I'm more confused
I'm confused at the lack of intelligence most respondents to this thread are displaying. One of the problems with mac users is they don't look outside their own little world (and I AM A MAC USER, dual 867 and iBook). I also agree that the author of the register article is missing the point.
It would be impossible for microsoft to only aquire Flash, as Flash is too tightly integrated into Coldfusion, Director and the other Flash com products. If Macromedia lost Flash then that surely would be the end !!! But that will not happen unless the WHOLE company goes.
I'm not convinced that J2EE is "at risk" from Microsoft's purchase of Coldfusion - .net seems more of a threat to me.
No one is saying that it is at risk but with Macromedia's adoption of J2EE as the platform on which CFMX runs it has the potential to convert a lot developers from other platforms to J2EE. Until the MX release of CF and Flash the majority of Macromedia users were not Java developers as well, and the main reason for that was Macromedia's ease of use compared to J2EE and also the cost of ownership.
The MX products have now introduced a huge number of developers to the J2EE environment and its capabilities. Macromedia has also introduced versions of CFMX that run on top of existing J2EE environements ie IBM websphere, SUN ONE and JRUN. Another important note is that CFMX compiles it's pages into java allowing it to run on ANY java compliant platform eg OSX.
flash can't do ANYTHING by itself. Any functionality outside of tweening and other visuals is done using PHP. Flash cannot do anything java can. Java is a object oriented language. Flash scripts with javascript sudo code and can have PHP attached to it. Java is so much more robust than Flash its rediculous. Please don't even start this argument, i have to go to bed early tonight
Have you not heard of Flash communication server or Flash remoting ??? FlashMX is now tightly integrated with Coldfusion MX and the possibilities for this technology far out way anything that Microsoft has ever even envisaged !!!! Through the link between CFMX and Flash MX, Flash has the ability to access Java applets, JSP pages, Java beans and most other java technologies. Maybe this is the mysterious link people have been wondering about ????
Let's not start insulting the good name of Java with the slur that Flash, or even Coldfusion might replace it
No one is saying this, Java is now and integrated component of Macromedia's future and this is why Microsoft are so concerned, Macromedia is now introducing Java to 000,000's of developers that might never have even considered it. I don't know if people realise that Sun as a company is not in good shape at the moment and it needs all the support it can get. Macromedia is doing a fantastic job at helping the JAVA and SUN cause at the moment.
No one uses CFM these days surely, and if Microsoft wanted it so bad, why didn't they snap it up before Macromedia last year
Another ignorant comment ! Coldfusion has never been more popular or powerful since it's introducing and I can't see that changing anytime soon.
I'm no M$ lover, but I couldn't care less if they grab Flash. It's a toy, and since it hit the net there has been a backlash against superfluous falsh animations wasting bandwidth
I agree, before Flash MX, Flash was pretty much a toy but IT IS no longer a toy. It can and is being used to develop extremely sophisicated business critical applications linking J2EE, FlashMX and other technologies together. The problem is that most of the web community have yet to see any evidence of this but it is coming, believe me.