OStatic

Today, Adobe announced two new Adobe Flash Platform open source initiatives aimed at developers, media companies and publishers. The two new technologies being open sourced are designed to help content publishers and developers build Rich Internet Applications (RIA), and Microsoft is focusing on the same goal with its Silverlight technology. Silverlight is competitive with Flash, although Flash is much more entrenched. (For example, Adobe claims that more than 80 percent of video hosted online is Flash-based.)

The two technologies being released as open source are: 1) Open Source Media Framework (OSMF), previously code-named Strobe, which allows developers to build customized media players based on the Adobe Flash Platform; and 2) Text Layout Framework (TLF), which developers can use to bring customized typography capabilities to web applications.

It might be time to invest in a better umbrella, as over the last few days it seems as though pigs might be taking flight. It's not so much that Adobe is releasing a 64-bit Linux alpha version of Flash, it's that Adobe is releasing the Flash alpha for Linux before it releases versions for any other operating system.

For sure it is a demonstration on Adobe's part that it truly is serious about Linux support. It's clear though that Adobe has more to gain, given that Linux is the system with the edge in 64-bit support and features native 64-bit browsers.

eWeek has posted an insightful interview with Adobe CTO Kevin Lynch. Though Adobe's approach to open source wasn't the entirety of the piece, Lynch made several statements illustrating that he really understands -- and appreciates -- what opening code can bring to an application.

Some of Adobe's open source efforts may not feel as though they are coming fast enough, or even feel open enough, presently. But Lynch's explanations of Adobe's position on open source, and how it may be changing, seem logical and encouraging.

This morning, Adobe (together with a supporting cast of other industry players) announced its new Open Screen Project. The stated goal is to enable a consistent runtime environment across a wide variety of devices - and, not incidentally, to further increase the already-huge penetration of Flash.

Even though this isn't open in the sense that we'd most like to hear, it's still good news for open source advocates.

From the recent spate of open source project acquisitions by large software vendors to the increasingly popular model of offering paid ?enterprise? versions of open source software, we?ve all noticed the changes in the open source community. Some consider these trends part of the maturing of the open source software market, while others view these trends as potentially dangerous to fundamental open source concepts.

For those who are worried, things may have just gotten a little worse. Adobe?s announcement of its AIR (Adobe Integrated Runtime) platform for Linux is the case in point.