Adobe (PDF) acquires Macromedia (Flash)

[evac-q8r]

I don't know if this is old news (didn't see this posted in the articles on the home page), but I think this is just what Linux needs in order to get Flash ported over to it. I've been wanted to use it for some time now on Linux. Who knows, maybe it won't mean a thing. :rolleyes: Have a look (http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/invrelations/adobeandmacromedia.html).

EVAC

[asarch]

That's a very excellent news.

I hope now that Adobe free the code and let us to use that technology just it did with the Ghostview and the Portable Document Format. Cool, isn't it? :cool:

[Parcival]

No, I don't think so. I'm with the side that is afraid we have a new monopoly.

[sharth]

Originally posted by Parcival
No, I don't think so. I'm with the side that is afraid we have a new monopoly. same pretty much.

[ions]

Terrible news. Glad I have no interest in any of Macromedia's software. We all know what happens when one company controls a pile of proprietary formats. Nothin' good.

[Icarus]

You guys are just paranoid...or jealous! :D

I'm more afraid of the Momma Bell coming back then a couple graphics companies...

I think maybe now Adobe will be able to make them finish that Linux Shockwave plugin now!

[ions]

I just fear some ridiculously massive PDF that's 18MB with annoying vector graphics devouring my system resources like Oprah on a honey glazed ham. Of course the PDF will only be 2 pages worth and have absolutely no freaking content other than dumb marketing lingo fading and scrolling across the document. Yay.

[sharth]

Originally posted by Icarus
You guys are just paranoid...or jealous! :D

I'm more afraid of the Momma Bell coming back then a couple graphics companies...

I think maybe now Adobe will be able to make them finish that Linux Shockwave plugin now! Nah, I just feel that they're just gonna further corner the market... I dunno, never liked the idea of companies getting acquired. Usually left me with a bad taste in my mouth or something like that...

But hey, if I was adobe, I'd be happy :)

[bwkaz]

Speaking of Adobe... (this is a couple weeks old, but possibly relevant)

http://lwn.net/Articles/129729/

Whee, PDFs that can tell the author when I've read them! Just what I always wanted! :rolleyes:

[Icarus]

Sounds like it's time to break out the AFDB's (http://zapatopi.net/afdb.html) again...

[serz]

I don't think anything will change (products).. it's all about money.

[CoffeeMan]

I would like to see good programs like Adobe Premeire, Aftereffects, Photoshop...and Macromedia Flash, Fireworks....avaiable for linux to satisfy the graphic designers and the animators/filmakers. That would make me happy.

[evac-q8r]

I can't believe some of these responses. Don't you see the importance that this may have for the Linux platform. Also to combine the technologies of both Flash and PDF would lead to phenomenal electronic documents, websites, presentation utilities. Just so long as Linux and Microsoft don't merge, I'm feeling pretty good about myself.

EVAC

[sharth]

Flash only really exists on x86 and ppc afaik....

And the ppc versions that I've used (ie, the one shipped with my mac) kinda sucks. And the linux (x86) one wasn't amazing either.

So I really don't see this as helping linux... And hey, personally I wish that flash wasn't as widely used as it currently is on the internet.

[Icarus]

The latest version of Flash for Linux is great, they finally took care of a lot of those slow down problems that plauged the older version (which there were fixes for)

I really don't think they will make PDF's 'Flash Compatible', but it may lead to a totally new product geared strictly for persentations (PDFs are for printing and Flash is for advertising)

[Parcival]

Originally posted by evac-q8r
I can't believe some of these responses. Don't you see the importance that this may have for the Linux platform.

I agree with you on that it would be great to have Macromedia products in Linux. However, in the press release you linked to I can't find the word Linux anywhere, so how do you come to the conclusion that this merger is going to bring this software to Linux?

[ions]

I'll be shocked when, IF, I see a Linux port of anything more than a PDF reader and crap known as Flash. It's non-news to Linux people. DW is poo anyway and any self respecting Web dev does not use it. Same for the crap known as Flash.

[serz]

Sincerely, I don't think they will ever port them to Linux...

[JayMan8081]

I think it would be nice if Adobe would make a Shockwave for Linux, but I have to agree with everyone else and I say I really doubt it will happen. As far as other Adobe products go, I don't even use their Acrobat Reader for my PDF needs so I don't really see any need for any of their other products either.

[evac-q8r]

Parcival: I am hopeful that they will eventually. I did express some uncertainty.

Ions: Flash is not crap or poo. :mad:

EVAC

[Icarus]

Flash can be used to do some really great things
Ads, we all know ads suck but that's the world we live in
Animation shorts, I've seen tons of these that are very funny (http://joecartoon.atomfilms.com/pages/home/)
Games, Flash games are a great passtime and one of my favorites is Flashed based (http://cosmicencounter.com/screens/home.html)

Flash is good, Shockwave gives you a little more...people hate Flash because it's mostly used for ads, do what I do...stay away from the sites that try to rape your optics with banners and ads from Hell :)

[ions]

Flash is total feces. Fine it makes a great platform for cartoons. Big fricken deal. For all the damage and umbrage it causes it should be banished. The absolute LAST thing Flash should be used for is making a Web site. If you are a Web dev and you put Flash in a site you have no clue how to make a good site. Or have clients with no clue.

[Frown]

Maybe a bit offtopic but.. There is a great Mozilla / Firefox plugin which replaces every flash animation with a button you have to click in order to play it. So no more flash ads, but you can still play interesting things. Not that good for flash based websites, but as Ions just said, those are mostly crap anyway.
http://extensionroom.mozdev.org/more-info/flashblock

[ions]

One of the best extensions ever to battle one of the nets greatest evils ever!

Can you tell I really don't like Flash?

[Parcival]

Oh yes, it's evident. :)

I like flash on artists websites, but there always has to be a HTML only site. Flash is for entertainment, HTML for finding information.

I once happened to make a multimedia CD-ROM on my university with the Flash technique. My frat was giving them away to high-school people; it was a huge success. :)

[serz]

Originally posted by ions
The absolute LAST thing Flash should be used for is making a Web site. If you are a Web dev and you put Flash in a site you have no clue how to make a good site. Or have clients with no clue.
I think you are very, very wrong.

:o

[evac-q8r]

Alright, I think we get the point. The point of this thread is not to express one's hatred of a particular application. It serves absolutely no purpose. Otherwise Parcival please close this thread.

EVAC

[ions]

Serves a great purpose. Bashing Flash. Close this one and I can start my very own Flash bashfest. :D And frankly this place is just a fine place for bashing Flash. And telling mods what to do when a thread doesn't go your way isn't gonna get much done.

For what it's worth I entered IT as a Flash developer. I have Macromedia Flash Developer Certificates. Company paid for me to have em. "Good idea to have a Flash guy on hand" they said. So few clients asked for it. But our clients were big companies that needed things done. I attended the big Flash festival in NYC in 2000. 5 years later the technology has done nothing more than create banner ads. It's bloated and requires far much more processing power than it's worth. I know all about it. I know what makes it suck the immense sucking it sucks. I've had an article on the backburner for ages spelling out all the folies of the ridiculousness of Flash. Maybe I should finally put it all together into an article.

Now the majority of Flash sites are created by community college kids that took a "Web Development" course where Flash was the meat of it. Or worse, those that bought a book and think they know how to make sites with Flash now. These people have no business making sites and fortunately they rarely make important ones. The other people making Flash sites are art/dev houses. These are usually the cream of the crap. Still useless though.

It does have it's good uses and potential. Making Web sites is not it's good use or potential.

[serz]

Oooooooook..

[evac-q8r]

Spare us, please. Noone asked for your life story. You dug your own grave and you buried yourself alive.

EVAC

[JayMan8081]

That was a nice little self-important rant. Glad to see the mods presenting that friendly, helpful attitude that makes the forums so great.

[Icarus]

ions, did you forget to take you medication again? :D

Great, fine, Flash websites mostly suck, mostly. Having a personal vendetta against a technology is something else. We get your point and do mostly agree with you ions...but you did make the important statement that Flash is for entertainment. Most sites I see that use Flash are entertainment sites, joke sites, movie sites and game sites. Of course my view is pretty narrow as that is mostly what I look for.

Informational sites and company sites should not use Flash, makes the site look and feel cheeky and doesn't give the company a good rep.

Now, let's move along and enjoy our own lives and look for the happy moments in our lives :D