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Adobe Systems is making two strongly pro-Linux moves by releasing an alpha version of the Adobe Integrated Runtime for Linux and announcing its membership in the Linux Foundation.
Adobe officials announced March 31 that the pre-release alpha version of Adobe AIR for Linux is available on Adobe Labs here. They said developers on the Linux platform can now use Web technologies, such as HTML and AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and X M L).
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In addition, RIA (rich Internet application) developers can extend the reach of their desktop applications on Adobe AIR to Linux users without writing additional platform-specific code, providing access to branded desktop software that was previously only available to Mac and Windows users, Adobe officials said.
In an interview with eWEEK early in March, Adobe Chief Technology Officer Kevin Lynch spoke of the company’s plans to deliver the AIR runtime on Linux.
In addition, Adobe said an update to the alpha version of Adobe Flex Builder 3 for Linux also is available on Adobe Labs. The software provides support for building applications that run on Adobe AIR. The combination of Flex, Adobe AIR and Adobe Flash Player 9 for Linux comprises a free RIA development platform that enables developers to build, debug and deploy RIAs entirely on Linux, and across browsers and desktops, Adobe officials said.
Meanwhile, Adobe announced its membership in the Linux Foundation to collaborate on the advancement of Linux as a key platform for RIA and Web 2.0 technologies.
“Adobe’s decision to join the LF is a natural extension of its commitment to open standards and open source, which demonstrates its leadership and foresight in the software industry,” Jim Zemlin, executive director at the Linux Foundation, said in a statement. “Adobe’s membership will contribute to our goal of increasing even more application development on Linux with a specific emphasis on Web 2.0 applications.”
Zemlin said Adobe will join other LF members at the foundation’s annual Collaboration Summit April 8-10 in Austin, Texas.
Speaking to the RIA on Linux issues, Randy Linnell, business development manager at Canonical, commercial sponsor of the Ubuntu Linux distribution, said that RIAs on the desktop and in the browser are “an increasingly core part of today’s computing experience and the Linux community plays a big part in innovating the future of RIAs.”