Adobe AIR

Some believe that the “Internet” in “rich Internet application” (RIA) means that RIAs must only run in the browser. However my definition of RIA is not constrained to only web-based applications. RIAs can run anywhere: web, desktop, mobile devices, TVs, or even inside PDFs. Ideally we should have some level of code and library reusability between these environments. However to think that we can reuse the entire application is a pipe dream. Client capabilities and end user needs vary too greatly between these mediums.

MAX 2009 is coming fast! It’s going to be another great event with tons of great speakers and after party fun. Here are my sessions this year:

• Introduction to BlazeDS and LiveCycle Data Services
• Designing for Augmented Reality
• Building Flex and Adobe AIR Service Clients 2009
• Flex and Adobe AIR Boot Camp

Also Drunk on Software will be there filming some episodes.

So this is certainly a MAX you don’t want to miss! I hope to see you there!

Device font rendering in Flash content has always had some limitations, including the inability for text to be correctly scaled, rotated, and faded. Due to these limitations many developers using Flex resort to embedding fonts. But this can really bloat the size of applications - especially when working with non-English languages. Luckily Flash Player 10 / AIR 1.5 added a new font engine! To make using the new engine easy Adobe also created an open source library called the Text Layout Framework, which wraps Flash Player’s low level text APIs. Flex 4 Spark components use the Text Layout Framework for all text rendering. The end result is much better device font support in Flex applications. Here’s a quick example (view source):

I recently recorded a podcast with James Sugrue for DZone. In the podcast we talk about why Flex and Adobe AIR are relevant to Java developers. You can either listen to the podcast or read transcribed text. It’s good to see DZone doing a lot more Flex related content including the Refcardz I’ve co-authored: Very First Steps in Flex and Flex and Spring Integration.

Let me know what you think of the podcast. Thanks!

I was recently able to be a guest on The Startup Success Podcast. I talked with Bob and Patrick about my usual topics: Rich Internet Applications, Flex, Adobe AIR, etc. It was a very enjoyable chat. Give it a listen and let me know what you think.

Over the next few months there are a number of great technology conferences across the globe. I’ll be speaking about Adobe AIR and Flex at:

• Java Posse Roundup on March 3 - 6 in Crested Butte, CO
• TheServerSide Java Symposium on March 18 - 20 in Las Vegas
• Emerging Technologies for the Enterprise on March 26 - 27 in Philadelphia
• JAOO Sydney on May 5 - 8
• JAOO Brisbane on May 11 - 14

I’m also planning a number of Java User Group visits in March and April. I’ll post the dates for those as soon as I get them nailed down.

Bruce Eckel and I will be hosting a 3 day Adobe AIR and Flex Jam in Crested Butte, Colorado - February 25 - 27. If you are learning Flex or diving deeper into Flex then this will be a great opportunity to quickly learn more. For beginners we will work through our book First Steps in Flex. Hopefully see you there!

Adobe recently announced the release of Adobe AIR 1.5 for Linux! For us Linux users this is huge! Now desktop RIAs with Adobe AIR work the same on Windows, Mac, and Linux! I recorded a short instructional video that shows how to get it working.

(Original video size is 1024 x 768 so you might want to <a href="/air_on_linux"target=”_blank” >open it in a new window or tab.)

The Flash Platform (Adobe AIR, Flash Player, Flex, etc.) has become a mainstream software development platform. This is very exciting but also leads to me getting a boat-load of email. That is great! I love hearing from the community and answering questions. I do respond to every email I get - even if it takes a year! I am frequently asked about partnerships. It seems that everyone who is building products or services related to the Flash Platform wants to know how they can help Adobe and how Adobe can help them. I love getting these emails because as the ecosystem around the Flash Platform grows, the Platform itself grows. But due to my often high latency in responding to email I figured it would be good to document many of the Flash Platform Partner resources that are already out there. Here they are…

February 25 - 27, 2009 Bruce Eckel and I will be hosting a Flex / Adobe AIR Jam in Crested Butte, Colorado. Anyone who needs to learn Flex or take their Flex programming skills further will enjoy the atmosphere and methodology of this event. Attendees can:

• Follow our book First Steps in Flex
  • Follow our sequence of graduated exercises
    • Explore a particular area or use exercises from other books
      • Bring your own project and get help during the Jam
      To learn more about how a Jam works click here. This event is limited to 35 people so sign-up now!