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July 30, 2007
Browser possession
Browser Possession: Glen Lipka describes a process: "The main idea is to take Adobe AIR and embed it in a browser." His comments require registration so I can't easily reply there, but if I pulled out the gist of his thought correctly then I don't think it would work. The Adobe Integrated Runtime is not a browser plugin, but instead allows normal webpage construction techniques to be delivered beyond-the-browser. The Adobe Flash Player can extend a browser and be invoked from a webpage, but the Adobe Integrated Runtime sits on the desktop, not inside a browser. Am I missing something in that essay...? [via Ajaxian]
Posted by JohnDowdell at July 30, 2007 01:07 PM
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He's not missing the point of AIR, he's actually being quite clever, but the idea itself...just isn't that great.
His point, I think, is that you could eliminate browser compatibility issues if you authored your pages for Webkit, then invoked AIR as a plug-in in the browser, ensuring you had a stable runtime for HTML/JS/Flash, just as the FP is a stable runtime for SWF.
Which, of course, is the same as saying your site only works in browser X or requires plug-in Y.
AIR wasn't designed to do this, obviously. You COULD, however, write a browser using AIR, require it for your site, and open it when someone visits your site in any browser. (Just as how YourMinis has seamless web-desktop integration, as long as you have their widget engine installed.)
It's a bad approach, it puts requirements on your users, rather than adapting to their environment.
Posted by: PaulC at July 30, 2007 04:04 PM
Oops! Almost missed the Silverlight reference in the comments.
I think you need a running chart on your blog JD, comparing the number of times Silverlight is referenced in an article/post about AIR.
If bloggers insist apples are oranges enough times, it may become true!
Posted by: PaulC at July 30, 2007 04:08 PM
"If bloggers insist apples are oranges enough times, it may become true!"
Jobs & Wozniak didn't have that problem, but I think that what you say is true.
I wonder if these folks have seen Dryerfox yet....?
Posted by: John Dowdell at July 30, 2007 08:02 PM
I changed the WordPress settings to allow anyone to comment. I think I should probably add Captcha like you have.
I know AIR wasn't designed for this, but I wonder if Adobe had this idea on their radar already.
Right now, I am working on a rich application that could potentially use AIR. I immediately thought of the benefit of 'one browser' to test if we switched to AIR. This idea was on alot of people's minds, so I don't take any sort of 'credit' for it. We were just brainstorming about how Adobe could change the rules of the game.
How many times has Microsoft changed the rules of the game? Maybe it's time for someone else to step up to the plate? In general, I am stirring the pot. Discussion is good. I generally hate the "it's good, it's bad thing". It's a complex issue with lots of moving parts.
Posted by: Glen Lipka at July 31, 2007 08:23 AM