M$ thinking of acquiring Macromedia? NO!

[mresell]

Hope this is absolutely false.

http://www.hardwarezone.com/news/new...d=8791&refer=1

[bigdave]

If you look at the date of the post on the link:

Mergers & Acquisition | Posted By songdok on Thursday, 26th of December, 2002

This was a rumor a year ago, and looks like it didn't happen, YET

[mresell]

God, I didn't I was so freaked out.
LOL.....

Nevermind......

In that case feel free to delete the thread as I don't wish to refuel an old rumor.

haha

[Brangwyn]

MS Are actually developing their own Flash syle replacement environment to debut with Longhorn, will be part of the Avalon side of things iirc.

[mresell]

Originally Posted by Brangwyn

MS Are actually developing their own Flash syle replacement environment to debut with Longhorn, will be part of the Avalon side of things iirc.

please say it isn't so...

I guess they have to keep tryin stuff, but it would be nice if they would work on quality control first. I sure hope they don't blatenly use other peoples ideas like they tried w/ jscript and java. For them to be so ticked off at piracy I would say that is the blatent mass equivalent.

[Brangwyn]

Taken from something I was reading the other day

Apparently, Microsoft is working on a graphics and animation toolset that will effectively compete w ith Macromedia's Flash. This toolset, code-named Sparkle will be included with Longhorn. A part of .NET's runtime, the scope of the technology is going to be much wider than the typical utilities that Flash is associated with.

Microsoft is aiming at accomplishing a lot more with Sparkle, they intend to deliver a .NET application that has access to all the APIs in Longhorn, and effectively takes animation beyond the browser to enable, say, three videos running at the same time as other graphics and animation.

Flash is loved by many for its small footprint and versatility. It's speedy, attractive and easy to use. Microsoft is attempting to take advantage of gains in processing power to spice up the user interface and offer developers more options for vector-based graphics manipulation. Microsoft isn't trying to set a new standard for banner advertisements and browsers.

If Sparkle comes to represent a kind of Web development platform in the way that Flash is used now, there will certainly be problems. Flash is already an iffy design choice for Web sites because not everyone has Flash installed. With Sparkle, one may be looking at a Windows-only technology. But all of this is premature, as there are very few details to go on.