Adobe AIR Development

[jtegen]

To echo Mark, I was at JAM 10 and asked lots of RIM people this question. RIM is behind the continued use of AIR on the PB and BB10. They have been working hard to optimize and bring new API to AIR 3.1 on BB10. Everyone that I talked to (at RIM) wants to have AIR 3.2 on both devices, but those resources are tied up with BB10. Once BB10 is done, AIR 3.2 can be picked up. The new AIR sdk for BB10 allows manages the different form factors that are with current and future PB and BB10/phone devices.  It also has more sensor APIs,  It has a new Device ANE.  IF AIR was dead, none of that would have been worked on.

There are things that wont be able to be done in AIR that can be done in Cascade.  Cascade gives the developer and end user a level of performance that just cannot be done in AIR.

HTML5 is being pushed because everyone talks about it and PB/BB10 browser does and will continue to be a leading supporter of HTML5.  In a few years, it will be all about HTML6.  This is normal tech hype.

So in short, AIR 3.2 will eventually come to both, it is just a case of priorities. AIR 3.2 wont matter much if BB10 is not done on time and performs well in the market. RIM cannot provide dates, because they dont know exact dates when all the work will be done and when they can refocus on AIR 3.2. They also need the cooperation from Adobe on this.

[Ebscer]

Over react much?

RIM updated the API's for AIR this week. By using ANE you can get access to anything that you want.

And really, if you do want to complain about the lack of a future for AIR, blame Adobe, not RIM. If you had been paying attention lately (which you obviously haven't been) you would know that Adobe has mostly walked away from AIR. All of the Adobe employes who were pushing AIR a year ago are now all working on Cordova/HTML5 things.

But lets not act like your current apps are going to stop working. Or that some of us don't already have AIR apps running on BB10.

[mikeatroundhere]

After looking through the new 3.0.0 SDK I have a much better feeling about AIR development moving forward.

I would like to see RIM release more updated demos, samples, etc. for those of us using AIR with the new capabilities.  This alone would make me feel more engaged.  Nothing like releasing a new toolbox without showing anyone what it can do.  This is a sure way to prevent AIR adoption on the platform after all that RIM put into the 3.0.0 SDK.

[jtegen]

There were several sessions at JAM regarding the new toolkit. Those samples will be posted probably in the next week. The new SDK, beside have yet another new skin, mainly deals with using CSS to style components, new Device ANE instead of a SDK API, and expanded sensor APIs. The SDK is primarily a BB10/phone SDK and not suited for the PlayBook. They will occur later when BB10 is the same OS for the PlayBook.

[jtegen]

People need to start going to Adobe and asking them about AIR 3.2 and AIR 3.3 for PB and BB10 phones.  They need to see that more people will use the platform if 3.2/3.3 will be widely used and they can sell more tools.  Aske them to work with RIM on this.

Goto:

http://forums.adobe.com/community/air/development/mobile

[YopSolo]

I have tried to compile my project with a 3.2 captive runtime, but it's not working.

Is there any news about AIR 3.2 on playbook ?

[jtegen]

There are several threads on AIR 3.2. RIM will need help from Adobe for the port, and Adobe is kind of a wait and see. REsources to work on AIR 3.2 (RIM side) is busy with BB10. So work would not be able to be provided until after BB10 is on the market. This is from information glued together from different resources.

[Smugrik]

I think the captive runtime is only for android, because the AIR runtime is not available by default, as is the case on the PlayBook.

So onAndroid, if don't want your users to be prompted to download the AIR runtime, you just package your app with a captive runtime.

[shawnblais]

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Ebscer wrote:

And really, if you do want to complain about the lack of a future for AIR, blame Adobe, not RIM. If you had been paying attention lately (which you obviously haven't been) you would know that Adobe has mostly walked away from AIR. All of the Adobe employes who were pushing AIR a year ago are now all working on Cordova/HTML5 things.

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I pay more attention than most. What exactly are you even talking about? Adobe killed AIR for Linux, other than that they haven't done a single thing that could be considered "walking away from air". Sounds like you're the one not paying attention, and just parroting sensationlist headlines by uninformed 'journalists'. I guess you're right that in temrs of marketing and PR they have largely abandoned AIR in favor of HTML, but the runtime itself continues to see rapid development and progress.

But yes, I do feel like this was an overreaction on my part. There are several new additions to AIR, and in general development is continuing as well as we can hope. When I first checked out the SDK I didn't see a single new example or API, but admittedly, I couldn't get it running through FlashBuilder so I missed the apparent re-skinning of the QNX components.

As for blaming Adobe, I do, their idiotic moves last Nov are probably why this has played out like it has.. BUT, RIM is an AIR licensee. What this means (and I could be wrong), is that it's RIM job to port existing AIR runtimes to their devices, using a porting kit that Adobe provides and probably with some in-house support from Adobe. I think at the end of the day, it's RIM's decision to make this a priority or not.

jtegen's comments make sense though, BB10 is the priority now, I can understand that.