Adobe Air: use your online apps offline

Adobe has launched software designed to make it easier for computer users to use online applications offline. Adobe Air allows developers to build tools that still have some functionality even when a computer is no longer connected to the net. A free download will allow users of Macs, PCs and, later this year, Linux machines to run any Air applications. The first programs that use the technology, developed by web sites such as eBay, have already been released. “Air is going to allow applications that run on the web today – that run in the browser – to be brought down to the desktop,” Andrew Shorten, platform evangelist at Adobe told BBC News. “It’s about taking existing web applications and adding extra functionality whether you want to work offline or whether you want to access data on your disk.”

Mr Shorten said that the technology is not about replacing the web browser. “It’s about delivering the best experience depending on where you are and what you need to get from the application, ” he said. “If I’m on the road with my laptop maybe I want to use the desktop version of my application. If I pop into an internet cafe I can still access it through the browser.” The software is part of a growing number of technologies that aim to make the transition between the on and offline worlds seamless. In 2006, Microsoft unveiled its Silverlight technology. And last year Google launched Gears. The tool does not allow the creation of new content but does allow web applications to be used offline.

Source: NY Times, BBC