Adobe Floats AIR 1.5 into Linux

Adobe AIR 1.5 for Linux follows the AIR 1.5 release for Windows and Mac which came out in November. In bringing AIR to Linux, Adobe is giving developers another platform that their applications will run on while expanding application availability for Linux desktop users.

 

Linux users wanted to have the same desktop experience that Windows and Mac users get with Adobe AIR. However, Adobe still isn't ready to give Linux users all the apps that it makes available to Windows and Mac users.

The reason why a Linux version of Adobe AIR has lagged beyond Windows and Mac versions is due to some technical complexities. For one, the Flash player on Linux for most of 2008 has lagged behind the releases of Flash player for Windows and Mac. The image transparency model in Linux is different than the Windows or Mac operating systems and it took Adobe time to iron out. 

Adobe is committed to delivering future versions of Adobe AIR for Windows, Mac and Linux simultaneously. The simultaneous releases should help to make Linux a more attractive platform for software develops. But now, with Air on Linux, the developers simply build AIR applications and they will work on Windows, Mac and Linux. Existing applications that have been designed for AIR will work on Linux without any modification.

AIR 1.5 for Linux is currently available directly from Adobe and is not yet being directly included with any of the major Linux distributions.