JD on EP

I believe the reporters are not presented (by MS) with the opportunity to distinguish between the breadth of the API, what it does, and the context in which it operates. So, let us suppose (because I have no knowledge at all about Silverlight, just some buzz here and there) that Silverlight does some things which Flash does not do, but that it does them only within the context of the browser plug-in. That little nuance never even comes up in the discussion, and the fact that the playing field has changed a little bit with the ability to write cross-platform for the Mac is ignored by the reporter. The feature by feature comparison, like the cheese, stands alone.

Wow, what a shame. I can see this happening though.

I did a presentation at Drupalcon and at LA AIR earlier this month and it took me about 20 minutes to just explain the differences between Flash and Flex, and differences between HTML and Flex, and then I threw in some AIR seasoning and everyone in the crowd seemed positive, but I doubt reporters care to take in lengthy information since they just want to break/write stories that get them their pennies.

I will do my best to make sure I know where to point anyone to info on Flex, AIR, and Flash. I don't care to confuse everyone with Adobe Technology Platform since I had wasted a lot of time pushing Flash Platform then Engagement Platform... and I'm trying to just get tons of people to know what a "framework" is. :P

I try. We all try. :)

I think it's a worrying sign but I don't think it's malicious. [jd sez: I don't think we have enough disclosure to be able to guess motivation.] I think in general reporters and bloggers have gotten a bit lazy. It's important to get as many stories out there and the news has such a short lifespan that they (and me I suppose) tend to brush over things and not have time to correct.

I think reporters just don't get the space yet. They don't fully understand RIAs and so they don't have a perspective on what AIR brings to the table. They just see Silverlight and AIR as the "new" RIA technologies to write about. Adobe (and Microsoft) need to engage in more dialouges with them. Ask them questions and make sure they understand.

=Ryan
rstewart@adobe.com

Since when has the media ever gotten technical details correct? As far as they're concerned, one RIA technology is equivalent to another and can be compared as such.

I do not believe the misinformation is coming from Microsoft, and I wouldn't be quick to assume so unless you really like conspiracy theory and black helicopters. [jd sez: Like I said, it can't be ruled in, but it can't be ruled out. Don't lump all hypotheses together.] None of the MS people i've talked with have ever said Silverlight competes with AIR. [jd sez: We've got Scott Barnes somewhere in webpages insisting "AIR is browser", and as noted above, others have reported experiences counter to your own personal experience.] That messaging has never been in any of the events (large or small) or in 1:1 conversations. If you want offline Silverlight-like functionality right now, you want WPF and that is Windows-only, but significantly more feature-rich than the web technologies.

I've had my comments taken out of context and spun by reports to try and get a headline that will attract readers. Since Silverlight and AIR are both new announcements about exciting technologies, they're likely lumping them in for the same reason. [jd sez: I used that hypothesis of "because they're both new and poor reporters get confused" myself in the past, but it seems to no longer suffice, while anecdotal reports of deliberate misinfo have continued.]

It would be nice if the reporters would compare apples to apples as I believe there are some really good features and stories on both sides - when you stick to the facts :)

Pete