Understanding of Apollo
During my recent visit to the USA, I went to the Adobe office in San Francisco to learn more about Apollo, the company's new platform for developing and executing RIA (Rich Internet Application). I spoke with Mike Chambers, the product manager responsible for Apollo, to find out what Apollo really is and what its future is. Christian Contrell, another manager at the Apollo team, joined us in the middle of a conversation to show me some new applications made with Apollo.
In this text, I summarize everything that I learned about Apollo, as well as add a brief description “for dummies” (because before this meeting I was one of these “dummies”). Almost all of what was written about Apollo in blogs and media reflected the advantages of Apollo for developers, but I also want to present the convenience of Apollo for the end user, so this text is a kind of attempt to do this.
Mike began by explaining to me that Apollo is designed to bring Internet applications to the desktop, in contrast to Microsoft WPF (Windows Presentation Foundaiton, better known as the Avalon project, the graphical presentation subsystem included in the .NET Framework 3.0) which, on the contrary, is intended for switching from the desktop to the Internet (the idea is not worth it, although Mike does not consider that Apollo is an opponent of WPF). He also told me that Apollo's often quoted advantage — offline access to Internet applications — is not what Adobe took to develop it. He said that the main reason was to break the bans imposed by browsers, with an improved interface. Essentially, Adobe is planning to create a new type of application that will allow users to launch Internet applications from the desktop as an alternative or replacement for existing browsers.
')
Apollo is still in the alpha version stage, and, of course, Apollo is not the final name for the project (the new name has not yet been invented, or is simply kept in the strictest secret). Public beta testing will begin in early summer in the US, and the release of the first version is scheduled for late fall - early winter 2007.
Apollo in understanding amateur
Let's go back for a minute, and define all the same, what is Apollo, because if you are not a developer, it will be very difficult for you to understand the official description of this product. Here is a description:
For a start - rich (rich) in this case means that Internet applications are simply more interactive and graphically improved. The launch environment (runtime), for sure, is the most inaccessible concept for ordinary users. Apollo, and essentially the startup environment, is a platform through which you can create applications. A browser, such as Firefox or IE, is the best example of a launch environment, or rather, it is the most common launch environment on the Internet. It, of course, does not launch Internet applications, but it is used to process Internet pages.
So why create a new launch environment if the browser is “good enough” and distributed to most Internet applications, including RIA applications (most applications using AJAX work great in browsers)? Apollo was created in order to create richer and more rich shells for Internet applications. To achieve this, Adobe has created a platform for Internet applications, which in some cases can be an alternative to the browser, in others - a replacement for it. This is because applications created with Apollo are launched from the desktop using the Apollo startup environment. Also note that a developer can port AJAX applications using Apollo.
The perspectives for developers are such that they can use their skills in developing Internet applications for the desktop, for example, using Apollo, to migrate their existing Internet applications for browsers. Undoubtedly, this is the primary function of Apollo.
Adobe also aims to create more lightweight desktop applications than previous launch environments, such as Sun Java (popular in the 90s) and Microsoft .Net. Lightness is, in fact, how many megabytes you need to download from the Internet to run the environment. It is important to remember that to run any application on the desktop, you need libraries. For example, to run applications using Java, you need to download about 12-13 megabytes, and in the case of .Net, you need to download more than 50 megabytes. Mike Chambers said that Adobe plans to pack about 6 megabytes, which is significantly less than its opponents. Also, he noted that applications using Apollo will not have compatibility issues, as was the case with earlier versions of Java.
Examples of early applications written using Apollo
Mike Chambers and Christian Contrell showed me a few applications written using Apollo, and many of them were refining existing Internet applications for browsers. Do not forget that Apollo is still in the alpha stage, so there are so few applications. The two most fascinating applications were Finetune (a music player similar to last.fm and pandora) and an application using Apollo for eBay Desktop (codenamed San Dimas project).
Finetune is HTML-based personalized radio in particular, but the player itself uses Flash. Initially, Fintune was written as a browser application, but later, with the help of Apollo, was reworked into a desktop application. Although it is a redesigned version of the browser application, Finetune contains several additional features that make it attractive for advanced users. For example, it can integrate with iTunes, this is what the browser can not do. In fact, this is done by two Finetune and iTunes applications sharing XML files. Adobe sees Finetune as a classic use for applications developed using Apollo, where developers can create cross-platform applications using Internet technologies.
Also, for advanced users, created by eBay Desktop. Rain Stewart has a wonderful description of this application, but, in fact, eBay Desktop allows users to manage their auctions using a desktop application that offers improved caching, real-time product appearance reporting and auction updates.
Another example that Mike and Christian showed me was Adobe Media Player (codename Philo, in honor of one of the inventors of the TV). This is an application for watching television online and an opponent of Microsoft Windows Media Player, but Mike said that, in fact, this is a video aggregator using RSS, and the player in one person. Using Apollo, companies can distribute Adobe Media Player using a special RSS code. Compare this with iTunes, which is exclusively Apple product. Adobe Media Player also allows companies to deliver ad units using RSS, including video inserts, when advertising is inserted directly into video content.
At the end
End users are unlikely to see the full potential of Apollo before it goes into public beta testing at the beginning of summer in the US, which will allow more developers to use it.
It is also clear that Adobe sees a bright future for Internet applications outside of browsers, although Flash is installed on 95% of computers, so browsers will still play a key role in their plans. Adobe also cautiously focuses on the fact that applications using Apollo will coexist with browsers, creating an alternative to them. At this time, Microsoft is also developing a platform for desktop applications, but it continues to give the browser a key role in its ecosystem. In the case of Microsoft, its browser prevails in the world, it is installed on more than 80% of computers, and Silverlight is an add-on to the browser, a kind of Flash. Both Microsoft and Adobe want to get rid of browser dependency, although both have products designed for browsers (Flash in the case of Adobe, Silverlight in the case of Microsoft). This is nothing, given the fact that Adobe sees itself more committed to Internet technologies and cross-platform applications than Microsoft, because in the interests of the company to develop the dominance of Windows in the world.
What is your opinion about Apollo, what are its chances in the future? This is a very dangerous market in which companies such as Adobe, Microsoft, Sun, Google and other active participants are present, and each company has its own views on the development of Internet applications. Google is still tied to browsers, while Microsoft and Adobe have taken the first, though still uncertain, steps to get rid of browser dependencies. Also, let's not forget that Mozilla and other browsers continue to evolve, improving the quality of their products at a fast pace.
In this text, I summarize everything that I learned about Apollo, as well as add a brief description “for dummies” (because before this meeting I was one of these “dummies”). Almost all of what was written about Apollo in blogs and media reflected the advantages of Apollo for developers, but I also want to present the convenience of Apollo for the end user, so this text is a kind of attempt to do this.
Mike began by explaining to me that Apollo is designed to bring Internet applications to the desktop, in contrast to Microsoft WPF (Windows Presentation Foundaiton, better known as the Avalon project, the graphical presentation subsystem included in the .NET Framework 3.0) which, on the contrary, is intended for switching from the desktop to the Internet (the idea is not worth it, although Mike does not consider that Apollo is an opponent of WPF). He also told me that Apollo's often quoted advantage — offline access to Internet applications — is not what Adobe took to develop it. He said that the main reason was to break the bans imposed by browsers, with an improved interface. Essentially, Adobe is planning to create a new type of application that will allow users to launch Internet applications from the desktop as an alternative or replacement for existing browsers.
')
Apollo is still in the alpha version stage, and, of course, Apollo is not the final name for the project (the new name has not yet been invented, or is simply kept in the strictest secret). Public beta testing will begin in early summer in the US, and the release of the first version is scheduled for late fall - early winter 2007.
Apollo in understanding amateur
Let's go back for a minute, and define all the same, what is Apollo, because if you are not a developer, it will be very difficult for you to understand the official description of this product. Here is a description:
Apollo is a code name for an OS-independent startup environment created by Adobe so that developers can fully use their skills in creating an application using Flash, Flex, HTML, JavaScript, AJAX to develop and transfer RIA (Rich Internet Application) to the desktop. table.
For a start - rich (rich) in this case means that Internet applications are simply more interactive and graphically improved. The launch environment (runtime), for sure, is the most inaccessible concept for ordinary users. Apollo, and essentially the startup environment, is a platform through which you can create applications. A browser, such as Firefox or IE, is the best example of a launch environment, or rather, it is the most common launch environment on the Internet. It, of course, does not launch Internet applications, but it is used to process Internet pages.
So why create a new launch environment if the browser is “good enough” and distributed to most Internet applications, including RIA applications (most applications using AJAX work great in browsers)? Apollo was created in order to create richer and more rich shells for Internet applications. To achieve this, Adobe has created a platform for Internet applications, which in some cases can be an alternative to the browser, in others - a replacement for it. This is because applications created with Apollo are launched from the desktop using the Apollo startup environment. Also note that a developer can port AJAX applications using Apollo.
The perspectives for developers are such that they can use their skills in developing Internet applications for the desktop, for example, using Apollo, to migrate their existing Internet applications for browsers. Undoubtedly, this is the primary function of Apollo.
Adobe also aims to create more lightweight desktop applications than previous launch environments, such as Sun Java (popular in the 90s) and Microsoft .Net. Lightness is, in fact, how many megabytes you need to download from the Internet to run the environment. It is important to remember that to run any application on the desktop, you need libraries. For example, to run applications using Java, you need to download about 12-13 megabytes, and in the case of .Net, you need to download more than 50 megabytes. Mike Chambers said that Adobe plans to pack about 6 megabytes, which is significantly less than its opponents. Also, he noted that applications using Apollo will not have compatibility issues, as was the case with earlier versions of Java.
Examples of early applications written using Apollo
Mike Chambers and Christian Contrell showed me a few applications written using Apollo, and many of them were refining existing Internet applications for browsers. Do not forget that Apollo is still in the alpha stage, so there are so few applications. The two most fascinating applications were Finetune (a music player similar to last.fm and pandora) and an application using Apollo for eBay Desktop (codenamed San Dimas project).
Finetune is HTML-based personalized radio in particular, but the player itself uses Flash. Initially, Fintune was written as a browser application, but later, with the help of Apollo, was reworked into a desktop application. Although it is a redesigned version of the browser application, Finetune contains several additional features that make it attractive for advanced users. For example, it can integrate with iTunes, this is what the browser can not do. In fact, this is done by two Finetune and iTunes applications sharing XML files. Adobe sees Finetune as a classic use for applications developed using Apollo, where developers can create cross-platform applications using Internet technologies.
Also, for advanced users, created by eBay Desktop. Rain Stewart has a wonderful description of this application, but, in fact, eBay Desktop allows users to manage their auctions using a desktop application that offers improved caching, real-time product appearance reporting and auction updates.
Another example that Mike and Christian showed me was Adobe Media Player (codename Philo, in honor of one of the inventors of the TV). This is an application for watching television online and an opponent of Microsoft Windows Media Player, but Mike said that, in fact, this is a video aggregator using RSS, and the player in one person. Using Apollo, companies can distribute Adobe Media Player using a special RSS code. Compare this with iTunes, which is exclusively Apple product. Adobe Media Player also allows companies to deliver ad units using RSS, including video inserts, when advertising is inserted directly into video content.
At the end
End users are unlikely to see the full potential of Apollo before it goes into public beta testing at the beginning of summer in the US, which will allow more developers to use it.
It is also clear that Adobe sees a bright future for Internet applications outside of browsers, although Flash is installed on 95% of computers, so browsers will still play a key role in their plans. Adobe also cautiously focuses on the fact that applications using Apollo will coexist with browsers, creating an alternative to them. At this time, Microsoft is also developing a platform for desktop applications, but it continues to give the browser a key role in its ecosystem. In the case of Microsoft, its browser prevails in the world, it is installed on more than 80% of computers, and Silverlight is an add-on to the browser, a kind of Flash. Both Microsoft and Adobe want to get rid of browser dependency, although both have products designed for browsers (Flash in the case of Adobe, Silverlight in the case of Microsoft). This is nothing, given the fact that Adobe sees itself more committed to Internet technologies and cross-platform applications than Microsoft, because in the interests of the company to develop the dominance of Windows in the world.
What is your opinion about Apollo, what are its chances in the future? This is a very dangerous market in which companies such as Adobe, Microsoft, Sun, Google and other active participants are present, and each company has its own views on the development of Internet applications. Google is still tied to browsers, while Microsoft and Adobe have taken the first, though still uncertain, steps to get rid of browser dependencies. Also, let's not forget that Mozilla and other browsers continue to evolve, improving the quality of their products at a fast pace.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/31038/
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