Thanks for that information, Carol! Based on this blog post on the Flex Summit it sounded like the company made an announcement on support contracts there: http://www.peterelst.com/blog/2011/12/13/flex-summit-updates-on-the-open-source-strategy-and-runtimes/
Thanks again, Raju 2011/12/20 Carol Frampton <cfram...@adobe.com>: > Raju, > > I believe Adobe is selling support contracts for Adobe Flex version 4.6. > > Apache Flex, although initially the same codebase as Adobe Flex 4.6, would > be a different product. The community can take it in whatever direction > it would like to go. > > Carol > > -----Original Message----- > From: Raju Bitter <rajubit...@googlemail.com> > Reply-To: "rajubit...@gmail.com" <rajubit...@gmail.com> > Date: Tue, 20 Dec 2011 13:49:13 -0800 > To: "general@incubator.apache.org" <general@incubator.apache.org> > Subject: Re: [PROPOSAL] Flex for Apache Incubator > >>Thanks for the quick response, Greg! >> >>On 12/20/11 9:37 PM, Greg Stein wrote: >>> On Tue, Dec 20, 2011 at 15:30, Raju Bitter<rajubit...@googlemail.com> >>>wrote: >>>> ... >>>> 2) Action Script Virtual Machine (AVM) >>>> In November 2006 Adobe open source the Flash Player Script engine: >>>> http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/press/mozilla-2006-11-07.html >>>> Is the source code of Tamarin still the current version of the Action >>>>Script >>>> Virtual Machine in Flash Player 11? If there is a new version of the >>>>AVM >>>> (2+), will that be contributed to the Apache Software Foundation as >>>>well? >>>> >>>> It doesn't really make sense to only contribute a compiler, if there >>>>is no >>>> open source implementation of a runtime/scripting engine available, >>>>but that >>>> might only be my personal view. If the community would decide to >>>>create a an >>>> open standards based runtime for Flex, would that mean the community >>>>would >>>> have to start from zero? >>> >>> I think that's just your personal view :-) >>That's true, but still would be good to have an open source, up-to-date >>scripting engine for ActionScript bytecode to enable other future >>runtimes (imagine running the same ActionScript 3 code in the client and >>on the server, like node.js). Therefore it would be very valuable to >>know if Tamarin is still compatible with the scripting engine Flash >>Player 11. >> >>> There is a ton of open source code written to work against Oracle's >>> RDBMS, or Windows' .NET runtime, or Apple's iOS. I see no problem with >>> Apache Flex targeting a proprietary environment. >>I'm not sure which projects you are talking about: .NET runtime should >>be compatible to Mono, >> >>>> 3) Commercial support for Apache Flex >>>> Does Adobe plan to offer support for an Apache Flex product? If yes, >>>>what >>>> kind of support would be planned. I read somewhere that Adobe will not >>>>offer >>>> any support for Flex 4.6+ to new customers, but I'm not sure, if that's >>>> still the current plan. >>> >>> I think this is orthogonal/unrelated to the Apache Flex proposal. >>I think it is related to the proposal. If Adobe has binding contracts >>for future versions of Flex, and the Apache community would decide to >>change Apache Flex 4.7 implementation details, Adobe might be forced to >>fork the project for customers. How would that work? >> >>>> 4) Flash Player >>>> Are there any plans to open source a stripped-down version of Flash >>>>Player, >>>> e.g. the discontinued version of Flash Player for mobile) in the future >>>> (similar to the pure open source Flex SDK vs. the commercial SDK)? The >>>> Apache community could continue working on a browser-based mobile >>>>runtime >>>> for Apache Flex, if that was the case. >>> >>> Likewise. >>Isn't it a valid question to ask which runtimes will be available for a >>a framework with compiler? To be technically correct, Flex applications >>WON'T run in mobile browsers without a Flash Player (which means you >>won't see a Flex application on iOS). You CAN compile a Flex application >>into a mobile application using the Adobe AIR SDK and the Adobe AIR >>player. The proposal mentions rich Internet applications running in >>desktop and mobile browsers. Elsewhere iOS is mentioned. As we all know, >>Flash applications (SWF files) cannot be rendered in iOS browser. >>Therefore the question if there will be a way run mobile Flex >>applications in mobile browsers as rich Internet applications (versus >>native apps) is very valid in my eyes. >> >>> >>>> I hope I don't sound to skeptical here, but Adobe Flex is quite >>>>different >>>> from most Apache projects I've been in contact with. It's a powerful >>>> compiler with an interesting language, but it looks like the output of >>>>the >>>> compiler can only be used with Adobe-owned proprietary software at the >>>> moment. >>> >>> As I mentioned above, I don't see this as a problem whatsoever. And >>> even if *some* people have a problem with it, there is a huge >>> committer list of people who obviously have zero problem with that >>> fact. The Foundation is here to provide support to communities, rather >>> than block them on philosophical rationales. (IMO :-) So if a >>> community wants to build up around Apache Flex, then we do what we can >>> to help them. >>I've been using Flash for the past 8 years in projects, organized Flex >>User Group meetings, co-organized events with Adobe. I have a good >>understanding of what Flash, ActionScript and AIR are capable off, how >>many people are using Flash, how useful it can be. >> >>But none of the companies offering RIA related products and players in >>the past 7 years (Adobe, Microsoft, Sun, Oracle, to name the big ones) >>has not been affected by strategy changes of the management, often >>leaving developers and clients in positions which were less optimal. >>(Adobe Flex 1.5 -> 2.0 changes, differences in Silverlight APIs with >>major version upgrades, Sun/Oracle dumping JavaFX Script, Microsoft's >>decision to favor HTML5 over Silverlight). >> >>Adobe decided to discontinue development of Flash Player for mobile >>devices and smart TVs (it's a company decision, we have to respect >>that, but it wasn't easy for large number of people to hear those >>news). If they would decide to discontinue the desktop version of >>Flash Player, wouldn't it be good if the community would have an >>alternative runtime prepared already? I believe it is in the interest >>of the Apache Flex community to have an alternative runtime for Flex >>in the not-too-far future, and if Adobe would express support of that >>goal , it would be very valuable. >> >>The proposal might have a sentence saying: "Adobe will provide the >>Apache community with the technical information needed to develop >>additional runtimes for Flex." Would that be acceptable? >> >>> Cheers, >>> -g >> >>Thanks again for you comments! >> >>Raju >> >>> --------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> To unsubscribe, e-mail: general-unsubscr...@incubator.apache.org >>> For additional commands, e-mail: general-h...@incubator.apache.org >>> >> > -- ----------------------------------------------------------------- Raju Bitter | Software Architect cell: +49 (0) 176 322 011 96 fax: +49 (0) 8821 68 69 08 29 email: rajubit...@googlemail.com Germany --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: general-unsubscr...@incubator.apache.org For additional commands, e-mail: general-h...@incubator.apache.org
