Adobe AIR now available for Linux OS

NEW DELHI, INDIA: Adobe Systems Inc announced the general availability of Adobe AIR 1.5 software for Linux operating systems. Adobe AIR 1.5, a key component of the Adobe Flash Platform, enables web developers to use HTML, JavaScript, ActionScript and the free, open source Flex framework to deliver web applications outside the browser.

Now, with no additional efforts, developers can use Adobe AIR 1.5 technology to create compelling software applications that are available on Linux, in addition to the Windows and Mac operating systems, said a press release.

“The release of Adobe AIR 1.5 for Linux builds on our ongoing commitment to the Linux community and our legacy of creating technologies that work consistently across operating systems,” said David Wadhwani, GM and VP—Platform Business Unit, Adobe.

“Using Adobe AIR, millions of web developers can now be Linux developers, and with little effort and no additional costs, companies can now target emerging markets and a broad set of new devices where Linux is growing in popularity,” he further added.

The graphical capabilities of Adobe AIR, along with its access to operating system functionality, give AIR applications the capacity to provide unprecedented user experiences and brand differentiation for the developers and companies creating them said a release.

AIR 1.5 includes functionality introduced in Adobe Flash Player 10, such as support for custom filters and effects, native 3D transformation and animation, and extensible rich text layout.

Adobe AIR 1.5 incorporates the open source WebKit HTML engine and now accelerates application performance with 'SquirrelFish,' the new WebKit JavaScript interpreter.



The release added that Adobe AIR 1.5 also includes a new, encrypted database that meets enterprise security compliance requirements while storing data more securely on customers’ computers.

“With Adobe AIR 1.5 now available for Linux, thousands of developers can run their applications across multiple operating environments including the PC, and in the future netbook and Mobile Internet Device platforms based on the Intel Atom processor running Moblin Linux,” said Christos Georgiopoulos, GM—Developer Relations Division, Intel Software and Services Group.

Adobe AIR 1.5 and the software development kit for Linux are available for free of cost.

The Linux version of Adobe AIR 1.5 includes support for Fedora 8, Ubuntu 7.10, and openSUSE 10.3.

It is also available for Windows and Macintosh operating systems.