Adobe Changes Course

By now you've surely heard that Adobe has ceased all operations in
regard to the mobile browser Flash player. I can't say that I'm really
surprised, but I'm concerned with how they did it and what it means
long-term. It was apparently out-of-the-blue for not only the public but
also the 750 employees that were let go.

That really sucks for the guys/gals who were let go on such short
notice. I know that is one of my biggest fears and I completely
empathize with them. The response from the likes of Doug
Winnieshow
enormous restraint and passion. It makes one wonder how someone with
that kind of dedication and passion was let go. The biggest take away
here, in my opinion, is that nothing is sacred and everything is open
for negotiation. Good and bad.

Now what?

As many of you know, I recently went all-aboard the ActionScript 3 train
via AIR for mobile devices. I'm rattled.

The web was abuzz with all kinds of vitriolic drivel from the likes of
mostly Apple fanboi's. "Steve was right!" is completely and 100%
bullshit. We know that from the reading the Walt Isaacson
book.

I am rattled, however. I knewknow learning and using a proprietary
solution is dangerous. I saw what happened to the Microsoft Silverlight
developers as they were promised the world only to have the rug pulled
out from under them in one OS release cycle (Win 7 -> Win 8). Those
Silverlight devs that saw it coming but continued to stay the course
based on the promise of support are now really angry (22 million views?
Wow!)
and have every right to be.

So, the question(s) are; Are we ActionScript 3 and Air developers now
armed with the same foresight? Is the entire Flash ecosystem on the
chopping block? Is Air next as the great migration from Desk to Mobile
continues unabated?

I do not have the will power nor the inclination to really debate this.
Frankly, at this point I want to use the least proprietary solution
available. I don't trust the IT corporations to have, ultimately, my
best interest at heart. Nor are they supposed to, as the bottom line is
what keeps the electricity on and paychecks coming. Adobe made a tough
decision and they should have handled it better on the employee end.
However, make no mistake, this decision took guts and was the right
thing to do from a business standpoint.

My stay in the ActionScript sphere of influence was very short lived. I
enjoyed learning it and the community was really nice and helpful which
was a total bonus. This is the end of my ActionScript days and the
beginning of my JavaScript days for cross platform mobile development. I
welcome my new prototypical based overlords with open arms. Now where is
that Crockford book that i threw
against the wall in disgust a year ago?

I had real trouble with my last attempts to become a Javascript ninja. I
like classes and encapsulation. All that is needed is a resolve to try
harder.