Flex a bit, and then let the AIR out. That's what Adobe would like developers of rich Internet applications, or RIAs, to do with its new tools. On Monday, the multimedia tool powerhouse released a beta of Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR), formerly known as Apollo, and a beta of Flex 3, its development framework for AIR.
AIR is a cross-platform  application for RIAs -- applications that can run on both the Web and on the desktop . AIR allows developers to create RIAs using common Web technologies such as HTML/CSS, Ajax, Flash, and now Flex.
The San Jose, California-based company said that the AIR beta features an embedded local database, PDF support , enhanced JavaScript capabilities, and additional integration with Flex. The Flex 3 beta, the company said, offers new user interface elements and testing tools for the enterprise .
Integration with CS3
Key components of AIR -- such as the WebKit HTML engine, the ActionScript Virtual Machine, and the SQLLite local database functionality -- are open source. Flex's scripting language is an advanced implementation of JavaScript, ECMAScript 4, and it runs on Flash using Tamarin, the open-source virtual machine.
In the beta phase, developers can contribute to the source code for Flex's compiler, components, and application framework. Adobe is offering public availability of each nightly Flex build.
Adobe has added a tool, now available via Adobe Labs, that enables projects created in Creative Suite 3 to be delivered as AIR applications. And there is now deeper support for visual skinning and full language intelligence support for CSS. In addition, CS3 assets now can be directly imported into Flex.
The company also launched the Adobe AIR Developer Derby, a contest with prizes for best applications. The beta of AIR, and the AIR SDK, are available for both Mac and Windows , and can be downloaded at no charge at www.adobe.com/go/air.
Pushing the Technology
Forrester analyst Jeffrey Hammond said that the embedded database and PDF support "will let developers push the technology that much further as they try to build compelling apps outside the browser."
There are many business applications that have not yet been ported to the Web, he said, but this RIA toolkit and framework "will finally allow developers to marry the ubiquity and low maintenance costs of Web apps with the user engagement and productivity of client-server apps."
Salesforce.com, for one, said that developers who have created on-demand business applications for the Salesforce Platform now can use Flex and AIR to extend them with desktop functionality.
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