Adobe's CSS shaders let this Google Maps Web page be folded like a real map.

(Credit:
screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET)

commentary For all the folks out there who love to bash Adobe Systems for its Flash Player software, it’s time to take a fresh look at the company.

Because today’s Adobe is very different than the one that long promoted Flash as the way to a rich, interactive Web. Adobe is being reborn as a Web technology company that is advancing Web standards, not promoting its own in-house technology alternative at the expense of those standards.

It’s not just Web standards making an appearance, either. Adobe also is moving beyond the personal-computer era with serious apps for tablets. It’s a natural fit for the affluent, creative set that gravitates to Adobe’s software, but it’s a big change in development and sales for the company.

It’s not clear to what extent Adobe’s new initiatives will succeed in making the company relevant with modern computing trends. But it’s time to give the company credit for adapting.

Actions speak louder than words
Adobe has been talking about its Web work for years now, but actions speak louder than words. Here are major recent moves–some announced this week at the Max conference–that show the company’s new Web priorities:

• It’s working on software called … [Read more]

Original post:
Adobe reboots for apps and Web–with dash of Flash