Android developers got a nice boost from Adobe. As Apple continues to abandon and oppress potential developers. Adobe has officially announced it will stop pursuing iPad and iPhone development with Adobe Flash. While the feature will still be included in CS5 it will not be developed any further. Instead, Adobe has decided to shift focus on Android development with Flash.

"Fortunately, the iPhone isn’t the only game in town."

-Mike Chambers, Principal Product Manager for developer relations for the Flash Platform at Adobe

With a vast number of Flash developers out there this is most certainly welcome news to any Android user. Comparing the Apple AppStore Games to Android Market Games reveals a large weakness in the Android platform. If Adobe truly throws their weight behind this project Android users will certainly benefit. As much as Flash has grown in the past ten years this also means a lot for basic applications on Android. The ability to leverage web services through Flash will make it a powerful productivity platform as well as gaming platform for development. This is something that has really taken off in recent years and many people tend to think of Flash as only for fancy menus and games.

Flash has been unwelcome in many Web Development circles due to accessibility and usability issues. I think the true problem regarding flash in Web sites relates to its abuse and not its intended purpose. Development for mobile devices is where Flash truly shines. For any mobile company, to leave Flash out of equation, just sounds like bad business. Mike Chambers, Principal Product Manager for developer relations for the Flash Platform at Adobe, said on his blog: "The primary goal of Flash has always been to enable cross browser, platform and device development."

Sources:

• http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8639240.stm
• http://www.mikechambers.com/blog/2010/04/20/on-adobe-flash-cs5-and-iphon...

For years everything I read on the Internet has been about the evils of Microsoft. Always written in forums related to Windows software and almost always written by individuals using Microsoft products. I was once one of these people. Slowly I managed to ween myself away from this attitude. I had realized that it wasn't the evil of Microsoft; it was the ignorance of people. Then, WGA changed all of that. Windows Genuine Advantage is a tool that is installed as a high priority update through Windows Update. This high priority item checks to see if your copy of Windows is valid. It does so every time you boot your system and perhaps more. So, once a day Microsoft asks me if I'm a thief. Even though their software, serial number, and product activation process has informed them that I am not a thief. Speaking of product activation, this is another line that Microsoft has crossed. Not that I ever liked it in the past, but now you have to activate Windows over the phone. For every install. The third strike for Microsoft is the announcement that Internet Explorer 7 will be launched (after beta ends) as a high priority update. Being a Firefox user I hardly consider some other browser to be a priority of any sort. It is yet more reminders that Microsoft's browser is too tightly interwoven with the operating system itself. This wouldn't be such a problem if IE were not such a huge target of malicious software. Today I learned even more distressing things about Vista. It seems that some elements of the MSN network will be available through operating system components. I'm not sure about the level of integration these services have in Vista, but this prospect makes me nervous. Microsoft controls enough of my personal information and I am not interested in seeing them control more. The final blow is Microsoft closing the door on security software firms. It seems that Vista will have a file system in place that prevents programs from writing to protected areas of the operating system. This is all fine and dandy in theory, but I am sure that hackers will find a way around this. The result of this locked file system is that security software companies are finding it more difficult to provide security for an operating system like Vista. At the same time Microsoft is pushing their One Care system, a security software suite. The level of inconvenience that seems to be thrown my way in the name of security is of great concern to me. I feel it from my government and even from my software vendors. Security is important but it should not be provided without a choice. Users should be able to defend themselves. The machine shouldn't be making these privacy decisions for us. I would like to choose the weapons with which to destroy my enemies. Fighting viruses with Microsoft tools is like fighting wars with tanks built by Yugo. What will I do when Vista comes out? I will hold onto XP until it is no longer possible to do so. Then, when it is time to make a decision Apple and Linux will be key factors in making that decision. As of right now Photoshop, Dreamweaver, and Guild Wars tie me to Windows. With the rise of Boot Camp this makes Apple the most appealing. I would only need to reboot to play Guild Wars. However, I suspect that XP will last several more years. During that time I intend on searching for more games that support Apple and Microsoft. This way when the decision to upgrade to Vista comes, my choice will be easy. later, -junc