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Macromedia Spectra

In May 2001, Macromedia announced that there would be no new feature-additive releases of Macromedia Spectra. To allow Spectra applications to run on top of ColdFusion MX, Spectra 1.5.2 was made available in December 2002 as an update release distributed through the SpectraSource site for existing Spectra 1.5.1 customers.

Macromedia is now pleased to announce that the full source of Macromedia Spectra is to be released under a public open-source license. The source will be available as a free download with which you can build and redistribute Spectra applications as allowed by the Macromedia Spectra Software License (based on the Apache Software Foundation license).

We plan to release the full product as soon as possible as a free download from the SpectraSource site. The final scheduling is still being planned, but we anticipate release by fall of 2003. Spectra 1.5.2 will continue to be available here (Spectra 1.5.2 Download) until the open source version is released.

Macromedia Technical Support will continue to be available for customers owning a valid Macromedia Spectra 1.5.1 license until December 31, 2003 for the pre open-source codebase. However, bug fixes and community enhancements will no longer be accepted through the Macromedia Spectra Community Source Project.

If you have any questions or comments, email spectraopensource@macromedia.com.

Answers to some frequently asked questions about this plan and Macromedia Spectra in general are detailed below:

What is Macromedia Spectra?
Spectra is an application framework that helps organizations build and manage large-scale content management and e-commerce solutions that deliver rich, personalized customer and visitor experiences. It incorporates features such as content management, workflow and process automation, roles-based security, personalization, and business intelligence. Spectra is a Macromedia ColdFusion application and must be installed on a ColdFusion server.
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What does this open source announcement mean for me?
If you already have an investment in Spectra, you can maintain or expand your applications as well as benefit from the support of the Spectra community. If you do not have an investment in Spectra, give it a try - you can now use as many or as few parts of the framework as you like in your ColdFusion applications.
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What will the free download contain?
The full Spectra product code will be available with the exception of several OEM technologies, namely the Ektron HTML editor and the Sybase SQL Anywhere database.
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Will this version require an existing installation of Spectra? Will it require ColdFusion MX?
Details regarding the distribution have not yet been finalized, but our intention is to provide a version of Spectra that does not require anything besides ColdFusion.
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When will it be available?
Final release scheduling is still being planned, but we anticipate release by early fall. Watch SpectraSource for more details.
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Will Macromedia continue to offer technical support for Spectra?
We will continue to provide technical support for Macromedia Spectra through December 31, 2003 to customers holding a purchased license of Spectra 1.5.1. Please note, however, that support will not be available if you modify the core application source code.
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How does Open Source compare to Community Source?
Originally, Spectra was organized around a community source model where Macromedia owned the software source, but contributions come from the developer community and were vetted against the company's own standards, and then included in future releases. Once the open source version of Spectra is released, the complete source will be available as a free download with which you can build and redistribute Spectra applications as allowed by the Macromedia Spectra Software License (based on the Apache Software Foundation license).
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