Pure Motives?
Adobe is causing trouble again with it’s stance on openness. This time however opposition seems to be coming from bizarre directions. Mozilla Europes founder Tristan Ninot claims that Adobe and Microsoft are only in it for the money, outrage and further outrage ensue.
As tool makers Adobe and Microsoft have little to gain by pushing their platform on end users other than increased sales of the software used to create content for them. The recent announcements mean that, in Adobes case at least, the last vestiges of control over content authoring have been removed. Adobe seem confident in their abilities as supreme creators of authoring tools and opening the platform to all players affirms that belief.
I think Adobe realise the Flash player has evolved into something out of their control. They do have a vested interest in the continued advancement of the technology but they seem more focused on end users than shareholders in its evolution. I believe in the power of completely open software to succeed where others fail. But to shoot down a company that is succeeding admirable down an alternate path screams of stubbornness.