Macromedia unveiled the creation of a new site for developers, where they can download alpha-level releases of new technologies from the software maker, as well as share feedback and make suggestions.
Macromedia Inc. unveiled Monday the creation of a new site for developers, where they can download alpha-level releases of new technologies from the software maker, as well as share feedback and make suggestions.
The first alphas available on Macromedia Labs are the company's alpha versions of Flash Player 8.5 and Flex Builder 2, which were announced Oct. 6. Both are designed to be used as a foundation for building applications, using the Macromedia Flash platform.
Click here to read more about Flash Player 8.5 and Flex Builder 2.
The creation of Macromedia Labs represents a shift in the company's development process, according to Kevin Lynch, Macromedia's chief software architect. By bringing in developers at an earlier point in technology creation, Macromedia hopes to involve customers more deeply in the company than in the past. There is also the expectation that the Labs site will foster a strong developer community, Lynch noted.
Beyond alpha releases, also included in the Lab will be documentation, samples and technical articles. Forums and wikis have been created to encourage discussion and collaboration, with Podcasts and instant messaging set up for developer-to-developer informal chats. Participants can also stay current with lab activity through RSS notifications.
"There's much to be said about the long tail of the market," noted Rael Dornfest, chief technology officer of O'Reilly Media Inc. "But for developers it's the long snout, if you will, the shape of products and technologies before they're packaged and shipped, that matters."
Early access to the development behind a product, as Macromedia is providing with the lab structure, sets up a "virtuous circle," Dornfest said. "Developers inform the shape of what they get, products and technologies are vetted and improved sooner, and, of course, developers expedite their learning curves," he stated.
In addition to creating a virtual lab, Macromedia announced that the company has penned a strategic agreement with Mercury Interactive Corp., a developer of business technology optimization software.
Under the arrangement, Mercury Quality Center and Mercury Performance Center products will be integrated into the Macromedia Flex 2 product line.
Mercury Quality Center lets users automate quality management across a range of application environments, and the company's performance center product allows customers to automate application load testing, as well as help verify that applications will meet business performance goals.
The combined technology is meant to help customers of both companies optimize the quality and performance of rich Internet applications, noted David Mendel, Macromedia general manager.
The agreement will allow Flex development teams to harness quality management automation software products "for a more consistent, engaging and responsive end-user experience," said Mendels.
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