stable then vanilla eclipse. Good on you for making a ridiculous statement.

Comment from mad on 2008-04-01

2008-04-01T08:16:21Z

Simple question what is RIA?

Comment from funkyboy.myopenid.com on 2008-04-01

2008-04-01T11:09:52Z

I knew it was under development. Hope the final version will be released soon!

Comment from Mike Pjura on 2008-04-01

2008-04-01T15:01:21Z

@mad: Rich Internet Application

I'm glad that Adobe finally was able to move forward with this. Now if they would just port the entire CS3 suite to Linux, I wouldn't have to use Windows ever again.

Comment from Holden on 2008-04-01

2008-04-01T15:10:21Z

Really people, you Linux guys complain about everything, they didn't have to port it over at all, you make up only 1.7% of the market, no big loss for them either way, and don't tell me I am a microsoft lover or apple lover, I use Linux and love it. I totally support open source but I also embrace companies that are willing to port there software and apps to us even if it is proprietary. Change takes time, so stop complaining and deal for now or you will lose what you have gained.

Comment from Emanuil on 2008-04-02

2008-04-02T13:01:43Z

@Josh Catone: The Flex SDK including MXMLC, COMPC, ASC, Flex Framework, Flex Debugger, Flex Components, and ActionScript 3 Libraries is open source under an Mozilla Public License. Flex Builder is not.

Comment from Josh Catone on 2008-04-02

2008-04-02T13:10:44Z

@Emanuil: Yep, but the question I have is... how? Because isn't Flex Builder built on Eclipse?

Comment from Emanuil on 2008-04-02

2008-04-02T23:01:36Z

@Josh Catone: I'm not sure about the details, but here's something I found on Adobe's site that might be helpful:Adobe Flex Builder is built on Eclipse code provided by the Eclipse Foundation. Additionally, Adobe Flex Builder contains source code derived from Eclipse code. Both the Eclipse code and the code derived from Eclipse code are made available to the community under the terms of the Eclipse Public License v1.0 that accompanies such code, and is also available at http://www.eclipse.org/legal/epl-v10.html.

Comment from silver_ray on 2008-04-02

2008-04-03T01:57:34Z

Glad 2 hear 'bout de news about AIR 4 Linux. I can't wait 2 try it out.
I hope de feat. will be de same with AIR 4 Macs and Wins.