The Power point slides of Google presentation with comments (that should
not have slide out) finally re-appeared on the web.
You can download them here:
http://paul.kedrosky.com/archives/002797.html
cheers,
Daniel
Daniel Vareika wrote:
From what I have been listening in the web it seems clear that Google
on one side wants the regular PC to be just a thin client, and that they
will hold all the data.
Think of it for a minute:
They have already released gmail, google talk, IM atached to gmail,
calenedaring is clearly coming, now there is a write product in the
rummor mill, gdrive (disk drive on the web.
Google Write?:
http://gigaom.com/2006/03/08/google-writely-in-talks/
http://www.writely.com/
Also please note that they have many interesting people, among them Andy
Hertzfeld (no need to say who he is and his personal interests), has
hired also Ben Goodger (Firefox lead developer).
On the other hand they have been buying all this dark fiber.
But on the other end we have Adobe, a regular software publishing
enterprise that in an interview has said that they bought Macromedia
only for Flash, and the plan is to make an integration between Flash and
PDF to make a thin client (the interface, a rich experience) for any app
(more or less).
Read interesting article (may need free registration - worth reading):
http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/index.cfm?fa=viewArticle&id=1399
Extract 1:
**********
[EMAIL PROTECTED]: Let's start with the basic question: What was the
primary motivation behind the acquisition of Macromedia?
Chizen: Flash.
[EMAIL PROTECTED]: That simple?
Chizen: The combination of [Acrobat's] PDF [file format] and the Adobe
Reader with Flash's SWF [file format] and the Flash Player enables us to
create an "engagement platform." Think of it as a layer or a vehicle in
which anybody can present information that could be engaged with in an
interactive, compelling, reliable, relatively secure way -- across all
kinds of devices, all kinds of operating systems. If you look at the
success that Adobe has had with Adobe Reader and the ubiquitous nature
of that client combined with what Macromedia has done with the Flash
Player -- especially on non-PC devices -- that puts us in a position
that is probably better than anybody else's.
[EMAIL PROTECTED]: You have published a few things about combining HTML,
PDF and Flash's SWF format -- and you have mentioned this Adobe
engagement platform. But there's still a fair amount of confusion about
exactly what that is. Can you give any details about what it will or
will not do?
Chizen: We won't do a browser. But we do think that there are
applications that need to run on the [user's desktop] client [software]
that need to work in both a connected and a non-connected fashion, that
require the richness of Flash, the reliability, the relative security,
the layout capabilities of PDF -- but also need to consume HTML. Imagine
a ubiquitous client that allows you to do all three of those -- and then
a series of programming tools, like [Adobe's] Flex, making it easy for
anyone to develop applications for this ubiquitous client.
[EMAIL PROTECTED]: So this would be a desktop runtime environment?
Chizen: That's a good way of thinking about it, yes.
Extract 2:
**********
[EMAIL PROTECTED]: You mentioned the mobile space. This has been a big
focus for the former Macromedia. Adobe had moved into that space with
some PDF penetration. How do you see that space playing out, in
particular as contrasted with the engagement platform where we are
talking about a richer, fuller, larger desktop client?
Chizen: Just think of it as a "mini engagement platform." You already
have agreements with most of the mobile manufacturers with Flash Lite.
In some markets where you have fast, high speed bandwidth from the
carrier, like Japan -- where you have third generation phones and even
fourth generation phones -- they are actually including the Adobe Reader
because both the networks and the devices are capable of that type of
content.
What you will see us do is focus on taking what we are doing with the
engagement platform and shrinking it down. In reality, we will start
small and build it up. And you will see a mini engagement platform on
all of these clients.
Now, the speed of the network and the capability of the device will
determine how big that footprint can be. Clearly, today, on most of the
mobile phones it needs to be relatively small. But these devices will
become more and more powerful and you will see many, especially in
emerging markets, bypass the PC and go right to these devices.
So our goal is to get our engagement platform, or the "light" version of
it, on these devices. You will see us add mobile capabilities in our
existing authoring products the way that Macromedia has done with Flash
authoring and its emulators. But you will also see us come out with
servers like FlashCast, where you can actually push data right to these
phones or consumer electronic devices.
Extract 3:
**********
The Future: Adobe Everywhere?
[EMAIL PROTECTED]: We started off talking about what your priorities
were for the next six months or so, and we have gone a little further
out now. Let's jump further ahead. Acrobat itself is about twelve and a
half years old. Netscape's IPO was just a little more than 10 years ago.
Where do you think we will be 10 years from now? What will the computing
platform look like and how is Adobe positioned?
Chizen: If we execute appropriately we will be the engagement platform,
or the layer, on top of anything that has an LCD display, any computing
device -- everything from a refrigerator to an automobile to a video
game to a computer to a mobile phone.
Our software [will be] delivered as a service, either charging the
consumer directly, the network provider directly or using an advertising
model.
I believe Adobe's focus will continue to be on those applications that
help people and organizations in areas where the presentation of the
information makes a difference. We have always been about helping people
with their ideas, and sharing their ideas and information in a visual,
graphical, reliable way. That will be true 10 years from now.
If I think about Adobe, we have revolutionized the world -- and when I
say "Adobe" today, that's inclusive of Macromedia. Just about everything
you look at -- a label, a movie you go to, a video on the web, a
billboard, a sign when you get off the airplane -- was probably touched
by a piece of Adobe software.
By having that engagement platform we could do more of this into the
future. [We can] make our customers' lives easier and make the user's
experience that much more interesting. All of us are being bombarded
with information. I want a great experience, even if I am filling out a
boring mortgage application or a tax form. I want a great experience.
Ten years from now we will be providing that.
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