Comments on: The Next Net Battle – Adobe vs Microsoft

By: links for 2007-05-04 « thebadtiming

links for 2007-05-04 « thebadtiming — Sat, 05 May 2007 02:32:05 +0000

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By: Andy Brudtkuhl

Andy Brudtkuhl — Fri, 04 May 2007 15:21:49 +0000

Excellent point and I agree. TJ does all our design on a Mac – which makes for interesting workflow.

One thing to note is that Expression Media has a Mac version allowing Mac users to produce Silverlight enabled productions.

I really hope they figure out the entire Expression studio should be available for the Mac. Once they do that the platform will be unstoppable.

By: chrispunke

chrispunke — Thu, 03 May 2007 22:59:17 +0000

You have some great points, and it will definitely be interesting to see how things play out. To be honest, I kind of feel like both will find a happy coexistence on the web, however the desktop might be a different story. For certain, Microsoft’s entry into the rich media space will drive improvements to both Adobe and Microsoft’s products, which will end up a win-win for everyone.

As a rich media producer, one of my biggest concerns with Microsoft’s products is their utter disregard for Mac development tools. Without designers, any web or desktop apps that get created will fall short. Without designers, the “wow-factor” just isn’t going to be there. And, let’s face it, 80% of designers are on Macs. As long as Microsoft limits their development environment to Windows-only, the content that gets created is just not going to compare with that created on Adobe’s products. Sure, there will be a few adopters who invest in Windows technology, but I just don’t think those who create the content are going to toss out their Macs in favor of Windows boxes just so they can be part of Microsoft’s new product line.

Regardless, I am glad to see the “evil empire” joining the fray. It will push the technology, and greatly increase the overall awareness of rich media. Let the fun begin!