Adobe AIR / FAQ

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Adobe AIR is a cross-operating-system runtime that lets developers combine HTML, JavaScript, Adobe Flash® and Flex technologies, and ActionScript® to deploy rich Internet applications (RIAs) on a broad range of devices including desktop computers, netbooks, tablets, smartphones, and TVs. AIR allows developers to use familiar tools such as Adobe Dreamweaver®, Flash Builder®, Flash Catalyst®, Flash Professional, or any text editor to build their applications and easily deliver a single application installer that works across operating systems.

How does Adobe AIR compare with 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. AIR incorporates technologies originally developed in Flash Player and enables RIAs on the desktop. AIR and Flash Player provide complementary deployment methods for RIAs.

Which operating systems does Adobe AIR run on?

Adobe AIR runs on Windows®, Mac OS, Android™, iOS, and BlackBerry® Tablet OS. Learn more ›

Where can I get the Adobe AIR runtime?

Desktop computers: Download from the Adobe AIR Download Center.
Android devices: Download from Google Play directly from your device.
BlackBerry PlayBook: The runtime is preinstalled and integrated into the BlackBerry Tablet OS.
iOS devices: AIR apps for iOS install a "captive" version of Adobe AIR; therefore, users do not install a dedicated version of AIR.
Television: The runtime is preinstalled on supported televisions.

Where can I get the Adobe AIR SDK?

The AIR SDK is a free download available from the Adobe AIR SDK download page.

How much does Adobe AIR cost?

The Adobe AIR runtime and AIR SDK are free for most users.

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

AIR enables developers to build a wide variety of applications, including widgets. 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. Android widgets are currently not supported in AIR.

Does Adobe offer any AIR applications?

Yes. Adobe currently provides a number of AIR apps, including Adobe Touch Apps for creative professionals, Adobe Connect™, Adobe Story, the Adobe Help Manager client, Tour de Flex, and others. In addition, several applications powered by AIR are currently available on Adobe Labs, including the Adobe Dreamweaver Widget Browser and Adobe AIR Launchpad. The Content Viewer in Adobe Digital Publishing Suite is also powered by AIR.

Designers and developers

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What are examples of authoring tools that support the creation of Adobe AIR applications?: There is no specific development tool for building AIR applications. Web developers can use the IDE of their choice, including Adobe tools such as Eclipse™ based Flash Builder, Flash Professional, and Dreamweaver, to build AIR applications. Flash Builder and Flash Professional also support the development of mobile and television applications.

The free Adobe AIR SDK provides a set of command line tools for packaging AIR applications. The SDK 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 AIR applications.

Flash Builder, Flash Catalyst, Flash Professional, and Dreamweaver all provide support for developing and exporting AIR applications.
What is the relationship between Adobe AIR and Flex?: Flex is a free, open source framework for building RIAs using Flash technologies. AIR enables RIAs on the device. Just as Flex can be used with Flash Player to build and deliver RIAs in the browser, Flex can be used with AIR to build and deliver RIAs on the desktop.
What is the relationship between AIR and JavaScript frameworks?: JavaScript frameworks are all supported by AIR and can be used to build desktop applications that are deployed on AIR. Most common JavaScript frameworks work with AIR.
What HTML and JavaScript engine is used in Adobe AIR?: HTML and JavaScript within AIR are handled by the open source WebKit HTML/JavaScript engine.

Linux

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Why did Adobe decide to discontinue further support for Adobe AIR for desktop Linux®?: As the market shifts to mobile devices, Adobe is investing in bringing its runtime technologies to new hardware and operating systems. We are increasingly investing in mobile authoring, and our recent Creative Suite 5.5 release is focused on enabling customers to deliver experiences across devices using our technologies. We have responded to the changing market by providing AIR support for a growing number of platforms, including Android, iOS and BlackBerry Tablet OS, televisions, and set top boxes. Lifetime AIR for Linux desktop downloads represent less than 0.5% of total AIR desktop downloads, which number over 450 million, and we have decided to change our distribution model for Linux and direct these resources toward mobile efforts. Our efforts are focused on supporting operating systems that are most important to our customers, partners, and developers. You can download AIR 2.6, the last version to support Linux, on the archive build page.
I currently use the AIR SDK for Linux on my build server; how does this announcement affect this process?: Adobe will no longer be supporting the full AIR developer SDK for desktop Linux implementations, and the AIR Debug Launcher (ADL) will no longer be supported in the SDK.

Support

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What do I do if I have trouble installing Adobe AIR?: Visit our troubleshooting area on the Adobe AIR help and support page.
Where can I learn more about AIR for TV?: You can learn more about AIR for TV in the Adobe Developer Center.

Licensing

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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 runtime via CD or intranet so your users won't have to download it 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 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, AIR provides a feature called Seamless Install that allows AIR to be installed as part of the application installation process.
How do I obtain a license to distribute AIR for TV on digital home devices?: Please contact us to request a license to distribute AIR for TV on digital home devices.
What are the license terms for Adobe AIR?: Please read the software license greement .

Security

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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 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 it. If someone you trust developed the application and you would like to install it, then selecting Yes will allow the installation to proceed. If you do not recognize the developer or it is someone you do not trust, then you should not install the application.
How does Adobe AIR security differ from security in the browser?: Since AIR applications are persistent — installed on a user's machine — 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. AIR, like other desktop runtimes, provides applications with access to powerful capabilities, such as local file access, that should be provided only to trusted applications. 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 your 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 security white paper.

Privacy

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What does the “Allow Adobe to know about the games running on this device. Learn more." setting do?: When you allow Adobe to know about games running on your device, the My Games section of the application is populated with the games installed on your device. This makes it easy for you to access your favorite games from a single location. When the application is running, Adobe tracks the games played on your device. If you turn off the setting, then the My Games section will not be populated.