Public Alpha of Apollo Debuts on Adobe Labs

by Mihai Alexandru

(RIAs) on the desktop. Apollo combines the reach of Internet technologies with the richness of desktop applications, working seamlessly across operating systems and outside the browser to deliver a more consistent and engaging user experience. The alpha version of the Apollo application runtime and the Apollo Software Developer’s Kit (SDK) can be downloaded for free from www.adobe.com/go/apollo.

Apollo is an important element of Adobe’s strategy to provide technologies and product workflows for developers and designers to create and deliver new kinds of high-impact, rich applications, content and experiences to engage people virtually anywhere at anytime.

Apollo provides people with direct access to Internet applications (including those built with HTML, JavaScript, Flash and PDF) without the need to open a browser, offering a familiar desktop application experience, and easier and more reliable interaction with content. With Apollo, people can launch applications directly from their desktops and interact with them offline. When a network connection is available, newly created or changed content can seamlessly synchronize. In upcoming versions, Apollo’s integration with the desktop will allow people to drag and drop items, such as image files and other media assets, directly into Apollo applications.

The first version of Apollo for developers includes a free SDK that provides a set of command line tools for developing and working with Apollo applications. Web developers can use the Integrated Development Environment (IDE) of their choice, including Adobe tools such as Eclipse-based Flex Builder, Flash, and Dreamweaver software to build Apollo applications in significantly less time than it takes to build and deploy traditional desktop applications. Apollo complements Ajax and other RIA technologies. Additionally, upcoming versions of Apollo will integrate PDF, run on Linux, and include deeper Ajax support, and in the future Apollo will leverage mobile technologies.

The alpha version of the Apollo application runtime, required to run Apollo applications, and the Apollo SDK are available immediately as free downloads from Adobe Labs at www.adobe.com/go/apollo. The Apollo SDK is available in English. The Apollo runtime and SDK are offered for both Windows and Macintosh operating systems, and future versions will be available for Linux.