Adobe Air in RH 8 - rejected

[gmcdonald_lgc]

Until Adobe figures out a better way to package this type of Help, I don’t see it as a viable solution to our needs.

Main reasons I see to reject this feature as incomplete and not correctly implemented:

1. Unreasonable requirement to install it as a standalone application, with its own entry in the Add/Remove list of the operating system.
2. Windows certificate requirement is not a desirable feature for many customers, nor us who must purchase a certificate and renew it from one of the certificate vendors.
3. The only benefits beyond WebHelp are:
   1. Single file distribution (but requires a rather lengthy installation for large help projects)
   2. Customer feedback on help topics and dynamic help content refresh (requires customer to allow users an external connection to our server, which does not follow many corporate IT security models)

[GEWB]

Yup.

AIR, like Flash, is a solution looking to cause problems. I have rejected both.

Regards,

GEWB

[gmcdonald_lgc]

Adobe caught my eye with the one file distribution brag, so I checked it out.

First I get irritated because they make you ship a Windows security certificate with your application.

Next, I convert a large Webhelp project only to discover this thing repackages it, then turns around and basically ships an executable with the *.air extension. All this thing does is unpack the webhelp AND adds a bunch of support files for their Flash skin. This really was a shock, as I was hoping they were going to ship something similar to a compiled help file like find with*.chm.

Then I look at my Add/Remove and see that any help file clients install of mine are considered STANDALONE apps! So with one product, I have over 20 help files... that means the customers get over 20 apps cluttering up their Add/Remove and are expected to remove them one by one, rather than remove the program, which in turn would remove the supporting help? Ridiculous! Shame on the developers and RH product manager at Adobe.

Regardless of missing the mark on this first attempt, the need is still there to deliver a cross-platform help file that has the full features users expect of a help file, yet more. We want cross-help file keyword search, natural language search, robust built-in scripting for document effects, customizeable skins, integrated web search, blah blah blah.

Show us what you got Adobe, and bury Madcap.

[Guest]

I have to say I agree that it's a problem to have to install a help system as a standalone/separate app.  I also severely dislike the certificate issue.  I want users to be able to access help as seamlessly and quickly as possible.

I think Adobe is on the right track, but this format has some maturing to do.

Ben

GryphonMountain.net

[GEWB]

IIRC, the AIR package uses an embedded customized browser engine (based on Safari?). Despite "assurances" from Adobe that AIR works in a secure sandbox, I'm not trusting this...I was told by Microsoft developers in the '90s that HTML emails were perfectly safe and we all know how THAT turned out! Given Adobe product security track records, I'm not ready to trust AIR on any platform.

Maybe in a couple years I will be proven wrong (I hope so).

Regards,

GEWB

[johndaigle]

Good points, gmcdonald_lgc.

As I understand it, the Adobe AIR help viewer is using the WebKit Open Source browser which is also used in Safari and Google Chrome. I think open source is a good thing because it helps with cross platform, cross browser issues we've always had to fight.

I believe the idea behind it being an installed application is for easier distribution, updating and commenting. Unfortunately that requires writing to the user's hard drive. That in turn means a tighter security model requiring the Certificate. I agree the certificate is a pain, but I can see that this will become more common as the web matures.

For many organizations deploying inside the firewall it may be a reasonable solution. Meanwhile, I'm intrigued with the potential and so happy that Adobe and RoboHelp is innovating rather than authors always chasing Microsoft's help offerings.

Thanks

john

[GEWB]

Hello John -

That's the link, thanks for refreshing my memory! So I looked up the LGPL for the WebKit core and read every word (v2.1)...now my memory might be failing again but I don't recall seeing AIR display the LGPL agreement during or after installation of RoboHelp 7 or 8. (which by LGPL agreement should "give prominent notice" and provide a link to the agreement). Maybe Adobe is using the GPL instead but even then it must be "prominent".

Anyway, open source is a good thing. Cross-platform is a good thing. AIR could be a good thing when it matures. Until then I'll remove all traces of it from my workstations.

Regards,

GEWB

[gmcdonald_lgc]

Hi John -

I can see this as a possible solution, as you so eloquently state, for a small number of users. But for the majority of users in the distributed PC world, this "solution" is inadequate. As for the musing that Windows security certificates will become more accepable "when the web matures", I argue that certificates have had their shot and are a clunky interim solution until someone figures out a better way to make the web more secure. Less clicks, less complexity, more intuitive... none of which you will find with a certs file.

One thing about your response that concerns me is the dismissive attitude about installing Help as a standalone application. I don't know who your customers are, or what field you work in... but in mine, they would not tolerate Adobe Air help.\

Thanks.

[Dhiren_Jani]

In continuation:

You may be using a different workflow than what we recommend. In short, you need a single help viewer application installed on the client desktop. The help content is then packaged in the .rha files that you create with RoboHelp 8.This file would then be installed along with the product.

You would never need 20 installs of the Help Viewer for a single machine.

If you have purchased the Technical Communication Suite 2.0, then you would see that the single help viewer shipped along with TCS 2.0 presents product help for FrameMaker, RoboHelp and Captivate too.

Our Senior Product Evangelist, RJ Jacquez, had recently presented an elearning session on Building Web 2.0 User Assistance using Adobe AIR and RoboHelp 8. Do check it out for more information.

Some other things mentioned in this thread

1) AIR may have potential security issues.

We know of AIR deployments with some very security conscious customers, who are using it without trouble.

2) Webkit licensing displayed in RoboHelp 8.

Webkit is provided by the underlying AIR runtime and not by RoboHelp.

All third party components (including webkit) are called out in a separate agreement, available on the Adobe website (http://www.adobe.com/products/eula/third_party/). You can scroll down to the AIR version for which you wish to view the agreement and check out the details.

Dhiren Jani

RoboHelp Product Manager

http://blogs.adobe.com/techcomm

[gmcdonald_lgc]

Dhiren -

Thank you for the kind response. One of our writers here reviewed the video by your product guru and found it very helpful. One item that we did not see in the video... if you ship multiple help files (*.rha files marked with a unique ID) within a container, can you later add additional help files for different products? Or are you limited to only updating the help files that were initially added to the container?

Two major concerns still remain:

1. Will this technology take off? Or will it go the way of other offereings (e.g. Flash Help)? I believe this concern was expressed by another user in this thread, and it is a valid concern.

2. The Windows Security Certificates still are a problem. Every certificate costs $300/year, which in and of itself is not a lot of money. However, if you are a large software company with numerous products in your portfolio, now you have to maintain the certificates in an active status. Like I originally stated, the current Windows Security Certificate model is clunky and needs to be replaced with a more seamless solution that discontinues the need for 3rd party vendors (CA).

So in the short term, the feature still remains rejected. However, we sincerely hope that Adobe is able to succeed with Air Help and figure out a way to provide a trusted application without the need for a security certificate purchased from a CA.

Thanks.

[Dhiren_Jani]

Hi,

The AIR Help viewer changes the paradigm that you always need to be connected to view Webhelp with its capabilities.

Along with the Rich Internet Application (RIA) interface, AIR Help Viewer allows you to have both offline and online help content delivered to users.

AIR (along with several other categories of applications) has several other capabilities that standard WebHelp does not provide. This is the reason that all AIR applications (including the AIR Help Viewer) need to be digitally signed.

I'm attaching a link to an Adobe devnet article, http://www.adobe.com/devnet/air/articles/signing_air_applications_print.html that explains why certificates are necessary and how to use them.

If you are technically inclined, then you can create your own AIR application to display help using the free flex SDK ( the link is within the devnet article).

AIR Help viewer has a powerful set of features, we keep posting updates on such information in the product team's blog, the link is mentioned in my signature.

Dhiren Jani

RoboHelp Product Manager

http://blogs.adobe.com/techcomm

[Dhiren_Jani]

Q: if you ship multiple help files (*.rha files marked with a unique ID) within a container, can you later add additional help files for different products?

A: Yes. You can later add more help files for different products. The product installer will deploy the .helpcfg and .rha files needed on end user machines.

Regarding the cost of certificates:

Typically, you would use the same certificate across the enterprise, unless there is a need for something different.

For example, let's assume that you ship 15 products per year, and the total end machines where the Help Viewer is installed is 100,000.

If you pay $300 per year, then the cost to reach a single desktop is $.003

I don't have the expertise to comment on certificate vs. other security mechanisms so i'll defer to your view.

Addressing the other concerns raised here:

AIR is very successful today, with over 120 million downloads by users. Over 25 million AIR applications have been installed by users since launch. AIR applications include the Time 100 desktop application from Time.com and the Ebay desktop from Ebay.com. You can find a large list of applications in the Adobe Marketplace.

However, if you feel that the AIR Help Viewer needs enhancements then please do fill in our feature request form. Alternatively, I can setup a time for a direct discussion.

We really appreciate the fact that our users are as passionate about our products as we are, and this keeps us motivated to constantly improve our deliverables. Thank you for providing feedback here.

Dhiren Jani

RoboHelp Product Manager

http://blogs.adobe.com/techcomm