Adobe’s Macromedia Buy – Developers React, Browser War with Microsoft

Adobe Systems’ proposed acquisition of Macromedia took software developers by surprise, stirring a mix of apprehension and optimism about the fate of the joined companies and their respective software titles.

While the $3.4 billion acquisition may not set any records in terms of its size, it marks the end of one era and the beginning of a new one for Web developers and designers who have watched Macromedia and Adobe increasingly compete for their loyalty over the years. Concern among developers centered on Adobe’s historical focus on graphic designers.

Developers react to Adobe’s Macromedia buy
CNET News

“What’s taking shape is the ultimate battle for the browser,” said Paul Colton, CEO of Xamlon, a company that provides tools for creating applications that run in Microsoft’s .Net framework. The company this month added the capability of letting its developers output Flash movies. “This [merger] play is about gaining dominance in the browser applications market,” Colton said. “The reach of PDF and Flash already go a long way, and the combination of those two will be very intense.”

Adobe-Macromedia alliance takes fight to Microsoft
Silicon