Adobe tried to do Flash with SVG in LiveMotion. That didn't fly. Even though SVG is a W3C standard (something Macromedia should have done with Flash a long time ago) it's still no Flash. Will SVG and Flash coexist?
As a side note, if you have not looked at SVG you really should. It has a number of advantages over Flash, like printing and searching. Take a look at Adobe's SVG pages. Its just a shame it doesn't have the install base that Flash does.
Now Adobe has the real Flash, and they can integrate it into everything they can. It will no longer be a supported feature; it will be a feature. We will see how that pans out.
I think the year was 1984 when Adobe bought Aldus and thus acquired PageMaker and FreeHand. This marks the second time Adobe has bought FreeHand. Will it be the second time they have to sell it too? I don't think our government will be as stringent about Adobe owning the monopoly on illustration software now like they were back then. In the past few years the government has been quite lax in regards to the software sector. We all know what came out of the DOJ-Microsoft case.
If Adobe is forced to sell because of becoming a monopoly (which they have with this buyout), then they will have a lot on the chopping block. The overlap of the Adobe and Macromedia software line is big. Lets take a look: Photoshop: Fireworks, GoLive:Dreamweaver, and Illustrator:Freehand. Thats a lot of integration, chopping, or selling.
Remember the feud between Adobe and Macromedia about tabbed palettes? Macromedia apps no longer have palettes; they were infringing on a copyright... yea. This is why Macromedia went to that big panel in MX and MX 2004, by the way. I wonder what will happen since all this software is under one umbrella now.
Adobe is getting a lot more then just Flash technology and Dreamweaver in this deal. Macromedia has ColdFusion, as well as JRun and Flash server software, and mobile and eLearning software, too. Not to mention Director.
I think most people are concerned with Dreamweaver right now. The majority of the industry uses Dreamweaver and we do not want to see it turn into GoLive. So, please, do not change Dreamweaver into GoLive.
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Article comments
1 - Sal
This is a touchy subject, there will be big losers here, people that have become masters of an Adobe or Macromedia program, putting years and years into them and to know that, in the very near future, they may have to start from scratch. I may be one of them. I love the adobish visual side of Golive(that I've been using since it was Cyberstudio) and Illustrator too. I would not like to have to relearn the basics. I don't believe Adobe will mess with Photoshop and maybe not even Illustrator. I pray for our future and the Adobe interface designers/programmers, they have their hands full. I'd like them to keep in mind that Adobe bought Macromedia, not the other way around. I would be a winner and in heaven if I got the stablility and robust features of DW with the more visual Adobish Golive feel. Then again, maybe we'll get something in the middle. Ahh, this is touchy!
2 - Ken Edwards
To be quite honest, I hope GoLive gets the axe. I am strongly in the Dreamweaver camp. I used to like CyberStudio back when it was owned by GoLive, but since Adobe bought it, it has turned for the worse.
What is likely to happen however is that Adobe will offer both products, DW for Pro and GoLive for Consumer or "Prosumer."
3 - TheShadow
Well ... it's true that adobe buy macromedia ! however i don't think they r stupid enough to Destory DW History since it's ranked as #1 in Web Development Application
mostly they will leave it as it is and add the extra features that GoLive had ! this way they would keep DW as Ranked #1 Prodect but with More Tools and Options
4 - cybercow
Well... now is 2006 and i still use DW8 because f... rules not to mention FW8 that is the best web design tool ewer maked, flash 8 it`s out of comment, this trio will work on my desk with "macromedia in my heart" for years...
Adobe is sticky and anoying, only that adobe maked good is pdf and photoshop...
GoLive is for people that love to talk and must have "shiny" software on their desk`s that newer use, DW is for people that love to work and need high developing power...
and for the end... look at www.adobe.com, what they did of macromedia`s site, where are good known tutorials, examples... half of the site is not functioning, this is a disaster...
5 - Shehab El-Kadi
I cannot see the link or the similarity between some of Macromedia products and Adobe... freehand is a different software than illustrator, sure you can use Freehand to produce stunning illustrations, but any profissional will tell you that you need 10 times the effort to make sure that it prints good, and the color engine and proofing is really hard with FreeHand. I guess what made the value of FreeHand in vector graphics go up, is the smooth co-operation with Quark and the fact that it has multi page function(why, I don't know? since it does not messure up to any layout software). it was always like this, Adobe has a very steady and stable print oriented software, and Macromedia has made the big step and invested in web development.
You were always able to messure this by user transaction (profissional users), you can always easly move from freehand to illustrator, and from golive to dreamweaver.
why did adobe buy macromedia, is beyond my understanding, it is complementry software like freeHand what made illustrator take the big step from v8 to v10. Adobe will always need a Macromedia, a corel,...etc. to advance, and while big corporates create another brands and options to keep competetion even withen its own stucture, Adobe just killed it. I hope that it is thier plan to sell it to another small firm, and not just try to erase it. and I hope that the people of macromedia is just planning to invest in another form of flash and dreamweaver, and not try to invest in oil.
it is all going to affect the two industries, Print and web.