---
title: Adobe Gets A Clue, Pragmatism Returns. Flash as a Feature. MAX day 1
date: 2010-10-26T18:14:16Z
modified: 2010-10-26T18:14:16Z
permalink: "https://redmonk.com/jgovernor/adobe-gets-a-clue-pragmatism-returns-flash-as-a-feature-max-day-1/"
type: post
status: publish
excerpt: ""
wpid: 2941
categories:
  - Uncategorized
tags:
  - Uncategorized
  - Adobe
  - Flash
  - HTML5
  - jQuery
timestamp: 2010-10-26T18:14:16Z
---

Yesterday at its MAX keynote Adobe made a strong argument for its continuing relevance to web developers, with a couple of crowd pleasing moves that should help silence some of the anti-Flash haters. Talking of Flash- perhaps the most telling think about the keynote was that Flash didn’t even get a mention until 47 minutes in.

The show kicked off a demo of Dreamweaver tools for creating HTML5 and CSS3 apps. I say apps rather than websites because that’s the promise of HTML5 – more interactive, slicker user experiences… the kind of experiences, frankly, that Adobe has spent years pitching Flash as the best platform for. But yesterday Adobe remembered that user experience is way more important than than a runtime, no matter how cool it seemed originally.

Adobe has to be about tools. HTML5 is going to be huge, and its going to change the shape of Adobe’s business dramatically. And Adobe needs to be an arms supplier for the open web, not a competitor.

So Adobe is supporting HTML5 across its tool chains. Things got cooler when Adobe showed off prototype visual tools for jQuery design. win. well done adobe.

The Flash haters, and they are legion, are probably still not convinced. Well its worth noting that Adobe also made a significant contribution to Webkit yesterday – some code to make text layout around arbitrary shapes a hell of a lot easier.

So Adobe is supporting HTML5 and jQuery, and making contributions to Webkit. Maybe its not trying to fork the web after all. Anyway John Resig is on stage right now for the Day 2 Keynote. So expect more updates later.