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Adobe Systems Inc. has launched a test version of its new software development tools and operating environment that it hopes will secure a place on the desktop for the firm's web-focused technologies.
The San Jose, Calif.-based company officially launched the beta version of AIR (Adobe Integrated Runtime) — previously code-named Apollo — on Monday. It lets developers make programs that run on a computer desktop using the range of Adobe's internet technologies, such as Flash, as well as commonly used web code and languages such as HTML, Javascript and AJAX.
The free tool set and operating environment or so-called "virtual machine" — akin to a container that allows a single program to run inside it on multiple operating systems such as Microsoft Corp.'s Windows and Apple Inc.'s Mac OS — will let developers create programs that put internet software on the desktop within the AIR environment rather than having to learn a new programming language.
"Adobe AIR expands the universe of possibilities for web developers who can now deliver a new generation of applications that work across operating systems and both inside and outside the browser, bridging the gap between the web and the personal computer," Kevin Lynch, senior vice president and chief software architect at Adobe said in a written statement.
The company also announced that it was releasing a beta version of its Flex 3 tool suite that is meant to help create rich internet applications. It is also compatible with AIR.
Internet auction giant eBay Inc. is to be among the first companies to offer an AIR-based application on a large scale.
The online marketplace plans to give its users the capability to manage their auctions in ways that would have been challenging through a web browser alone.
At the eBay developer conference in Boston, Mass., on Monday, the company demonstrated the latest version of its desktop tool, which can run without an internet connection and synchronize changes once the user goes back online.
The test software, code-named Project San Dimas, is still in development and is expected to be available in its final version in the fall.
Microsoft and Google Inc. both offer software similar to AIR. Microsoft's Silverlight is aimed at bringing the capabilities of its desktop software to the web and integrates with Flash. Google's Gears is intended to help web browser-based applications operate even when a person's computer is not connected to the internet.
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