Possible product changes after Adobe's MM acquisition [Reprinted from the blue ideal]

Abbreviation

PS = Photoshop/AI = Illustrator/GL = GoLive

AE = AfterEffects/LM = LiveMotion/AS = Atmosphere

DW = DreamWeaver/FW = FireWorks/

First of all, Look clearly. What I'm talking about is possible. Don't blame me if it doesn't happen in the future.

From the perspective of Adobe's sudden acquisition of Macromedia, it was actually premeditated.

After seeing that the MM product line is constantly enriched and improved, Adobe

Finally, we made a try-and-try move: the acquisition.

It is the same as Adobe's N acquisitions in history. However, this is the purchase of all brands.

Instead of buying products like Photoshop and GoLive

As an image player, Adobe is confused after its peak

A FireWorks makes Adobe suddenly aware of the potential market of Web Publishing

As a result, we developed the ImageReady that follows the PS on the interface, and added the ImageReady for cutting and making GIF and HTML.

And bind the two for sale, in order to stabilize the majority of the use group of PS, do not choose FW to create Web pages

This seems unreasonable in China, but it is necessary to purchase genuine software in foreign countries.

Therefore, companies and individuals do not want to purchase another FW.

At the same time, the emergence and popularity of Flash Media Formats make Adobe very uncomfortable.

This is a field that has never been involved, and has been taken the lead by others.

Just as MS has been given the lead by NS in the browser.

Adobe wants to suppress the SWF format with its own strength

As a result, the SVG media format is introduced, and the SVG Viewer is included in a series of software.

I don't think many people know that they have installed the SVG browser plug-in.

Advanced SVG format design, strong interaction with JvavScript

However, I personally think that the lag of development tools affects the development of the media format.

The output SVG format is not complex and can be achieved by software such as AI.

However, to achieve a simple and easy-to-use Multimedia effect similar to SWF, it is never unknown where to start.

Its declared good interaction with JavaScript is also caused by the lack of intermediate interface software and

Because Adobe users are image workers, they basically have no idea about scripts and programming.

The JavaScript language structure is like a book or a barrier for them.

In this regard, AS, which implements interactive functions based on JavaScript, has done a good job.

In addition, GL allows image workers to complete 3D and webpage production with operations similar to PS.

It seems that Adobe has been testing and correcting the SVG format for so many years.

It is estimated that Adobe will inject SVG features into SWF format

The success of AE is undeniable. Adobe has also formed its style in the streaming media field.

Just like the PS/AI style in the graphic Field

The launch of LM based on the same interface was positioned as a replacement for Flash.

It is undeniable that LM adopts the smooth operation method of AE, and is compatible with PS and AI files, which greatly facilitates the transition of PS users.

However, it is difficult to compete with Flash, which has already become the original trend. Even PS users are already using Flash to create webpage media.

LM is a late warrior. It is destined to be late and no one will take care of it after it appears.

After the release of LM2.0, Adobe suddenly terminated the development of LM. Since then, LM has disappeared from the online release of Adobe products.

The previous product page only shows that LM functions will be integrated into other software.

From this point of view, Adobe's action is likely to be to acquire MM without having to have two products at the same time. Therefore, adjust the structure of your product to accommodate MM.

From this, it takes a long time for Adobe to seek help. I remember LM stopped almost two years ago.

In terms of web page creation software, MM is best at DW, and Adobe is opposite to GL.

The predecessor of GL is CyberStudio, which only appeared on the MAC platform and soon occupied the dominant position in the production of web pages on the MAC platform.

This caused Adobe to gain a view and change it to GoLive and release the version running on PC.

Therefore, the GL version is 4.0 as soon as it is released on the PC platform.

Adobe originally positioned GL as an image designer who used web pages to publish works

Therefore, the interface design and operation are simple, but the functions are powerful.

The concept of the drag-and-drop positioning line (also available on AE)

GL also works well in other aspects, including using colors and site structures as management projects.

However, because it is transplanted from the MAC platform, the version on the PC platform is not very stable, and this situation is only improved by version 6.

To talk about GL's failure, I think it is the planners who are conservative and stubborn in some small details.

Earlier browsers were divided into IE and NS. The two have different definitions for some special effects. For example, IE can easily implement floating layer translucent and embedded framework iFrame

However, NS is not allowed. In its name, the pursuit of stability is actually a kind of Fixed-step self-sealing like apple in its early years.

GL developers must belong to early NS users, and do not support the proprietary attributes of IE because of their feelings for NS and the illusion of NS standards.

This allows the producer to input code when implementing a translucent effect similar to a floating layer. This is undoubtedly inconvenient for many people.

With the GL engine, implementing such a function is really easy. But developers do not.

This makes people feel like installing a bench as a chair in the powerful BENZ sports car.

It can be said that GL's rigor makes it lose flexibility. The decline of NS standards and the rise of IE standards make GL's declared stability meaningless.

The so-called stability means that the web pages using the IE proprietary attribute will not work normally on the NS, but now all the world is Internet Explorer. Who cares about compatibility with NS?

In contrast, although DW originated from GoLive, it launched products on the PC platform earlier. Its extensive and easy-to-use features allow it to grow rapidly.

It has occupied many markets in the field of beginners. The developer attaches great importance to the Chinese market and releases the Chinese version. This is a strong comparison with Adobe's obvious abandonment of the Chinese market.

Therefore, almost all new users in China have chosen DW as the webpage creation tool. Various script plug-ins are also widely used.

Adobe is focusing only on the markets of Europe, America, Japan, and South Korea due to piracy in China and India.

Despite the advantages of GL in those regions, DW user groups have formed a monopoly of generations after the Copyright Protection in China and India is gradually improved, the Chinese version of GL requires a hard battle.

The so-called generations of relays refer to the use of DW from beginners to veterans. A series of teaching materials, works, presentations, and publicity are all targeted at DW.

All these difficulties will not be faced after the acquisition of MM.

Adobe saw MM's efforts in Web database, so it added the database function to GL.

Because Adobe does not focus on development, it actually buys the copyright of a third party and adds it as a module to GL.

This reduces the number of services and support, and disconnects database components from GL. As a result, the database engine of GL is unknown.

It may have been preparing for the acquisition of MM. Adobe canceled the database components in the new GL version, and supported the DW method (vertical toolbar and bar palette) on the operation interface)

In this way, Adobe will integrate the mature DW database technology into GL and retain the existing interface and operation methods of GL.

However, users who use DW may not be able to see the DW name in the future, but they can rest assured that they can smoothly transition to GoLive and eventually follow the consistent operation style of Adobe.

Since DW has many similarities with GL, after joining the excellent idea of GL, new software will become more mature and present a monopoly like Windows.

As for some other products in which MM has not yet formed momentum, Adobe will continue development and integrate them into the corresponding fist software (PS, AI, AE, etc.) as modules or plug-ins.

All in all, in retrospect, Adobe has arranged the product structure after MM acquisition a long time ago:

1. in the media field, if LM has no future, Adobe will continue to develop Flash and add it to the Adobe Design System (such as file format sharing and clipboard transfer)

2. In the web page production field, the GoLive subject will be retained according to the situation where GoLive is retained and CS2 has been released, and the DW operator's habits are taken into account on the interface, the DW database is added.

In the future, GL is likely to follow the original DW model, which can be divided into production versions and database development versions.

In fact, in the gl cs version, there has been a special usage method for such purposes as web updates: GoLive CO. version.

CO. the version installation size is the same as that of the general GL (the installation file is the same, but the serial number is used for the difference), but after the start, you can only open the site update project (text, images, links, etc) the website cannot be designed and created after modification.

This is often used in teamwork. Some people are responsible for constructing webpages, reserving updatable resources, and then handing them over to the persons responsible for updates to update the resources they have reserved.

3. In the graphic field, PS will certainly not be replaced by FW. Therefore, the most possible way is to replace ImageReady with FW, or integrate both into PS, turn PS into a software that can make animations and simple HTML.

However, this requires Adobe to enhance the vector function of PS, which has long been in the software positioning (to avoid occupying AI) consideration. Adobe has always provided only a few Vector Functions of PS.

4. There should be no major changes in the typographical field and audio field. Adobe adds some input and output plug-ins for existing typographical or audio software at most.

5. In the digital video field, Adobe may add some Flash features to AE.

6. In the database field, Adobe is likely to develop a set of database application products based on the existing MM.

The Version Manager Version Cue attached to Adobe In the CS Version is designed to implement easy-to-use file storage and sharing in various software. For example, you do not have to store a file every time you change your work, you can use the version manager to record multiple States of a file. This feature may be developed to solve the compatibility and sharing issues with the MM series file formats, so that the software kernel of both parties does not need to be changed too much.

Of course, the merger of such products is good for me personally. At least in my book "The Road to masters", I don't have to worry about how to be compatible with the two. However, it is perfect to use GL to achieve web-based PS works.