General open source Flex information
- What components of Flex have been released to open source?
- The Open Source Flex SDK contains most of the components of the Adobe® Flex® SDK (for example, the compilers, framework, and debuggers) but does not include anything that is not open source like Adobe Flash® Player, Adobe AIR™, or the advanced font encoding libraries. The Open Source Flex SDK is capable of creating Flex applications and can be used in whatever fashion the Mozilla Public License (MPL Version 1.1) allows. This package is entirely covered under the MPL, including its binaries. Adobe Flex Builder™ software, the Eclipse™ based IDE, is not available under open source.
- What are the differences between the Open Source Flex SDK and the Free Adobe Flex 3 SDK?
- The Open Source Flex SDK contains everything needed to create a functional Flex application including the ActionScript™ and MXML compilers and the Flex framework. The Free Adobe Flex 3 SDK contains everything in the Open Source Flex SDK plus additional components that enhance the Flex application creation process such as advanced font encoders, tools for packaging Adobe AIR applications, and Adobe Flash Player. These components are not open source but are made freely available by Adobe.
- Under which open source license is the Open Source Flex SDK offered?
- The Open Source Flex SDK is available under the open source MPL Version 1.1. This empowers both open source and commercial developers to extend and enhance the Flex framework to suit their needs and to contribute to the evolution of the Flex framework.
- When was the Flex SDK released as open source?
- Concurrent with the release of Flex 3 on February 25, 2008, the Open Source Flex 3 SDK was released under the MPL open source license.
- What is Adobe's commitment to Flex?
Members of the current Flex SDK development, QA, and product teams are full-time contributors to this open source project. Adobe continues to invest heavily in the ongoing framework and language evolution.
The Flex language and framework are key elements of many Adobe products that help designers and developers create next-generation rich Internet applications (RIAs) for use online and on the desktop. A number of Adobe products including Flex Builder, Flash Authoring, and the Creative Suite® family of products will make it easy to target the Flash and AIR runtimes leveraging the Flex SDK. In addition, several Adobe products are being built using Flex, including Adobe Media Player and Photoshop® Express. We also believe that other ISVs, Adobe partners, and members of the open source community are planning to deliver design and development tools that allow developers to leverage the Flex SDK.
- How does open sourcing Flex benefit Flex developers?
- Web and desktop developers using Flex can now directly discuss ideas and proposals with project committers, submit code through the open bug tracking system, or contribute enhancements directly to the Flex project. Over time, Adobe also plans to introduce new subprojects that extend the core Flex project.
- Do organizations and developers that build applications with Flex need to release their projects as open source?
- You do not need to release source code for your Flex application. You are, however, required to release any source code modifications made to the ActionScript source files provided as part of the Open Source Flex SDK. These modifications must be released under the MPL. This obligation does not extend to other files created by you, even if they are combined into a single executable or bytecode file. For a complete explanation of your rights and obligations under the MPL, you should consult a legal professional.
- How does this announcement benefit participants in open source projects?
- Under the terms of the MPL, open source project owners can use Flex to develop parts of their applications, extend it and contribute to the community, or incorporate some or all of the SDK itself into their projects, provided they continue to comply with the license terms of the MPL.
- What is the relationship of open source Flex to the Tamarin project?
- Adobe has previously contributed source code for the ActionScript Virtual Machine to the Mozilla foundation under the Tamarin project. Developers using the Tamarin project can use the Open Source Flex SDK as a compiler and debugger.
- Is open source Flex also going to the Mozilla Foundation?
- No. Adobe is currently sponsoring and hosting the Flex project infrastructure, including the open bug database, source control system, and project planning forums.
License questions
Note: The responses below are examples only and might not apply to your particular situation. They are not intended to be legal advice. In all cases the Mozilla Public License and the Adobe Flex SDK License shall be considered definitive. You must consult a lawyer for a full understanding of your rights and obligations under these licenses.
- What license is Adobe using for the open source Flex project?
- Adobe is using MPL Version 1.1 to govern the use of the Open Source Flex SDK source code. This license is used by many open source projects that need to balance the needs of the open source community and commercial software vendors. MPL and its derivatives (Eclipse Public License and Common Public License) are used by many well-known open source projects with both thriving open source communities and significant commercial users.
- If I want to ship a product or project that includes the Flex SDK, what are my choices?
- The Open Source Flex SDK may be redistributed in accordance with the MPL. The Free Adobe Flex SDK may also be redistributed but requires the acceptance of a redistribution agreement (expected in March 2008). If you would like to redistribute only the Open Source SDK, your end users may download a package from Adobe that will add the freely available (but closed source) portions to the SDK.
- Can I redistribute the Flex source code myself?
- Yes, you are allowed to redistribute the Open Source Flex 3 SDK source code, provided you do so under the terms of the MPL.
- If I use the open source version of the Flex SDK in my product can I call it Flex?
- Yes. You may use the word "Flex" in your name if you are using only the Open Source Flex SDK. If you are using the Free Adobe Flex SDK, you will need to abide by the Adobe trademark guidelines. "Adobe Flex" is a trademark owned by Adobe Systems Incorporated for use only with commercial applications distributed by Adobe.
Getting involved
- How can I get involved in the future direction for Flex?
Flex developers and community members can get involved in a number of ways:
- Start using the Flex 3 SDK today. You can help identify issues and their specific causes, logging bugs through the Flex bug management system.
- Support the community by answering questions on the various Flex forums, creating examples in the Flex cookbook, and blogging.
- Start an external Flex open source project. There are lots of external tools, libraries, and components that would be a huge boon to the Flex community. Start these externally today, and they might be candidates for SDK subprojects in the future.
- Contribute bug fixes to the Flex SDK (see below). Review and comment on specifications published by the Flex team during development of future Flex versions.
- What are the plans for receiving contributions to the code?
- Initially, we will begin to accept contributions as attachments to bug reports and enhancement requests in our public bug database. To contribute, developers will be asked to first agree to a contribution agreement as part of the submission process. A committer will then review the submission and if deemed satisfactory will be checked into the source. For more information please review the open source site, including the submitting a patch page.
- Will Adobe allow external developers as committers to the project?
- Yes, Adobe expects to add external committers to the project as we roll out the infrastructure and governance process for the open source Flex project. The initial committers will be the Adobe Flex engineering team. If an external developer has contributed worthwhile bug fixes via the public bug database, the Flex management team may decide to promote that developer to be a full committer. For more information, please review the roles page on the open source site.
- What governance model will be used for managing the open source project?
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The schedule and roadmap of Flex will continue to be defined by Adobe. As part of the development process, the team plans to publish the schedule and development priorities that will drive future development in order to solicit feedback and contributions from the community.
The Adobe Flex engineering team will be the initial approved committers to the project and will review and approve all contributions. Over time, we plan to add external committers who have demonstrated interest in and commitment to the core design philosophy and priorities of the project. We also plan to set up a process for establishing subprojects that are managed by either external or internal developers but become a part of the main project source tree.
For more information on governance, review the governance page on the open source site.
