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November 09, 2006
Adobe makes huge bet on Rich Internet Applications
Adobe makes some very popular software. If Photoshop and Acrobat weren't enough, the Flash player is one of the most installed pieces of software in existence. The success of video sharing sites like YouTube is predicated on the prevalence of browser plugins from Adobe. Yet, there appears to be no imminent acquisition of Adobe by any larger software company. Like Nintendo in the gaming market, Adobe stands alone for now. As other software shops extend their reach into either the enterprise or consumer electronics, what wave will Adobe ride to stay competitive with its bulkier peers in the software industry? If its recent moves are any indication, it will be the wave of rich Internet applications (RIAs).
Recently, Adobe decided to contribute code to the Mozilla project from its ActionScript/Javascript engine, which it calls Adobe Virtual Machine 2. This newly revamped scripting engine is part of Flash Player version 9. The source code will be housed in the Mozilla code base as a separate project called Tamarin.
Rich Internet Applications today come in two flavors: Ajax-based and Flash-based. Firefox's first attempt at delivering rich Internet applications through XUL has not had sufficient adoption to be deemed successful. When the Tamarin code finally ships with the Mozilla suite of browsers in 2008, however, Firefox will effectively have native, plugin-less support for Flash applications. Firefox would then have native support for both Flash-based and Ajax-based RIAs, and thus become a vehicle of choice for delivering such applications. If Firefox adoption continues at the present rate, it will be the browser used by a significant minority of end users; indeed, if all goes well, it might even be the browser of choice for a few enterprises by 2008. Adobe's plan to cover both RIA bases is evidenced by its membership in the OpenAjax initiative.
Adobe's involvement in the ECMAScript working group and the OpenAjax initiative brings it into contact with an number of key players in the enterprise sector as well, such as Microsoft, IBM and Sun. Adobe can capitalize on these alliances to influence future Web-service standards activity and expand adoption of its client/SOA applications based on Adobe Flex. Moreover, Adobe could leverage the collaboration features built into Adobe Acrobat to enhance their platform's suitability for collaborative, document-based workflow systems in addition to RIAs.
Whereas Adobe's packaged software will continue to be a steady revenue stream, the forthcoming explosion of RIAs, especially in the enterprise, may well hold the key to its future.
Posted by Vishy at November 9, 2006 11:56 PM