Also, another thing to think about is that if there is an excellent proxy technology that is developed like Merapi (or my idealistic 200K cross-platform proxy), we can always make our own custom installations (DMG for OSX, MSI for Windows) and use silent install on AIR to install like a proper native application. Your users download an application from the web like they do now, and run the installation. The thinking is that when you launch your AIR application, you launch a different executable that has full OS permissions, and that starts the shim-proxy, then starts the AIR application. Granted each of these launchers will have to be written for each OS, but they should be pretty straightforward.
--Todd --- In [email protected], "Todd" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Personally, I'd rather see AIR thought of as a cross-platform Desktop > application platform (like Visual Basic), than a method being marketed > at web-developers building desktop apps (initial Adobe marketing, > though it seems to be changing a bit, AIR can be so much more, ya > know). When users install applications, they're generally aware that > they could be doing evil things. When I download Adobe Lightroom, I > know that I'm INSTALLING an application. Instead we have AIR that > walks that fine line of not being a desktop app because of one-click > web install, and developers are left looking elsewhere for desktop > application development -- unless the limited functionality of AIR > suits your specific needs, and it is just fine for some applications. > > Anyway, I'm hoping all that native C/C++ to Actionscript compiler > stuff that Ted talked about on his blog > (http://www.onflex.org/ted/2008/02/extending-adobe-flash-player-and-adobe.php), > and has been discussed elsewhere comes to fruitation. Because having > C/C++ compiled into Actionscript SWF execution could alleviate a lot > of running of external programs, like fancy PDF generation, accessing > Subversion, etc... (Yeah, I know someone could technically write a > library in Actionscript to access Subversion, but so many exist > already, and if I were writing some sort of tool, I'd probably try to > use the command-line SVN client with some form of wrapper..) > > Then again, I imagine that AIR eventually will expand into being a > desktop development environment, with access to external libs and > executables, etc. > > While I think the Merapi is great and cool idea (and may well be the > only way to power-up AIR, I'm still not in heaven having the Java > runtime installed. Couldn't they do something similar with a > lighterweight runtime platform (Lua, at only 500k? I don't really > know, just throwing out the question -- I've personally tinkered with > Python and CherryPy doing something similar). If I wanted to go the > route of relying on Java, I'd probably just use TrollTech's QT's Jambi > for cross-platform application development. (Though, I'd rather use > MXML and Actionscript for most of my front-end needs.) Anyway, not to > knock the process behind Merapi, as anything will be quite welcome. > > OK, sorry to ramble. > > --- In [email protected], "Kevin Aebig" <kevin@> wrote: > > > > Well considering the consequences of offering fully web-based push > button > > installs as well as access to executing local processes, which might > be a > > case of having your cake and eating it too. > > > > > > > > Though I hope a method of dealing with this in a secure fashion pops up, > > I'll make due without if need be simply to ensure my clients are safe to > > install the runtime without Norton throwing a fit. > > > > > > > > !k > > > > > > > > _____ > > > > From: [email protected] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On > > Behalf Of Dan Rolander > > Sent: Tuesday, March 04, 2008 10:40 AM > > To: [email protected] > > Subject: [flexcoders] Re: AIR QnA > > > > > > > > I really hope the Merapi project takes off. For me, the inability of > > Air applications to launch external processes is a huge disappointment > > and limits what I can do with it. > > >
