Adobe pushes Flash forward; Bolsters SAP partnership

Adobe's MAX 2008 conference kicks off Monday and the shindig's theme is pretty simple: Extend its Flash platform into every software nook and cranny that it can by enlisting developers everywhere.

Adobe's goal of reaching everyone with Flash isn't new, but the company every year makes more

There are a bunch of announcements from Adobe's powwow (Techmeme), but here are the key items:

• Adobe will preview its Flash Player 10 for smartphones, but the affair remains Windows only (statement).
• The company will collaborate more with SAP to bring Flash into the enterprise (statement). With any luck, Adobe will bring more user friendly features to SAP applications. I detailed some of the progress at SAP's TechEd conference.
• Adobe is rolling out a 64-bit Linux version of its Flash Player.
• ARM and Adobe are collaborating to optimize Flash Player 10 and AIR on  devices (statement).
• Adobe launched the beta of Cocomo, its platform-as-a-service and cloud computing development play (statement).
• And Adobe rolled out the Flash Media Interactive Server 3.5, Flash Media Streaming Server 3.5, the next version of Adobe FlexBuilder and the availability of AIR 1.5 (statement).

Of those aforementioned announcements Adobe's partnership with SAP remains notable--if unappreciated for now. The enterprise user interface could use a little help and if corporate data is going to filter through to the masses you're going to need some eye candy. SAP will enable its developers to use Flash and Flex with its Web Dynpro, SAP's user interface standard. If developers buy in SAP data may become more accessible going forward.

The common thread here is that Adobe wants its software to bridge the Web and desktop. Thus far, the company is doing a good job with it.