Adobe floats AIR for RIAs (and tweeting plants)

It's IT Blogwatch: in which we spot Adobe's AIR platform for rich Internet applications, now out of beta. Not to mention plants that use Twitter...

Heather Havenstein has this:

Adobe today announced the availability of its Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR) cross-operating system for taking rich Internet applications (RIA) to the desktop. Adobe also released Flex 3, an open-source development tool set aimed at helping developers build RIAs. AIR is a runtime environment for building RIAs in Adobe Flash, HTML and AJAX. The product includes the Safari WebKit browser engine, SQLite local database functionality, and APIs that support desktop features such as native drag and drop and network awareness. [more]

Jacqui Cheng adds:

The end result is an application that runs offline just like any other desktop app, but is written with the same code as a web app. But AIR doesn't just provide yet another way to develop desktop apps—it enables Adobe (and other companies) to move traditional desktop apps online while reusing the same code to maintain an offline user base ... Of course, traditional desktop developers have voiced concerns about web apps being ported to the desktop without any tweaks. Applications built to be used within a browser are still designed with a different set of UI guidelines than those used on the desktop, and the two don't usually mix well. [more]

Hon Lau checks out the security angles:

When you combine its file system capabilities with the ability to make remote networking requests to download content you can quite easily see the potential for danger. For example, it is quite possible for somebody to write a malicious application to run in Adobe AIR, downloading code remotely or engaging in other nefarious activities, such as denial of service attacks or stealing information. Given the power available in AIR to enable potential misuse, Adobe has taken steps to address such security implications. AIR applications may employ a number of sandboxes in which to operate, like a trusted and untrusted zones. [more]

Sarah Perez suggests apps to check out:

Now that AIR has dropped the beta tag (see our previous coverage), it's time to look at some of the AIR apps you can use today ... one of the most popular AIR applications is the Twitter client, Twhirl ... With the Google Analytics AIR application, those who use Google's free analytics software can now view those stats without needing to log in using a web browser ... RichFLV is an AIR app that lets you edit Flash Video (FLV) files ... AgileAgenda is a project scheduling utility ... check out the AOL Top 100 Videos application ... Xdrive Lite is a new AIR app that was just launched today, but it certainly has potential to be one of the better apps. [more]

Brad Linder offers a warning:

Now that there's a new release of AIR, users may be prompted to download the update in order to install newer applications, while some applications you've previously installed may be bound to older versions of AIR. Fortunately you can have multiple versions of AIR installed on your computer simultaneously. AIR is available for Mac and Windows computers. You can find an incomplete list of applications built on Adobe AIR at Adobe's web site. [more]

Ryan Stewart plugs the penguin:

We saw a demo of the AIR Linux running on Ubuntu today and got to see the Parleys.com site. The performance was a little off, but the application ran just fine on our alpha, totally unoptimized bits. I've been using the Linux version for a while and it's amazing how things like Twitter and Finetune (and more of these applications) have brought my Linux experience up to par with everything else. It makes me wish every application was built on AIR because it's so damn easy to switch between operating systems. [more]

Hank Williams sees problems ahead for Microsoft:

With AIR and Flex, What Adobe is doing is building a platform to replace all operating systems as a development target, and the implications of this are profound. For most applications it does not make sense to write directly to the OS any more ... Adobe's strategy is a death stroke to Windows as a strategic monopolistic platform. And Adobe as a software company with revenues north of three billion dollars has the muscle, the development community, and the momentum to fight this battle. They will not be "Netscaped." [more]

And finally...

• DIY Techology Lets Your Plants Twitter You When They Are Thirsty

Buffer overflow:

• Kevin Farnham: New Framewave Library Offers Image and Signal Processing Tuned for Multicore
• 4sysops: List of Vista SP1 problems - be careful with Service Pack 1
• Official Google Blog: Our secret sauce
• Mike Masnick: Pakistan Joins The Axis Of NoTube; Screws Up The Internet
• Brian Won: Ars System Guide special: it's easy being green:
• Andy Updegrove: Why the OOXML Vote Still Matters: A Proposal to Recognize the Need for “Civil ICT Standards”
• Cutting's Edge: Estimating Lessons Learned

Other Computerworld bloggers:

• Frank Hayes: Frankly Speaking: Pick a winner
• Don Tennant: An intriguing Apple 'What if?' scenario
• Preston Gralla: Here's how to become part of the Vista 'junk' PC lawsuit
• Mark Hall: Vignette updates Web tools
• Douglas Schweitzer: Tool-kit targets Image Uploader
• Shark Tank: Dude!

Richi Jennings is an independent analyst/adviser/consultant, specializing in blogging, email, and spam. A 20 year, cross-functional IT veteran, he is also an analyst at Ferris Research. You too can pretend to be Richi's friend on Facebook, or just use boring old email: blogwatch@richi.co.uk.

Previously in IT Blogwatch:

• Sony suspected in HD DVD death (and parlez-vous geek?)
• Microsoft opens up; loves open source (and Dylan prank)
• Google to float wireless data? (and 99 videos)