Wouldn't want to be Macromedia

dlookus

dlookus

Disgruntled user
The Press Release

Macromedia to give Adobe $2.8 Million for patent infringement.

This verdict came out of nowhere. Macromedia hasn't been doing too well financially lately. I feel sorry for them. But in reality, they have been ripping off Adobe pretty bad.

I have to say, I use Flash MX, and I actually like their solution better than the tabbed palletes. All of the palette names line up vertically and you don't have to look left to right as you scan down the list.

Why they couldn't just take 10 minutes to come up with this instead of ripping off the tabbed palettes, I will never know.
 
Originally posted by dlookus

I have to say, I use Flash MX, and I actually like their solution better than the tabbed palletes. All of the palette names line up vertically and you don't have to look left to right as you scan down the list.
Click to expand...

After using MX for the last couple weeks, I must agree... I like the new system and really dig MX as a whole... It is a bit slow in 9, but runs like a champ in X...

I used to worry about Flash 4 and 5 crashing on me constantly under OS9, this new version seems really stable though.
 
Really, $2.8 mil is chump change. And Macromedia really won't have to change anything. Macromedia was very wise to change the pallettes in the MX series apps. Not only are they easier to minimize now and reduce clutter, but they in no way infringe upon Adobe's "patent" (although, if whoever wrote Painter was smart enough to copyright it's pallette functionality, MM could be in trouble with them too).

With regard to MM's counter suit to Adobe, that still has yet to be decided...

And Nummi, I'd think twice about investing a lot of time and money in to LiveMotion 2. Already Adobe has transitioned the LM development team to the After Effects team, in what seems to a disbandment. Insiders say that Adobe realizes it can't compete with Flash, and that LM sales were very disappointing...

Personally, I liked LM2, but there's one major reason I won't upgrade to it. The "preview" mode under OS X is incredibly slow. So slow that you can't really effectively preview anything. How the app shipped with this big of a glitch is beyond me.

Stick with Flash. It's the real deal...
 
But I do think Macromedia is quite copying Microsoft this time. Have you seen Office v.X?? It is vertical line up palette names!! And I am pretty sure Office v.X came earlier than any MX apps. Right??

MXvsV.X.gif
 
Simple fact is that Adobe has patents for their way of docking different palettes, Macromedia copied it, Adobe asked Macromedia to cease doing it, and when Adobe thought it was enough waiting for Macromedia to comply they filed a lawsuit: And they won. Clearly. Macromedia's short counter attack was just that. They thought to themselves that just defending themselves wasn't enough. Well, bad for Macromedia, right? *If* Microsoft has patents for the vertical lineup of such titles and *if* Macromedia now hurts those patents, they're in new trouble. Question is: How else can you do it? Should Macromedia invent yet a new way?

*I* think this is a simple matter that should already be covered by the Human Interface Guidelines. I know, I'm thinking a bit too simple in such cases, but I'd have said: Adobe, let Apple make this an Aqua interface guideline for docking palettes, take some money from Apple for licensing the technology/idea and let it all be well in the world.

But the case, whether you like Macromedia or Adobe more, is clear. And that's what software patents are for, right? You have to somehow secure your intellectual property. It would make no sense at all to have a patent that secures this and then let Macromedia copy it like that without making them cease.

The philosophical me says: To hell with software patents like that. Let good ideas flourish and take the credit for them! Adobe would have a much better image right now.
 
The preview was slow in LM1 in OS 9 too. I would always export to web browser anyway. I think Adobe should stick with LiveMotion. Or maybe combine LM2 and AfterEffects, just make them one app. I would love that :)

2.8 million... yeah, that is pocket change to these evil corprations. But I am still laughing. HA HAH HA HAH !
 
maybe Adobe will start bundling LiveMotion/After Effects together, much like they do with Photoshop/Imageready...

As for MM copying Microsoft - actually that style of pallette was made popular by Painter, which was developed by MetaCreations (and probably a few other companies like HSC and Kai before it). I don't think MS can hold a patent on it, since they started using it long after Painter did.
 
I definitely like the MX way better, as stated above. Normally I like the way Adobe does things better, but in this case I don't.

I think that the similarities between the palettes in MX and Office and Painter are not really relevant. I think it's too conventional to patent. If you think about it it's not that different than the flippy triangles in the Finder.
 
I am happy with Adobe's way of doing things. I still like LiveMotion better. I know it is not as powerful, but basic animation is A LOT easier.
 
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