Adobe abandons mobile Flash development....CNN News

[JeffreyUtter]

From CNN
http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/09/tech/mobile/adobe-mobile-flash-wired/index.html

So, I guess I have to ask the Flex Team and ESRI Corporate, if Flash is leaving, ie, not getting further Adobe support, what will happen to ArcGIS API for Flex?
Please chime in.
Thanks.

[MansourRaad]

It should be noted that only the flash player IN the browser on MOBILE devices is not supported - however - there is still commitment to the flex and flash player and AIR on other devices.

[BjornSvensson]

The Flex platform and the ArcGIS API for Flex is not going away�?�

• Flash is not the same as Flex.


• While Flash player is going away from mobile web browsers, where it wasn't really used anyway, it is not going away from desktop browsers.


• Flex can be used to create native (not browser) applications for both iOS and Android, as well as desktop AIR applications for Windows and Mac. 

Here�??s the official Adobe blog on it - http://blogs.adobe.com/flashplatform/2011/11/flash-to-focus-on-pc-browsing-and-mobile-apps-adobe-to-...

Adobe Flex provides an excellent solution if you're interested in creating mobile applications for both iPad and Android, - see for example http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flex/articles/whats-new-flex-flash-builder-46.html and http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flex/articles/mobile-development-flex-flashbuilder.html.

[TimothyBaldwin]

Thanks for the reply Bjorn, I am getting ready to push out several native applications for iOS and Android using the Esri API for Flex, and it is good to see the Esri team is still moving forward.  I've had to answer questions all day if our team should continue to use Flex, and for us, we never intended it to be used in mobile browsers, we get much better performance when making native applications for tablets and phones with Flex, versus using the browser Flash plug in.  It' may be a good long term move for Adobe, but they way they presented it, and the cutting of 750 jobs sends the wrong message to the developer community.

[DerekLaw]

All,

Just FYI: Adobe has posted some additional information to follow up on their earlier news announcement,

• Clarifications on Flash Player for Mobile Browsers, the Flash Platform, and the Future of Flash

by Mike Chambers


• The Official Flex Team Blog / Your Questions About Flex

by Deepa Subramaniam

*EDIT: Please also review this ArcGIS Server blog post,

Some thoughts on the ArcGIS web mapping APIs (JavaScript, Flex, and Silverlight)


Hope this helps,

[MikeExon]

Not quite.... a summary of the state of flash, silverlight and html 5 here....

http://www.georelated.com/2011/11/web-mapping-enabling-technology-are.html