Adobe offers early peek at Apollo

Adobe Systems on Monday released an early version of Apollo, software that will let people run Web applications online and offline.

The first release is an "alpha" version, with a beta due sometime this summer. Version 1.0 is planned for the second half of this year.

The early version of Apollo is aimed primarily at Web designers and programmers. The free download will include a software development kit and the "runtime" software for running Apollo applications.

Apollo is designed to bridge the world of Web applications and desktop computers. Applications written for Apollo function like normal Web applications but act like locally installed software. For example, Apollo applications will have an icon that shows up on a computer desktop and will be able to automatically reconnect when a computer gets online.

"This is a great runtime environment for (Web) applications...that are used more frequently or where people want more interaction with local data," said Kevin Lynch, chief software architect and senior vice president of Adobe's platform business unit.

Once the software is made more widely available, users can download a runtime to their desktop PCs to run Apollo applications, much like people need a Flash Player to run Flash Web animations.

The release of the software is highly anticipated among people who develop so-called rich Internet applications, meaning Web applications that have some of the interactivity of traditional desktop applications.

There are a growing number of alternatives for building cross-platform rich Internet applications, including Adobe's Flash, Ajax, Microsoft's Windows Presentation Foundation/Everywhere and OpenLaszlo.

The alpha download of Apollo will run on Windows and Macintosh. It will allow people to use HTML, JavaScript and Flash programming and display Adobe's PDF format. An edition for Linux is also planned after the Windows and Mac versions.

Lynch noted that Adobe's upcoming Creative Suite 3, slated for release later this month, will also allow people to create Apollo content because Adobe has created more integration between applications such as Illustrator and its Dreamweaver Web development program.

[ewelch]

That loud noise...

Is Steve Ballmer throwing another chair against the wall as he sees
the Windows Presentation technology become irrelevent.

Who's going to go with Microsoft when you can work with Flash/
PDF to make rich web applications with Windows/Mac/Linux?

Answer: Nobody in their right mind.

[adlyb1]

Me...

...well, sort of. It might be Java too.

Considering the bloated bug-ridden current state of Adobe's products, I will stick to other proven techs for now, whether it be MS of Java.

[WJeansonne]

What an ignoramus

Obviously, you don't know what's currently being developed on the WPF, otherwise you wouldn't be saying this.

[mayankmishra]

Welcome Apollo!

Welcome Apollo! With Microsoft's WPF, Lazalo and advent of Java based Desktop Platform - Dekoh, race to win RIA territory getting hotter and hotter day by day as Dekoh and Apollo offer their releases.

Let's see answers to questions like, browser freedom, support for web 2.0, ease to use, deploy, and develop etc.

[artyinusa]

Ummm Alpha version should be self explanatory

Hi Mishra, your point is well taken, however did you know that Alpha version is even before the Beta release which sort of precedes ease of use (btw and not ease to use...), etc etc. Those are all terribly important, however unless there are scores of users such as yourself that can give it the ultimate test and feedback, how do you think a final version gets developed? I am absolutely THRILLED to hear of this software in the works and cannot wait to see this being used. THANK YOU ADOBE for being such an innovative software company!

[fcekuahd]

Welcome to another security nightmare

And how is this different from Java which the author evidently took great care *not* to mention?

[mn39202]

Yep, and we don't need another proprietary web technology

I'd rather see HTML, DHTML, CSS, AJAX, and Java continue to evolve to support rich web apps.

I don't have Flash player installed and I have no interest in yet another plugin.

[ewelch]

Not Java

It combines PDF and Flash and other technologies. So it's nothing
like Java.

[ralfthedog]

How much code runs client side, how much server?

I write most of my code with PHP/SQL. If I needed to add client side execution I would just put in some Java.

The only place I could see this being useful is if it lets the server and the client talk without refreshing the page.

Please note that I am writing online database applications. I would assume that people who are writing online games might get more use from this.

[t8]

I only have one thing to say

Weblications are the future.

[Hardrada]

So are open standards.

eom.