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Known Participant
January 31, 2013
Question

AIR on Windows 8 "modern"

  • January 31, 2013
  • 7 replies
  • 15026 views

Yesterday Adobe sadly updated the Flash Runtimes Roadmap whitepaper.

Basically they said that AIR for Windows 8 “Modern UI” has been cancelled (AIR for Windows 8 "phone" never thought it).

http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flashplatform/whitepapers/roadmap.html

"... Adobe AIR is available and supported for Windows 8 Desktop on x86-based computers. Adobe currently has no plans to support Adobe AIR for Windows 8 Modern UI applications..."

I thought Adobe AIR was the best technology for multi-platform mobile development: iOS, Android, BB10 and Windows 8 Metro ... but if Windows 8 "Metro" and Windows 8 "phone" will not be available ... I would have to try other technologies like:

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/cdnstudents/archive/2012/12/03/what-cross-platform-development-tools-support-windows-8-and-windows-phone.aspx

Very bad day for AIR developers.

I know that Windows 8 "modern" and Windows 8 "phone" still have little market like  BB10. Today is the time to port Adobe AIR to Windows 8, not in one or two years because it will be late... And all other multi-platform mobile technologies has already include Windows 8 "modern" and "phone" in their roadmap ...

Adobe please reconsider it!

This topic has been closed for replies.

7 replies

Participant
May 10, 2015

now that we have this unified platform and adobe is working with microsoft, maybe we will be able to build for windows 10

Inspiring
August 28, 2014

I think that what poltergeist_ meant to say is not about verysign, but annual subscription (like Apple does with Mac Store).

For desktop apps you must sign as Company and pay 99 USD/Year: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/dn374785(v=vs.85).aspx

You don't get your app in the store but a link to another place where you sell the app.

Windows 8 Desktop Store is a very, very refined place. It's a subset of people that have Windows 8 (it's the minority) and then only the ones that use desktop and then only the ones that use the store and only than the ones that are interested in your app!

Only if this store would be available out-of-the-box in Windows 7 could worth.

I believe that would be very difficult recover the 99 USD plus the time spent to put set up your account and link to the store.

For now, don't wast your time and money. In a future with AIR 8 for Metro or Windows 9 Desktop as a Windows 7 replacement, so a bigger market to explore, how knows but not for now!

Participant
July 11, 2014

Please vote here for Universal Windows app support, and hopefully the Adobe people will listen:

https://bugbase.adobe.com/index.cfm?event=bug&id=3787892

Leafcutter
Inspiring
July 24, 2014

If Microsoft is looking to move to a single OS across all devices (BBC News - Windows development set to be 'unified' by Microsoft) then maybe AIR support for the entire windows platform across everything is more likely?

natural_criticB837
Legend
July 25, 2014

I would like to add that it is possible to have your application accepted to the Windows 8 store as a desktop app. It will only be visible on Windows 8 desktop machines though, and you do not have access to the metro tiles. But other than that it works fine. I currently have 3 Adobe Air apps live in the Windows store.

flexengineer
Participating Frequently
July 1, 2014

I got some inside information from Adobe, it seems that the show blocker for AIR on Windows 8 is a combination of issues: Adobe does not seem to be motivated to allocate the funds necessary to port AIR to Windows 8 Phone, probably in part due to the still low market share, and in part due to the "cheaper is better" mentality that has rotten the company, but none of the above is written in stone! The matter is however worsen by the fact that Microsoft has some interpreted code requirement that would make AIR on Windows 8 even more costly to implement.

The good news is, I was told that reaching out to our contacts at Microsoft and voice the fact that we need AIR could help trigger some executive pressure, which is also being attempted internally by out friends at Adobe. Furthermore, I was told "if we can get MS to relax the interpreted code requirements and allow our JIT, then we have a legitimate chance". I am conscious of the fact that there are also some performance underlying issues with this, and I am actively assessing them but what all of this tells me is that we just need to open the dialog ourselves, take over some of the talking, and start discussing course of action with the people in charge at both Adobe and Microsoft.

So this is what I suggest: let's stop winning all over social media and on Adobe forums by calling AIR dead or shooting Adobe, which only makes the dark side of the force stronger and undermine our chances to have the company pump more money. Instead, let's reach out to everyone we know at Microsoft and let them know we need AIR on Windows 8 phone.

We have a momentum here, passing the one billion install trees-hold surprised Adobe's itself and the company has observed a "tremendous" increase in AIR adoption. Now is the time to leverage that momentum, we really can get Adobe to pump more money and establish AIR as the de facto standard for cross platform application development once and for all.

This is the social age, peer to peer is the new corporate power. We can win this, we can beat the dark side of the force (Apple, along with Adobe's Indian management), anyone else standing in our way, and re-energizing the bright side of the force at Adobe that truly wants this to succeed (we still have a lot of friends there, especially in the San Francisco offices).

I decided to walk the talk and start trying to do something, they say the world is not changed by opinion but by example, so please check this tweet and help me spread the word by re-tweeting or just posting your own messages to Microsoft:

@joebelfiore my @bizspark #startup @iSocialWatch needs @AIR on W8P 4 newgen #socialapps, how 2 discuss course of action? CC @ChrisAtAdobe

Let's take it to the cyber streets, let's show the world who runs this show, and let's so do now. Please post and re-post on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Tumblr and so on. Email your contacts at Microsoft, text your pals, ask for support... do whatever you can!!!

Disclaimer: I did not get the information in this message from Chris, I only CCed him in my tweet as the current product manager for the runtimes. Please do not ask who provided the information, I won't disclose it. You will have to just trust me.

Participating Frequently
July 22, 2013

why adobe hates flash?

If adobe will not change many will move on Unity, which has clear ideas!

Known Participant
February 5, 2013

Thanks everyone,

All other multi-platform mobile technologies has already include Windows 8 in their roadmap ... Today is the time to port Adobe AIR to Windows 8, not in one or two years because it will be late...

If i choose Adobe AIR its for multi-platform, because i dont want to develop 4 versions for 1 app (one for each platfform).

Imagine that they will not withstand ios7, android 5 ... What would happen?

I was a Flex developer and Adobe tried to kill one of the best Frameworks multi-platfform and multi-device... one year later Flex still survive but isnt the same...  sometimes i feel prisoner of Adobe decisions...

Why not ActionScript Next and Flash Player Next?

Why not AIR in Windows 8 "modern" and "phone"?

Why Adobe not releases AIR/Flash runtime as OpenSource?

Colin Holgate
Inspiring
January 31, 2013

The word "currently" is important. Adobe tend not to say when they know that they will have plans in the future. If it said "Adobe will never…", then that would be more worrying.

Mark.fromOP
Inspiring
February 3, 2013

Colin do you know something we dont know? A will do.

Colin Holgate
Inspiring
February 3, 2013

No, I don't know what their plans are, I was paraphrasing something said by someone on the Flash team.