Adobe's announcements and next meeting
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Diane Sieger
Nov 9, 2011, 5:39:41 PM11/9/11
to Wellington Creative Suite User Group
Hi Everybody,
It has been a while since I last posted something to the list, but
organising Creative Camp took up lots of my time and energy, sorry if
you missed me! :-)
We think that the camp and pre-camp workshops were pretty awesome, and
I'm glad I'm part of such a great and vibrant community.
You may have heard of the changes Adobe announced yesterday, and from
what's being discussed on Twitter and in online forums, there seems to
be a bit of uncertainty what some of the changes actually mean. The
Adobe Community Team has provided us with some FAQ, which I'm happy to
share with you. You'll find them further down in the email - just be
aware that this has been copied and pasted from Adobe's email and does
not necessarily reflect my personal opinion.
But before I let you read through the FAQs, please note that I will
organise another User Group meeting for early December - the topic
will be Adobe Edge, so we can all stay on top of the latest
developments at Adobe ;-)
Cheers,
Diane
What is it that Adobe is announcing?
Adobe announced to increase its efforts on HTML5, use of the Flash
Player for
applications (packaged with AIR) and specific desktop browsing use
cases including
premium video and console-quality gaming. As a result, Adobe will no
longer develop
Flash Player for mobile web browsers. See this Flash Platform blog
post for more details: http://adobe.ly/sbokei
Does this mean that Adobe is no longer supporting content publishers
focused
on delivering content via a browser on a mobile device?
Adobe offers world-class tools and technologies including HTML5 tools
like Edge that
allow content publishers and developers to bring rich content and
experiences across
mobile web browsers using HTML5.
What does this mean for Flash Player support on desktops?
Adobe is fully committed to providing a great experience for use cases
not yet well
supported by HTML, including console quality gaming and premium video.
In fact, Flash
Player 11 just introduced dozens of new features, including hardware
accelerated 3D
graphics for console-quality gaming and premium HD video with content
protection. We
are already working on Flash Player 12 and a new round of exciting
features which we
expect to again advance what is possible for delivering high
definition entertainment
experiences.
Why is Adobe making this move now?
All the major platform providers (Android, iOS, Windows 8) are betting
on HTML5 for
browsing, some even to the point of excluding third party plug-ins
such as Flash Player.
Adobe sees this as the right time to increase our focus on
accelerating the development
of HTML for in browser experiences, especially on mobile (phones and
tablets), and
general purpose apps, while using Flash to drive whatʼs possible in
advanced interactive
entertainment areas like console-quality gaming and premium video so
that it can
continue to serve as a blueprint for further work on HTML. Flash
developers get the
greatest reach by targeting mobile devices with apps packaged with
AIR, and that is
where we are investing while helping the mobile browsers advance the
state of the art of
what can be done in a browser. Our new strategy allows us to maintain
leadership in
web content and give developers the best tools to create content
across all platforms.
Will Adobe continue to support AIR? On Mobile? On TVs?
Adobe is fully committed to enabling Flash based apps via AIR on
mobile and digital
home devices.
Will the Flash Player continue to be available on the Android Market?
Yes. The current version of Flash will be available on the Android
Market in the near
future.
When will Adobe stop supporting Flash Player for browsing on mobile?
Adobe will release one more version of the Flash Player for mobile
browsing, which will
provide support for Android 4.0, and one more release of the Flash
Linux Porting Kit -
both expected to be released before the end of this year. After that
time, Adobe will
continue to provide critical bug fixes and security updates.
What will happen with Flash Player support on RIMʼs BBX platform?
Adobe will continue to support RIMʼs use of the Flash Player on the
current PlayBook
configurations with critical bug fixes and security updates. RIM has
done a great job
optimizing the Flash Player for their platform and as a result the RIM
playbook provides
a great experience for consuming Flash content. RIM is expected to
leverage their
expertise with Flash to continue to support and ship the Flash Player
on BBX devices for the foreseeable future.
Will the current version of Flash Player support smartphones and
tablets that are
coming to market over the coming weeks and months?
It depends on the version of the OS, silicon, and browser supported on
the device. We
are working with OEMs to determine the appropriate support and
transition plan for their
current and planned devices.
Will Adobe stop OEMs from shipping Flash Player on devices?
No, Adobe will not stop OEMs from pre-loading and shipping the Flash
Player. We
expect some of our OEM partners to opt to continue working on and
releasing their own
implementations of the Flash Player. However, Adobe will be
recommending mobile
OEMs discontinue pre-loading new devices with Flash Player due to
expected OS and
browser compatibility issues. However, existing licensees can continue
shipping Flash
Player at the manufacturerʼs discretion.
Will 3D support and any of the console-quality Flash games you demoed
at MAX
come to mobile devices?
Yes, game developers will be able to bring console-quality games with
hardwareaccelerated
3D graphics to mobile devices as Flash based apps packaged with AIR.
On
the desktop 3D games can be delivered with Flash within the browser or
as a Flash
based app via AIR. However, 3D content will not be supported in Flash
Player on mobile
browsers.
What does this mean for Flex?
Flex SDK 4.5 supports the development of mobile applications that
target, or are
packaged with AIR. Mobile applications built with Flex SDK are
installed on phone or
tablet devices and do not rely upon the browser or Adobe Flash Player
to run; as such,
they are unaffected by this announcement.
How does this affect other Flash Platform tools?
This news has no impact on the Flash platform tooling offerings (e.g.
Flash Builder) from
Adobe.
Is Flash getting more and more replaced by HTML5? How will Adobe
advance
Flash Player on desktops and stay relevant?
We are continuing to invest in Flash to deliver the most advanced web
experiences on
desktops, focusing on features that are not yet available in HTML5.
Flash Player 11 just
introduced dozens of new features, including hardware accelerated 3D
graphics for
console-quality gaming and premium HD video with content protection.
Flash
developers can take advantage of these features, and all that Flash
has to offer, to reach more than a billion desktops through their
browsers and repurpose their content to hundreds of millions of mobile
devices through popular App Stores using Flash based
apps packaged/enabled with AIR.
We are already working on the next future version of Flash Player and
a new round of
exciting features which we expect to again advance what is possible
for delivering high
definition entertainment experiences across the Web and devices. We
will continue to
leverage our experience with Flash to accelerate our work with the W3C
and WebKit to
bring similar capabilities to HTML5 as quickly as possible, just as we
have done with
CSS Shaders. And, we will design new features in Flash for a smooth
transition to
HTML5 as the standards evolve so developers can confidently invest
knowing their skills will continue to be leveraged.
How many Flash-based apps are available on App Stores today?
There are thousands of Flash based apps available on App Stores like
Android Market,
AppWorld, or Amazonʼs App Store. Popular and top rated examples
include
Machinarium, Politifact, Dr Stanleyʼs House, Facebook on BlackBerry,
WatchESPN etc.
How are Flash-based apps different from HTML5 apps?
Flash based apps deliver features and capabilities not yet supported
in HTML5 such as
3D graphics or content protection for premium video. Developers are
able to deliver
high-end entertainment experiences as Flash based apps packaged via
AIR on mobile
platforms and within the browser on desktops.
What about Flash Player and support for web browsing on TVʼs (Google
TV,
Samsung SmartTVs and other connected Digital Home devices)?
Adobe will continue to support existing licensees who are planning on
supporting Flash
Player for web browsing on digital home devices and are using the
Flash Player Porting
Kit to do so. However we believe the right approach to deliver content
on televisions is
through applications, not a web browsing experience, and we will
continue to encourage
the device and content publishing community down that path.
What happens to Flash browsing support in the Google TV solution?
We recommend you talk with Google, but we believe Google has no
immediate plans to
remove the Flash Player from the Google TV browser.
Do you regret having waited so long after Steve Jobs predicted that
Flash Player
wonʼt work on mobile devices 1.5 years ago?
HTML5 has matured and is able to deliver a great web browsing
experiences across
mobile devices. At the same time users consume rich content almost
exclusively via
apps on smartphones and tablets today.
At Adobe we are focused on delivering the best tools and technologies
for our
developers and content publishers so they can offer the best possible
experiences to
their customers across platforms - from desktops to smartphones, from
tablets to
TVs. We are proud to lead the industry with HTML5 tools while offering
new, cutting–
edge features in Flash that are not yet supported in HTML5.
Is this expected to improve the relationship between Adobe and Apple?
Adobe and Apple have a longstanding relationship and Mac and iOS users
are very
important to Adobe. Like with any other company in the industry we
work closely with
Apple in specific areas like support for our Creative Suite products
on Mac OS while we
compete in other areas like video editing tools.
What platforms and browsers will Adobe continue to support with Flash
Player for
browsing?
Adobe plans to continue to support Apple Mac OS X and Safari; Google
Chrome
Browser for Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows and Intel-based Chrome OS;
Microsoft Intel based Windows and desktop Internet Explorer; and
cooperate with other third-party
browser providers such as Mozilla and Opera.
How will content publishers serving premium video reach mobile
devices?
Content publishers can continue to stream premium, Flash based video
content across
platforms and devices including the iPhone and iPad using Flash Media
Server
4.5. Additionally, content publishers can deliver premium video
experiences as Flash
based applications packaged with AIR across platforms including
connected TVs.
Does Adobe intend to bring HTML5’s capabilities to full parity with
Flash
Player? If yes, then why continue supporting Flash Player for desktop?
HTML5 today cannot replace the Flash Player as a platform for
delivering console
gaming or premium video experience on desktop computers. Adobe plans
to leverage
its expertise around these use cases to help HTML5 catch up to the
Flash Player, but
even with the rapid pace of innovation for HTML5 it will take time for
HTML5 to catch up
to Flash.
Will Adobe create Flash Player for Windows 8 on ARM and Windows 8 on
X86?
Adobeʼs plan is to continue supporting Flash Player for browsing on
desktops going
forward with Windows 8 on X86 only.
It has been a while since I last posted something to the list, but
organising Creative Camp took up lots of my time and energy, sorry if
you missed me! :-)
We think that the camp and pre-camp workshops were pretty awesome, and
I'm glad I'm part of such a great and vibrant community.
You may have heard of the changes Adobe announced yesterday, and from
what's being discussed on Twitter and in online forums, there seems to
be a bit of uncertainty what some of the changes actually mean. The
Adobe Community Team has provided us with some FAQ, which I'm happy to
share with you. You'll find them further down in the email - just be
aware that this has been copied and pasted from Adobe's email and does
not necessarily reflect my personal opinion.
But before I let you read through the FAQs, please note that I will
organise another User Group meeting for early December - the topic
will be Adobe Edge, so we can all stay on top of the latest
developments at Adobe ;-)
Cheers,
Diane
What is it that Adobe is announcing?
Adobe announced to increase its efforts on HTML5, use of the Flash
Player for
applications (packaged with AIR) and specific desktop browsing use
cases including
premium video and console-quality gaming. As a result, Adobe will no
longer develop
Flash Player for mobile web browsers. See this Flash Platform blog
post for more details: http://adobe.ly/sbokei
Does this mean that Adobe is no longer supporting content publishers
focused
on delivering content via a browser on a mobile device?
Adobe offers world-class tools and technologies including HTML5 tools
like Edge that
allow content publishers and developers to bring rich content and
experiences across
mobile web browsers using HTML5.
What does this mean for Flash Player support on desktops?
Adobe is fully committed to providing a great experience for use cases
not yet well
supported by HTML, including console quality gaming and premium video.
In fact, Flash
Player 11 just introduced dozens of new features, including hardware
accelerated 3D
graphics for console-quality gaming and premium HD video with content
protection. We
are already working on Flash Player 12 and a new round of exciting
features which we
expect to again advance what is possible for delivering high
definition entertainment
experiences.
Why is Adobe making this move now?
All the major platform providers (Android, iOS, Windows 8) are betting
on HTML5 for
browsing, some even to the point of excluding third party plug-ins
such as Flash Player.
Adobe sees this as the right time to increase our focus on
accelerating the development
of HTML for in browser experiences, especially on mobile (phones and
tablets), and
general purpose apps, while using Flash to drive whatʼs possible in
advanced interactive
entertainment areas like console-quality gaming and premium video so
that it can
continue to serve as a blueprint for further work on HTML. Flash
developers get the
greatest reach by targeting mobile devices with apps packaged with
AIR, and that is
where we are investing while helping the mobile browsers advance the
state of the art of
what can be done in a browser. Our new strategy allows us to maintain
leadership in
web content and give developers the best tools to create content
across all platforms.
Will Adobe continue to support AIR? On Mobile? On TVs?
Adobe is fully committed to enabling Flash based apps via AIR on
mobile and digital
home devices.
Will the Flash Player continue to be available on the Android Market?
Yes. The current version of Flash will be available on the Android
Market in the near
future.
When will Adobe stop supporting Flash Player for browsing on mobile?
Adobe will release one more version of the Flash Player for mobile
browsing, which will
provide support for Android 4.0, and one more release of the Flash
Linux Porting Kit -
both expected to be released before the end of this year. After that
time, Adobe will
continue to provide critical bug fixes and security updates.
What will happen with Flash Player support on RIMʼs BBX platform?
Adobe will continue to support RIMʼs use of the Flash Player on the
current PlayBook
configurations with critical bug fixes and security updates. RIM has
done a great job
optimizing the Flash Player for their platform and as a result the RIM
playbook provides
a great experience for consuming Flash content. RIM is expected to
leverage their
expertise with Flash to continue to support and ship the Flash Player
on BBX devices for the foreseeable future.
Will the current version of Flash Player support smartphones and
tablets that are
coming to market over the coming weeks and months?
It depends on the version of the OS, silicon, and browser supported on
the device. We
are working with OEMs to determine the appropriate support and
transition plan for their
current and planned devices.
Will Adobe stop OEMs from shipping Flash Player on devices?
No, Adobe will not stop OEMs from pre-loading and shipping the Flash
Player. We
expect some of our OEM partners to opt to continue working on and
releasing their own
implementations of the Flash Player. However, Adobe will be
recommending mobile
OEMs discontinue pre-loading new devices with Flash Player due to
expected OS and
browser compatibility issues. However, existing licensees can continue
shipping Flash
Player at the manufacturerʼs discretion.
Will 3D support and any of the console-quality Flash games you demoed
at MAX
come to mobile devices?
Yes, game developers will be able to bring console-quality games with
hardwareaccelerated
3D graphics to mobile devices as Flash based apps packaged with AIR.
On
the desktop 3D games can be delivered with Flash within the browser or
as a Flash
based app via AIR. However, 3D content will not be supported in Flash
Player on mobile
browsers.
What does this mean for Flex?
Flex SDK 4.5 supports the development of mobile applications that
target, or are
packaged with AIR. Mobile applications built with Flex SDK are
installed on phone or
tablet devices and do not rely upon the browser or Adobe Flash Player
to run; as such,
they are unaffected by this announcement.
How does this affect other Flash Platform tools?
This news has no impact on the Flash platform tooling offerings (e.g.
Flash Builder) from
Adobe.
Is Flash getting more and more replaced by HTML5? How will Adobe
advance
Flash Player on desktops and stay relevant?
We are continuing to invest in Flash to deliver the most advanced web
experiences on
desktops, focusing on features that are not yet available in HTML5.
Flash Player 11 just
introduced dozens of new features, including hardware accelerated 3D
graphics for
console-quality gaming and premium HD video with content protection.
Flash
developers can take advantage of these features, and all that Flash
has to offer, to reach more than a billion desktops through their
browsers and repurpose their content to hundreds of millions of mobile
devices through popular App Stores using Flash based
apps packaged/enabled with AIR.
We are already working on the next future version of Flash Player and
a new round of
exciting features which we expect to again advance what is possible
for delivering high
definition entertainment experiences across the Web and devices. We
will continue to
leverage our experience with Flash to accelerate our work with the W3C
and WebKit to
bring similar capabilities to HTML5 as quickly as possible, just as we
have done with
CSS Shaders. And, we will design new features in Flash for a smooth
transition to
HTML5 as the standards evolve so developers can confidently invest
knowing their skills will continue to be leveraged.
How many Flash-based apps are available on App Stores today?
There are thousands of Flash based apps available on App Stores like
Android Market,
AppWorld, or Amazonʼs App Store. Popular and top rated examples
include
Machinarium, Politifact, Dr Stanleyʼs House, Facebook on BlackBerry,
WatchESPN etc.
How are Flash-based apps different from HTML5 apps?
Flash based apps deliver features and capabilities not yet supported
in HTML5 such as
3D graphics or content protection for premium video. Developers are
able to deliver
high-end entertainment experiences as Flash based apps packaged via
AIR on mobile
platforms and within the browser on desktops.
What about Flash Player and support for web browsing on TVʼs (Google
TV,
Samsung SmartTVs and other connected Digital Home devices)?
Adobe will continue to support existing licensees who are planning on
supporting Flash
Player for web browsing on digital home devices and are using the
Flash Player Porting
Kit to do so. However we believe the right approach to deliver content
on televisions is
through applications, not a web browsing experience, and we will
continue to encourage
the device and content publishing community down that path.
What happens to Flash browsing support in the Google TV solution?
We recommend you talk with Google, but we believe Google has no
immediate plans to
remove the Flash Player from the Google TV browser.
Do you regret having waited so long after Steve Jobs predicted that
Flash Player
wonʼt work on mobile devices 1.5 years ago?
HTML5 has matured and is able to deliver a great web browsing
experiences across
mobile devices. At the same time users consume rich content almost
exclusively via
apps on smartphones and tablets today.
At Adobe we are focused on delivering the best tools and technologies
for our
developers and content publishers so they can offer the best possible
experiences to
their customers across platforms - from desktops to smartphones, from
tablets to
TVs. We are proud to lead the industry with HTML5 tools while offering
new, cutting–
edge features in Flash that are not yet supported in HTML5.
Is this expected to improve the relationship between Adobe and Apple?
Adobe and Apple have a longstanding relationship and Mac and iOS users
are very
important to Adobe. Like with any other company in the industry we
work closely with
Apple in specific areas like support for our Creative Suite products
on Mac OS while we
compete in other areas like video editing tools.
What platforms and browsers will Adobe continue to support with Flash
Player for
browsing?
Adobe plans to continue to support Apple Mac OS X and Safari; Google
Chrome
Browser for Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows and Intel-based Chrome OS;
Microsoft Intel based Windows and desktop Internet Explorer; and
cooperate with other third-party
browser providers such as Mozilla and Opera.
How will content publishers serving premium video reach mobile
devices?
Content publishers can continue to stream premium, Flash based video
content across
platforms and devices including the iPhone and iPad using Flash Media
Server
4.5. Additionally, content publishers can deliver premium video
experiences as Flash
based applications packaged with AIR across platforms including
connected TVs.
Does Adobe intend to bring HTML5’s capabilities to full parity with
Flash
Player? If yes, then why continue supporting Flash Player for desktop?
HTML5 today cannot replace the Flash Player as a platform for
delivering console
gaming or premium video experience on desktop computers. Adobe plans
to leverage
its expertise around these use cases to help HTML5 catch up to the
Flash Player, but
even with the rapid pace of innovation for HTML5 it will take time for
HTML5 to catch up
to Flash.
Will Adobe create Flash Player for Windows 8 on ARM and Windows 8 on
X86?
Adobeʼs plan is to continue supporting Flash Player for browsing on
desktops going
forward with Windows 8 on X86 only.
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