June 12, 2007
What is now “Adobe AIR” goes into beta
Posted Jun. 12, ’07, 4:57 PM PT by Thomas Gagnon-van Leeuwen
Category | Software
Fresh out of Adobe’s labs is the first beta of Adobe AIR: this is now what Adobe calls its Apollo technology I wrote about a while ago. Adobe Integrated Runtime, or “AIR”, allows web developers to create cross-platform desktop applications using stuff like AJAX, HTML, Javascript and Flash.
Featured on Adobe’s website are a few example applications—a Twitter client, a color-suggesting program for designers, and a Dashboard clone, among others. As I said previously, I’m less than thrilled about AIR: while it enables web developers to easily reach out to OS X and Windows users, I suspect we’ll be assailed with a deluge of less-than-ideal interface designs.
Take the Adobe’s very own AIR installer, for example: its scroll bar looks so 1984, not to mention the font is tiny and placed over a dark gray gradient (see a screenshot). Again, I can’t help to compare this to version 2.0 of Java apps. Ultimately, it’ll be up to the developers to create effective and beautiful user interfaces, but I’ll believe it when I see it.
Until then, you can download and install the AIR beta, run a few of the demo apps, and see for yourself. Oh, and interested devs can also grab the SDK to create AIR programs themselves.
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I'm not sure if the comments about the AIR installer were supposed to funny or serious, but on the concept that it was serious I don't understand the comments. It's a scroll bar and font on a EULA acceptance screen that's part of an installer. I don't know what reflection you can say it will have on actual AIR-based programs.
Interface stupidity abounds, even from Apple (I use them because of they are often-cited as a maker of well thought out user interfaces). Take iPhoto's Crop function as a personal pet peeve. You select the picture you want to crop, click the Crop button, and then move the crop borders where you want them. All well and good so far, but how do you actually apply that cropping? Do you click the big "Done" button that appeared after you clicked on the "Crop" button? No, you have to click the "Crop" button again as hitting the "Done" button will discard your cropping efforts. Seems quite counterintuitive to me.