The Adobe Flex product line is the most comprehensive solution for delivering RIAs across the enterprise and over the web. Designed to help developers and development organizations meet the challenges presented by RIAs, Flex is already being used by hundreds of organizations to deliver interactive data dashboards, customer and employee self-service applications, online product selectors and configurators, and business-to-business applications.

The Flex product line provides a highly productive programming model (Flex framework), integrated Eclipse-based development tools (Flex BuilderTM), and robust data integration services (Flex Data Services) that enable organizations to rapidly deliver solutions that dramatically improve user productivity and increase online revenues, while integrating with existing applications and websites.

Applications delivered with Flex offer a better experience because they take advantage of the browser and Flash Player runtime. Installed on over 97% of Internet-connected PCs, Flash Player provides a consistent, cross-platform runtime that combines a high-performance virtual machine with integrated support for multilingual text display, printing, data manipulation, motion, and multimedia. On top of these capabilities, the Flex framework layers a rich set of user interface components and design principles that encapsulate best practices in interaction design and usability.

Flex and Flash Player also provide the robust connectivity required in the SOC. Flex provides client-side service components that enable applications to interact with any remote server via SOAP web services, REST services, or raw HTTP or custom socket-based protocols. For more sophisticated integration needs, Flex Data Services provides additional support for publish/ subscribe messaging, real-time streaming data, and direct integration with existing server-side JavaTM objects as well as other enterprise back-end applications including messaging, security, and transaction management.

Finally, Flex provides a highly productive development model that easily integrates with existing processes and is based on standards and best practices that have emerged over the last ten years of Internet development. The Flex development model uses XML for user interface design and layout and an implementation of ECMAScript (that is, JavaScript) for client logic. The Flex Builder integrated development environment (IDE) provides a robust set of coding, debugging, and visual user interface layout tools that shorten the learning curve for new developers and easily integrate with existing source code management systems. In addition, Flex provides integrated support for unit testing and automated functional testing tools.

Flex and the Adobe Engagement Platform

With the combination of Adobe and Macromedia, Adobe has brought together the best-in-class tools, services, and clients to dramatically reduce the cost and complexity of developing engaging web applications. By combining these powerful technologies, Adobe is delivering an industry-defining development platform for creating applications that dramatically improve how businesses engage with people, processes, and information.

The Adobe Engagement Platform comprises:

• Universal client technology—By combining the strengths of ubiquitous Flash Player with Adobe Reader® software, HTML, and JavaScript, developers can deliver a predictable, high-quality application experience across browsers, desktops, and devices.

• Programming model—The Flex development model (MXML and ActionScript) plays a central role in the platform. By providing a versatile and robust programming model, Flex enables organizations to efficiently deliver RIAs that take advantage of the universal client technology.

• Development and design tools.—With products like Adobe Photoshop®, Dreamweaver®, Flash Professional, and Illustrator®, Adobe is a recognized leader in the creative tools market. Through integration with Flex Builder and third-party development tools, Adobe is enabling designers and developers to work together to deliver more engaging experiences.

• Server framework—Adobe server technologies build on existing infrastructure standards like Java EE and .NET, while providing services that simplify integration and extend the capabilities available to rich clients. Beyond the services provided by Flex Data Services, Flash Media Server enables applications to integrate two-way audio and video streaming, while Adobe LiveCycle® software provides services for business process management, document generation, and information assurance.

The goal of the Adobe Engagement Platform is to blend the strengths of Adobe technologies and open standards to provide a versatile foundation for extending the reach of information, processes, and services to customers, partners, and employees anytime, anywhere, and in any medium.

By providing a comprehensive yet open solution for RIA development, Flex enables organizations to extend their existing investments in application logic, infrastructure, and SOA while realizing the benefits that RIAs can deliver for end users, customers, or partners.

The following sections provide a more in-depth overview of the Flex product line.

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