Unhelpful Rhetoric and Adobe’s Place in the Open Web

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Some of the employees from Mozilla flabbergast me. I realize that they want to be seen as defenders of the open web but I think posts like this, by Asa Dotzler, and statements like this, from Tristan Nitot, show that they’re not interested in being constructive. Rather than engaging with companies like Microsoft and Adobe, parts of Mozilla seem to be hell bent on criticizing us at every turn despite the moves towards openness that both companies are making. The web is not under attack. In fact, I think you could make a very valid case that Adobe and Microsoft have helped light a fire under standards bodies to help get things like the video tag implemented in HTML5. The web is too big for any company to control and treating it as a something so fragile it could be taken away or broken by any combination of proprietary technologies does it a huge disservice. The web is a big place and one of the things that makes it great is that it spans so many companies, ideas, and underlying philosophies. That said, Adobe is always working to be a better web citizen, so I take it personally when what we do seems to get dismissed so quickly by people who say they support the open web.

Dave McAllister has a great post about how much Adobe is opening up. Can you flip a switch at a big company and open source everything? Absolutely not. But we’re getting more open. Having the SWF spec open means that even if Adobe goes away tomorrow, theoretically someone can implement the spec and ensure SWF content still renders. Is it the same as open source? No, but it’s a big step. Adobe also has made the open web a core part of our technologies. I don’t know why Asa is comparing Adobe AIR and Silverlight, but one of the great things about AIR is that it lets you use all of those open web technologies (HTML, JavaScript, CSS, etc) to create desktop applications. Included in Adobe AIR is WebKit, arguably one of the most innovative and advanced HTML rendering engines out there. Adobe wants to be on the cutting edge when it comes to Flash AND HTML with our technologies. We’ve open sourced projects like BlazeDS, the ActionScript Virtual Machine (which we contributed to help improve JavaScript performance), and Flex, one of our core technologies.

Diversity in ideas is one of the great things about the web. And I like the fact that there are so many people willing to speak up about the importance of the open web. But scaremongering and implying that Adobe is trying to take over the web is silly and ridiculous. The web can’t be taken over. It’s a thriving ecosystem that we’re all a part of – open and proprietary. Innovation comes in many forms and we can all learn from each other. Adobe works differently than Mozilla, that’s just the way it is. But frankly, when you dismiss what we’re doing with an “our way or the highway” attitude, you make it harder on those of us inside these big companies trying to push in a more open direction.

Related posts:

  1. A Place For the "Open" Web and the "Closed" Web
  2. Adobe Open Screen Project – Open Specifications and Open Technology to Help Expand Flash Player Reach
  3. Apollo is All Over (the place)
  4. Adobe at the Open Source Conference
  5. Open Laszlo – A Tactical Retreat?
  • http://almaer.com/blog Dion Almaer

    Ryan,

    I agree. There are ways to engage with other communities, and coming out saying “you suck. you aren’t open” like this is silly. Adobe has changed a lot in a very short time, and they should be looking to engage with you, to start a discussion. Ignore crap like that :)

    Cheers,

    Dion

  • http://www.scientology.net Austin

    I don’t know why there is this weird viewpoint about open source technology. It’s like come on guys. The world is built on exchange and economics. Someone has to survive. It’s not about being a free world where everyone owns everything. That’s a criminal society and will never work.

    It’s about producing a product that is valuable and someone thinks its valuable and exchanges his production for goods.

    Let’s get real here. Adobe is my favorite company these days. They make valuable products which the world runs on.

    Anyway, good post Ryan – I agree.

  • http://www.wiredprairie.us/blog Aaron

    When committees and open standards bodies drive development, it rarely bodes well for the users (and it usually takes FAR too long to get anything done, and often the end result is so over designed, so …. ARRRGH).

    I’m all for companies privately producing a great product and letting consumers help decide what makes sense as an “open” product. I’m tired of “web 2.0″ and 35,000 lines of Javascript/CSS just to make a simple interactive page that could have been done in less time, with fewer lines of code, and with a bit more snap (or “Flash” if you will… :-) ).

    Mozilla doesn’t want to see their FireFox cash cow drop revenue — $67 million dollars last year just from the search bar (according to reports I just read). If people use the browser less … less searching (there aren’t too many ways for them to make money off a browser they give away), less is not more in this case …

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  • Gerald Guido

    If I was in Adobe’s shoes, I’d give everything away, all of it.

    I think the Fake Steve Jobs coined a term describing that mentality.

  • http://phillipkerman.com/blog Phillip Kerman

    Yeah, they’re not “helpful” but I don’t know that was their point. With all due respect to many of your Adobe colleagues… many of their blogs contain less than “helpful” comments about Microsoft. Yours is probably the most balanced blog. But still, if Adobe ISN’T bent on “taking over the web” then I’d say why aren’t you ? But, the truth is I see the point the one “unhelpful” post made–that it’s a battle for the platform.

    Now… to get all anti-corporation and start to live in some weird world where everything a pure standard or whatever… sounds like fun but they need to get real.

    Adobe’s Open Screen thingy is a good thing. Maybe it’s “about time”… maybe “it’s not enough”… but that doesn’t discount that it’s positive. And, self serving–but that’s fine with me!

  • Jeff

    I agree with Austin’s remarks – exchange makes the world go round. Everything can’t be free, and nor should it. If Adobe, or anyone else can, build a platform which proves viable and they receive compensation for doing so, then all power to them. Making money (honestly) is 100% OK, and so is innovation.

    I think it is clear that Adobe is trying to walk the fine line – being as open as they can be while at the same time remaining viable as a business entity. I for one am benefiting from their approach and I hope it succeeds.

  • thinman

    Here’s what’s scary to the those Moz-ilk and their opensores-loving compatriots: that Adobe actually becomes as open as they claim the online world should be. Then they’d be even smaller fish in an even larger pond. They’d lose the presumption of their exclusive claim to the title of defenders of freedom, and would therefore be less cool at parties. Adobe, keep closed, dammit! Propellerhead veracity is at stake!