Adobe - Adobe AIR: FAQ

What is Adobe® AIR™?

Adobe AIR is a cross-operating system runtime that lets developers combine HTML, Ajax, Adobe Flash®, and Flex technologies to deploy rich Internet applications (RIAs) on the desktop. Adobe AIR allows developers to use familiar tools such as Adobe Dreamweaver® CS3, Flex® Builder™ 3, Flash CS3 Professional, or any text editor to build their applications and easily deliver a single application installer that works across operating systems.

What operating systems does Adobe AIR run on?

Adobe AIR is available for Microsoft® Windows® 2000; Windows XP; Windows Vista® Home Premium, Business, Ultimate, or Enterprise; and Mac OS X v10.4 or 10.5. The Linux® release of Adobe AIR is under development.

When will Adobe AIR support Linux?

On March 31st, we released the first Adobe AIR for Linux runtime and SDK alphas on Adobe Labs. While this release is not yet feature complete, many applications will run including the sample applications we’ve provided. Please read the dedicated Adobe AIR for Linux FAQ and release notes.

How does Adobe AIR compare to the browser?

A web browser enables a user to interact with content and applications typically located on a website on a server. Adobe AIR builds upon capabilities and technologies used in the browser to enable deployment of applications on the desktop. Adobe AIR complements the browser by providing users and developers with a choice about how to deliver and use applications built with web technologies. For more information, review the browser vs. desktop comparison matrix.

In what languages is Adobe AIR available?

Adobe AIR currently provides full support for applications built with the following languages:

Chinese Traditional
Chinese Simplified
English
French
German
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Portuguese
Russian
Spanish

Learn more about how a single AIR application can target all languages with multilingual AIR applications built using Flex and multilingual AIR applications using HTML.

Where can I get Adobe AIR?

Adobe AIR is a free download available from the Adobe AIR Download Center.

How much will Adobe AIR cost?

The Adobe AIR application runtime, like Adobe Reader® software and the Adobe Flash Player runtime, is free. The downloadable Adobe AIR SDK is free as well.

How does Adobe AIR compare to other Internet-connected applications such as widgets?

Adobe AIR enables developers to build a wide variety of applications, including widgets. Adobe AIR does not provide a widget manager such as a sidebar or top layer, but it is possible to build a widget manager on Adobe AIR.

How does Adobe AIR compare to Flash Player?

Adobe Flash Player is a browser plug-in that provides advantages for users and content creators in the browser, including the ability to deliver RIAs in the browser. Adobe AIR incorporates technologies originally developed in Flash Player and enables rich Internet applications on the desktop. Adobe AIR and Flash Player provide complementary deployment methods for the RIAs.

Does Adobe offer any Adobe AIR applications?

Yes. Adobe currently offers Adobe Media Player, which runs on Adobe AIR. Adobe also offers a number of AIR applications that enable desktop integration for online services such as the Adobe AIR version of Acrobat.com.

Is there an application or authoring tool that goes with the Adobe AIR application runtime?

There is no specific development tool for building Adobe AIR applications. Web developers can use the IDE of their choice, including Adobe tools such as Eclipse™ based Flex Builder, Flash, and Dreamweaver, to build Adobe AIR applications.

The free Adobe AIR SDK provides a set of command line tools for packaging Adobe AIR applications. This can be used with any text editor to build and deploy an AIR application.

Do I need to buy tools from Adobe to build applications for Adobe AIR?

No. Any text editor can be used with the free Adobe AIR SDK to build and deploy an AIR application.

What is the relationship between Adobe AIR and Adobe Creative Suite®?

Adobe Creative Suite software is a set of tools for print, web, video, and mobile publishing. Some Creative Suite applications provide HTML, Flash, and JavaScript capabilities that can be used to deliver Adobe AIR applications.

The Adobe AIR extensions for Dreamweaver CS3 and Flash CS3 Professional are now available, enabling Dreamweaver and Flash projects to be delivered as RIAs on the desktop.

What is the relationship between Adobe AIR and Flex?

Flex is a free, open source framework for building RIAs using Flash technologies. Adobe AIR enables RIAs on the desktop. Just as Flex can be used with Flash Player to build and deliver RIAs in the browser, Flex can be used with Adobe AIR to build and deliver RIAs on the desktop.

What is the relationship between AIR and Ajax?

Ajax (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) is a group of web development techniques used for creating interactive web applications. JavaScript, HTML, and XML are all supported by Adobe AIR. Ajax can be used to build applications that are deployed on Adobe AIR. Most common Ajax frameworks work with Adobe AIR.

What HTML and JavaScript engine is used in Adobe AIR?

HTML and JavaScript within Adobe AIR are handled by the open source WebKit HTML/JavaScript engine.

What Ajax frameworks can be used to build AIR applications?

Most major frameworks can be used to build AIR applications. The following frameworks are currently supported for building AIR applications:

What do I do if I have trouble installing Adobe AIR?

Visit our troubleshooting area in the Adobe AIR Support Center.

Can I license Adobe AIR for distribution on CD or for my company's intranet?

If you have created CD or intranet content that depends on Adobe AIR, you can distribute the players via CD or intranet so your users won't have to download them from the Internet. View the Adobe AIR licensing options for more information.

Can I make Adobe AIR available directly from my website?

No, the Adobe AIR free distribution agreement does not allow you to distribute Adobe AIR from your website. You must direct visitors to the download center on Adobe.com. To easily link to Adobe.com, we provide Adobe AIR buttons that you can display on your site. If you would prefer not to direct users to Adobe.com, Adobe AIR provides a feature called Seamless Install that allows AIR to be installed as part of the application installation process.

What are the license terms for Adobe AIR?

Please read the End-User License Agreement.

I just got a security dialog box asking me if I want to install an application. What should I do?

Applications deployed on Adobe AIR have powerful desktop capabilities and access to local data, so this dialog box provides information about who built the application and allows you to decide whether to install the application. If someone you trust developed the application and you would like to install the application, then selecting Yes will allow the installation to proceed. If you don't recognize the developer or it is someone you don't trust, then you should not install the application.

How does Adobe AIR security differ from the browser?

Since Adobe AIR applications are persistent — installed on a user's machine — Adobe AIR has a security model that is more like desktop applications. The browser sandbox provides a restricted environment for running web applications that can come from various sources, including anonymous or untrusted websites. Adobe AIR, like other desktop runtimes, provides applications with access to powerful capabilities, such as local file access, which should be provided only to "trusted" applications. Adobe AIR improves on the security model of most desktop runtimes by providing information about the security of an application before it's installed and configured on the end user's system.

Where can I find out more about the Adobe AIR security model?

Detailed information about the Adobe AIR security model is provided in the Adobe AIR Developer Center.

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