Adobe Integrated Runtime is more than just hot air, it traverses the previously unexplored space that exists between the Web and desktop applications.
Up until very recently, the void between the Web and the desktop seemed like a schism that could not be crossed. But since AIR’s 1.0 release in February this year, a whole host of other applications are emerging to compete with AIR in the single site browser space.
Tags: 3D graphics, Adobe, Adobe Integrated Runtime, AIR, AJAX, Alex Graveley, api, auto-software updates, Bubbles, Chris Toshok, clever little tools, control device, default web browser, desktop applications, desktop computing, facebook, Flash, Flash Player, Flash player for development, Fluid, Google, graphics hardware, HTML, Internet Applications, JavaScript, Linux, Mac, Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows, Mozilla, Mozilla Prism, operating system, Pyro, runtime, single site browsers, site-specific applications, SSB, web applications, Web Browser, Web browsers, web browsing activity, web resource, web resources, XML, Yahoo
Since the Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR) was released at the end of February, we now have a stable platform on which to build desktop applications with our existing web skills. A number of people have already started and the Adobe AIR Marketplace is filling with AIR applications by the day.
So what is the big deal?
Tags: ActionScript, Adobe, Adobe Integrated Runtime, Adobe Labs, AIR, AJAX, Analytics, api, Asynchronous JavaScript and XML, bbc, Benjamin Dobler, ColdFusion, collaboration tool, designer, Desktop, desktop applications, ebay, Flash, Flex, Google, HTML, HTML & XHTML, Internet Applications, internet-ready, iphone, Kuler, less developer-centric tools, Mac, Marco Kaiser, Microsoft Vista, Nicolas Lierman, operating systems, Picnik image editor, RichFLV, Runtime ( AIR ), SearchCoders, social-interaction tool, Tweetr, Twitter, web applications, Web Browser, web screenshot tool, web skills, Web technologies, web-based suite, web-hosted application, WebKut, XML
Microsoft is finally making real efforts to woo the designer community who have traditionally worshipped the Adobe and Mac product ranges. One new product that addresses this previously overlooked community is Silverlight, which uses the XAML technology and is touted as Microsoft’s Flash killer. For anyone who is keen to listen, Microsoft proposes that Silverlight will achieve similar results to Flash, but it does so in an entirely different way and has different aims. So, the big question is, will Microsoft be able to break the dominance of Adobe’s Flash platform, that is available on the PC, Mac and mobile devices alike? I’m sure the jury is out on that one, but it can be said it is an uphill task.
Tags: 3.0 technologies, ActiveX control, Adobe, animation, brilliant tool, browser-based, designer, e.g, extensible application markup language, favourite editor, Flash, Flash platform, Flex, HTML, interactivity, Internet Applications, Internet arena, Linux, Mac, Mac OS X, Magic Extensible Markup Language, Microsoft, Microsoft Windows, mobile web browser, moonlight, MXML, operating systems, OSX, RIA, rich internet applciations, Rich Internet Applications, Rich Internet arena, Silverlight, stream media, thermo, user interfaces, vector graphics, video, Web 2.0, web application development mix, web developers, web world, windows presentation foundation, Windows Workflow Foundation, XAML, XAML technology, XML
There is a web browser that has only a vague association with modern web standards. That browser is Internet Explorer 6. Wouldn’t it be great if it supported stuff like translucent PNGs? Well, now you can add decent PNG support to IE5.5+ on Windows with no changes to your website HTML source code. This script will add near-native PNG support with full alpha opacity, with only one line in your CSS file, that applies to all <img> tags and also background images!
Tags: Angus Turnbull, behavior, Browsers, cascading stylesheets, Code, CSS, Design, gif, HTML & XHTML, ie, images, Internet Explorer, Mac, Microsoft, png, transparency