Sun Microsystems and Macromedia have announced an agreement to integrate and ship Macromedia Flash Player 7 with the Java Desktop System.
As part of the agreement, Macromedia Flash Player will be pre-installed into the open source Mozilla browser, which forms a key component of the Java Desktop System. This will enable users to view Flash content natively, without having to download and install the player separately.
Flash Player offers Java Desktop System users the same experience of viewing rich, interactive multimedia content and applications which is currently enjoyed on an estimated 453 million personal computers worldwide.
The Flash Player makes it possible to deliver consistent and highly effective digital experiences, ranging from brand-building websites to enterprise-class Internet applications. Innovative designers rely on the integrated motion graphics, audio, and video capabilities of Flash Player to engage users in ways not possible with conventional web technology.
Application developers use the Macromedia Flex presentation server in conjunction with Flash MX Professional 2004 to deliver user interfaces for enterprise applications based on the Sun Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) platform.
"This agreement provides further evidence that Sun and its partners are committed to providing the best-in-class media playback and rich Internet application technology to enrich the customer experience within a lower cost and more secure desktop environment," comments Dumisani Mtoba, senior systems engineer at Sun Microsystems SA.
Macromedia senior vice president David Mendels notes that Macromedia and Sun have enjoyed a long alliance with Flash Player on the Solaris platform. "It's natural for Macromedia to work closely with Sun to enable the millions of sites that are enriched with Flash content to work on Sun's new desktop system," he adds.
"Flash technology has become essential to today's web designers and developers, allowing them to create compelling interactive content and applications that attract users to sites and keep them coming back. Key to its success is the broad distribution of Flash Player on all key platforms, including Sun's new Java Desktop System," continues Mendels.
With the introduction of Java Desktop System, Sun is seeking to redefine the desktop computing market with an integrated, familiar, secure alternative for the enterprise market, notes Mtoba. "When we looked at the key media that needed to be supported with our new desktop, it was very clear that the popularity of Flash on the Web required integration. Rich multimedia content is a key component of desktop experiences today; we are pleased by Macromedia's endorsement of the Java desktop offering and commitment to providing one of the most popular media and interactive application runtimes on our platform."
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