Editing Adobe Flash (section)

=== Open Source ===
Adobe has taken steps to reduce or eliminate Flash licensing costs. For instance, the [[SWF]] file format documentation is provided free of charge<ref>[https://www.adobe.com/devnet/swf.html SWF Technology Center | Adobe Developer Connection] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140822131849/http://www.adobe.com/devnet/swf.html|date=August 22, 2014}}. Adobe.com (July 14, 2009). Retrieved on March 11, 2011.</ref> after they relaxed the requirement of accepting a [[non-disclosure agreement]] to view it in 2008.<ref>{{cite web|title=Adobe Open Screen Project|website=[[ZDNet]]|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/adobe-open-screen-project/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811085142/http://www.zdnet.com/blog/stewart/adobe-open-screen-project/828|archive-date=August 11, 2011|access-date=March 21, 2012|quote=Starting today, there will be no restrictions on the use of the SWF specification or the FLV and F4V specifications that make up video in Flash. Formerly, to look at the SWF specification users had to sign a licensing agreement not to use it to create competing players}}</ref> Adobe also created the Open Screen Project which removes licensing fees and opens data protocols for Flash.

Adobe has also open-sourced many components relating to Flash.

* In 2006, the [[ActionScript Virtual Machine 2]] (AVM2) which implements [[ActionScript 3]] was donated as open-source to [[Mozilla Foundation]], to begin work on the [[Tamarin (software)|Tamarin]] virtual machine that would implement the [[ECMAScript 4]] language standard with the help of the [[Mozilla]] community.<ref>{{cite web|date=November 7, 2006|title=Adobe and Mozilla Foundation to Open Source Flash Player Scripting Engine|url=http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/press/mozilla-2006-11-07.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101021012819/http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/press/mozilla-2006-11-07.html|archive-date=October 21, 2010|access-date=September 3, 2010|work=Mozilla Foundation Press Center|location=San Francisco}}</ref> It was released under the terms of a [[Mozilla Public License|MPL]]/[[GPL]]/[[LGPL]] [[tri-license]] and includes the specification for the ActionScript [[bytecode]] format; [[Tamarin Project]] jointly managed by Mozilla and Adobe Systems<ref>[https://www.mozilla.org/projects/tamarin/ Tamarin Project] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070210002959/http://www.mozilla.org/projects/tamarin/|date=February 10, 2007}}. Mozilla.org (October 5, 2010). Retrieved on March 11, 2011.</ref> It is now considered obsolete by Mozilla.
* In 2011, the [[Apache Flex|Adobe Flex Framework]] was donated as open-source to the [[Apache Software Foundation]] and rebranded as Apache Flex.<ref name="Adobe donates Flex to Apache">{{cite web|title=Adobe donates Flex to Apache|url=http://www.techworld.com.au/article/407714/adobe_donates_flex_apache|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111118101841/http://www.techworld.com.au/article/407714/adobe_donates_flex_apache/|archive-date=November 18, 2011|access-date=November 17, 2011|website=[[Techworld]]}}</ref> Some saw this move as Adobe abandoning Flex, and stepping away from the Flash Platform as a whole.<ref name="thereg1">{{cite web|first=Tim|last=Anderson|date=November 15, 2015|title=Adobe Flex SDK bombshell STUNS developers|website=[[The Register]]|url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/11/15/adobe_donates_flex_sdk_to_open_source/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170810172248/https://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/11/15/adobe_donates_flex_sdk_to_open_source/|archive-date=August 10, 2017|access-date=August 10, 2017}}</ref><ref name="pcworld1">{{cite web|author=Joab Jackson, IDG News Service|date=November 16, 2011|title=Adobe Donates Flex to Apache|url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/244060/adobe_donates_flex_to_apache.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121118220544/http://www.pcworld.com/article/244060/adobe_donates_flex_to_apache.html|archive-date=November 18, 2012|access-date=October 10, 2015|publisher=[[PCWorld]]}}</ref> Sources from Apache say that "Enterprise application development is no longer a focus at Adobe. At least as Flash is concerned, Adobe is concentrating on games and video.",<ref name="thereg1" /><ref name="printui1">[http://printui.com/blog/2013/01/flex-flash/ Flex != Flash] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160110220042/http://printui.com/blog/2013/01/flex-flash/|date=January 10, 2016}}, PrintUI, January 27, 2013</ref> and they conclude that "Flex Innovation is Exploding!".<ref name="printui1" /> The donated source code included a partly developed AS3 compiler (dubbed "Falcon") and the [[BlazeDS]] set of technologies.<ref name="pcworld1" /><ref name="printui1" />
* In 2013, the [[CrossBridge]] C++ [[cross-compilation]] toolset was open sourced by Adobe and released on [[GitHub]].<ref name="labsblog4">[http://blogs.adobe.com/flashplayer/2013/06/open-source-flash-c-compiler-crossbridge.html Open Source Flash C++ Compiler, CrossBridge] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140325084106/http://blogs.adobe.com/flashplayer/2013/06/open-source-flash-c-compiler-crossbridge.html|date=March 25, 2014}}, Adobe Blogs, June 25, 2013</ref><ref>[https://adobe-flash.github.io/crossbridge/ CrossBridge] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170920190506/http://adobe-flash.github.io/crossbridge/|date=September 20, 2017}}, Adobe Gaming GitHub Website</ref> The project was formerly termed "Alchemy" and "Flash Runtime C++ Compiler", and targeted the game development market to enable C++ video games to run in Adobe Flash Player.<ref>[https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=MTM5NjA Adobe Open-Sources Flash C/C++ Compiler] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170206072221/https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=MTM5NjA|date=February 6, 2017}}, Phoronix, Michael Larabel, June 26, 2013</ref>

Adobe has not been willing to make complete source code of the Flash Player available for [[free software]] development and even though [[free and open source]] alternatives such as [[Shumway (software)|Shumway]] and [[Gnash (software)|Gnash]] have been built, they are no longer under active development.<ref>{{cite web|title=Gnash Reference Manual|url=https://www.gnu.org/software/gnash/manual/gnashref.html#runs-on|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111125173326/http://www.gnu.org/software/gnash/manual/gnashref.html#runs-on|archive-date=November 25, 2011|access-date=November 12, 2011|website=gnu.org}}</ref>

====Open Screen Project====
On May 1, 2008, Adobe announced the ''Open Screen Project'', with the intent of providing a consistent application interface across devices such as personal computers, [[mobile device]]s, and [[consumer electronics]].<ref name="osppr">{{cite web|title=Adobe and Industry Leaders Establish Open Screen Project|url=https://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pressreleases/200805/050108AdobeOSP.html|access-date=February 20, 2009|date=May 1, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090210215745/http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pressreleases/200805/050108AdobeOSP.html|archive-date=February 10, 2009|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> When the project was announced, seven goals were outlined: the abolition of licensing fees for Adobe Flash Player and [[Adobe AIR]], the removal of restrictions on the use of the [[Adobe Shockwave|Shockwave]] Flash ([[SWF]]) and Flash Video (FLV) [[file format]]s, the publishing of [[API|application programming interfaces]] for porting Flash to new devices, and the publishing of The Flash Cast protocol and Action Message Format (AMF), which let Flash applications receive information from remote databases.<ref name="osppr"/>

{{As of|February 2009}}, the specifications removing the restrictions on the use of SWF and FLV/F4V specs have been published.<ref name="interview">{{cite web|url=http://www.uiresourcecenter.com/rich-internet-applications/articles/inside-the-open-screen-project.html?s=2_1 |title=Inside the Open Screen Project |first=Anup| last=Murarka|access-date=February 21, 2009| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090210122744/http://uiresourcecenter.com/rich-internet-applications/articles/inside-the-open-screen-project.html?s=2_1| archive-date= February 10, 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref> The Flash Cast protocol—now known as the Mobile Content Delivery Protocol—and AMF protocols have also been made available,<ref name="interview"/> with AMF available as an open source implementation, [[BlazeDS]].

The list of mobile device providers who have joined the project includes [[Palm, Inc.|Palm]], Motorola, and Nokia,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.openscreenproject.org/partners/current_partners.html| title=Open Screen Project partners|access-date=February 20, 2009| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090224150104/http://www.openscreenproject.org/partners/current_partners.html| archive-date= February 24, 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref> who, together with Adobe, have announced a $10 million Open Screen Project fund.<ref>{{cite web|title=Adobe and Nokia Announce $10 Million Open Screen Project Fund|url=https://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pressreleases/200902/021609AdobeNokia.html|date=February 16, 2009|access-date=February 20, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090219070548/http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pressreleases/200902/021609AdobeNokia.html|archive-date=February 19, 2009|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>