The merger of the two "complementary" companies could lead to a dominating combined portfolio, or it could stifle development, according to some customers.When Adobe Systems and Macromedia last week ended their longtime rivalry and announced
plans to merge, the future of the combined company became a question of great interest to users of both companies' products.
Adobe Systems Inc. acquired Macromedia Inc. in a $3.4-billion deal last week. The combined company will operate under the Adobe brand and will further expand into the enterprise and mobile markets, company officials said.
"I would characterize my feelings as a combination of excitement and uneasiness," said Stacy Young, a senior developer with Optimal Payments Inc. of Montreal, discussing the issues created by the deal.
"Adobe's resources and market penetration with Reader are definitely positive angles…My only concern is whether the acquisition will disturb the close relationship Macromedia has with the development community and long-time customers. As for the future of Flex…I can only guess, but I'm thinking Adobe wants to jump-start their server-side offering to extend their workflow product offering, so that's also possibly another positive point," Young said.
Darius Fattahipour, senior IT engineer for San Diego County's Department of Child Support Services, and a Macromedia user, said, "I was surprised that these two competitors had decided to merge. While ultimately I believe Adobe's acquisition will be a success, if you're a developer, it's going to mean some confusing times ahead as Adobe integrates Macromedia's product line.
"These companies have many competing products, such as Dreamweaver versus GoLive, FlashPaper versus PDF, Illustrator versus Freehand, ImageReady and Photoshop versus Fireworks. There is no direct competition for ColdFusion.
"Personally, I'm not usually a big fan of acquisitions when companies are direct competitors. It usually results in less choice and innovation in the long term. Macromedia's forte was innovation. I view Adobe as much more conservative," Fattahipour said.
Read the full story on eWEEK.com: Will Adobe-Macromedia Deal Kill Competition?
Graphics Tools 
